Don’t Let Failure Defeat You

Don’t Let Failure Defeat You

The following article was submitted by an applicant who took the Florida Bar Exam five times before passing it. We hope the article encourages you, especially if you are an exam repeater.

My First Attempt

There is nothing more disheartening than seeing the word FAIL next to your number when bar results come out. The first time this happened, I admit, I was not completely surprised. While disappointed, I learned I was in good company and many attorneys I knew reached out to share their stories of failing the bar exam on their first time, as well as hearing from classmates who were also unsuccessful in their first attempt. When my results were mailed to me, I saw I was not far from passing and immediately made plans to retake the February exam.

My Second Attempt

I did not retake a bar prep course on my second attempt. I believed my initial failure was a result of not fully knowing Florida specific law, as I went to a law school out of state. I turned my energy toward the Florida essays which I downloaded off the Board of Bar Examiner’s website. I went into the exam room feeling confident I would pass on my second try. To my dismay, I failed—again! My disappointment turned into fear, anger, and frustration.

My Third and Fourth Attempts

When I shared with others that I had failed a second time, my friends and family were both sympathetic and encouraging. They promised that the third time would be a charm. So I forged ahead with the exam for the third time. I hired a bar exam tutor who specialized in working with people who have test-taking anxiety.

Although I was working full time at this point, I spent every night and weekend in the library, spending countless hours doing practice questions and essays. Again, I went into the bar exam room feeling confident I would pass. After all, the third time around is a charm. Right? Hmm, not necessarily. …

When the results came back, I took the day off from work. I sat at my parent’s house and broke down in tears. I had passed the MBE, but once again, failed the Florida portion, thereby failing the overall exam. After that much needed cry, I wiped my eyes and decided I would give the bar exam one more chance, which would now be my fourth attempt. I was only 2 points away from passing the overall exam, and because I passed the MBE, I only needed to pass the Florida portion, which I knew I could do. Unfortunately, just a few months later, I again experienced the devastating news that I failed for a fourth time!

My Fifth Attempt

vPerhaps I am blessed to have a will that doesn’t easily accept defeat, or perhaps I was just plain crazy. Whatever it was, I told myself again that I would give it one more try. I was not ready to let a test stop me from doing what my heart believed in.

I had made it through law school, doubling my JD with a Masters degree. I had a successful career doing something I loved. I realized that failing the bar exam did not mean I would not have a wonderful life, nor would it stop me from doing what I wanted to do. All I knew at this point was that I had nothing to lose but a few more dollars.

I Finally Passed the Exam!

Yesterday, at 9:06 a.m., the word I have spent two years longing to see was there: PASS. You might be wondering what I did differently on my fifth successful try than I did on my four prior failed attempts at passing the Florida Bar Exam. For me, it was changing my priorities. The bar exam was no longer my priority. Living life was! I continued to go to work. I also trained for my first half-marathon, which was the Sunday before the bar exam. I made time for church, family, and friends.

In fact, I spent less than 10 hours a week studying. At that point, I had taken bar prep courses, I had worked with a tutor, I had read every book and created note cards and outlines. I had the knowledge. What I lacked was faith. I had put fear in front of my faith and it was that fear which consumed me in my previous attempts. In my fifth, yes 5th, and final attempt to pass the bar exam, fear was no longer a factor.

During the nearly two and one-half years it took me to actually pass the exam, I learned a lot about myself, and the bar exam. One, I am stronger than I thought. I cannot count the number of conversations I have had where people have told me I have been a source of encouragement to them when they felt like giving up.

I never thought my failure, and admission of it, could do that. But it did. Second, it does not matter how many times you fail. What matters is how many times you get up. Life is filled with failure, but those who are most successful are the ones who do not let those failures define them.

Michael Jordan once said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed” (quoting, CBS News).

If you are reading this, you may know those feelings of disappointment, anger, frustration, exhaustion, and tears that come from failing the bar exam. You may tell yourself that you don’t have what it takes to pass the bar exam and be a lawyer. You may be ready to, or have already decided to, stop trying.

I want to tell you that you can do this-you can pass! It may take a few tries, but that is okay. Twenty years from now, no one will know the difference. When you apply for jobs or a client walks through your door, no one will ask how many times you failed the bar exam. You missed this shot, but you have not lost this game. You can do this! You can pass!

Advertisement