Thousands Learn they Failed the California Bar Examination over Memorial Day Weekend

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 27, 2007 -- Over Memorial Day Weekend, thousands will learn they failed the California Bar Exam. Last time around, only 39% of the people who took the bar passed. Why do people fail the bar examination? They study too much! They obviously need to spend more time at the beach, according to one well-known bar exam expert.

"The most common mistake people make on the bar exam is to study too much and not practice enough," says Scott Pearce of http://www.calbarexam.com, a California lawyer who has helped students pass the bar exam since 1988. "You can study the law until you memorize whole chapters of textbooks, and you'll still fail the bar exam if you can't write a coherent explanation about why some character in a bar exam essay question is entitled to remedies for breach of contract, or whatever legal issue is involved. The best way to learn the law is to understand how it is tested, then develop the knowledge and skills you need to pass. I see people work far too hard and end up staggering into the exam in a state of physical and emotional collapse"

Does that mean the secret to success is not taking the bar exam too seriously? "Not at all. Of course you've got to take it seriously. It's a three-day long marathon. Maybe you've got a hundred grand in student loans, and your professional future is at stake. You'd have to be nuts not to take it seriously. What I'm saying is that the secret to success on the bar exam is balance. You're not going to do your best if you spend two months being totally miserable every waking moment of the day until you go in and take the test. If you're smart, you'll think about your health, and you'll be in better physical shape on the first day of the exam than you are on the day you begin to prepare for the exam. Sometimes the smart thing is to go for a swim, or spend a few hours dancing."

Pearce notes that, "California has a passive-aggressive way of dealing with people who want to become lawyers. On the one hand, California is very generous. It allows graduates of on-line and small, local law schools to take the California Bar Examination. This approach encourages many more people to get a legal education than would do so otherwise. On the other hand, the bar exam in California is the most cruel and unpleasant in the nation. Every year, a significant majority of those who take the California Bar Exam fail it." Some, like Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, give up on practicing law after failing the bar exam repeatedly, yet find productive ways to make use of their legal education. Compton attorney Maxcy Filer, Esq., passed the California Bar Exam on his 47th attempt - 25 years after his first try.

###