Comments on: The Virginia Bar Exam: How Much Studying Is Enough?

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:44:56 +0000

I took a second bar (New Mexico) 20 years after graduating from law school and used the same strategy and timetable for the February 2010 bar exam and passed it. However, I studied even less time due to work pressures. I, too, found the multistate practice questions to actually be enjoyable and challenging (yes, I do have a life and would still have preferred to be doing something else, but if you have to……) and scored higher on the multistate than on my first bar exam right out of law school. My best advice for anyone taking a bar exam for the first or fifth time, is to study your state’s past bar exam questions and model answers if available. I never took a bar exam course and relied on those for my study. I am taking a third bar exam next month and it will be my last one! Why can’t I just find a state to waive in?

By: Kyle Colin

Kyle Colin — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:41:33 +0000

congrats, I too took the PA bar in 2006 and I am taking the VA bar this July. How did the exams compare (obviously with regard to the essay day) and what study materials did you find most useful? Great blog it has been encouraging as I stare down the barrel of three months of working and studying.

By: VAbar exam taker in TX

VAbar exam taker in TX — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:47:32 +0000

Congratulations as well. As a veteran of 8 bar exams, 6 passed, including the same Feb 2010 VA exam, 1 failed (and later passed, CA) and one pending results (NJ Feb 2010), I have an observation on VA. The 57% pass rate and the ticky tacky subject matter of the VA exam seem consistent with some local protectionism, protect the local guild. While some questions were straight forward, some were just local law gotcha attempts. Come on, the dollar limit for grand larceny, the asprirational percentage for pro bono, open records act??? You have also taken more than one bar exam, don’t you think that VA showed just a bit of protectionism in the Feb 2010 exam? I passed, so there is no sour grapes here, but the Feb 2010 NJ essay portion was a far more straight forward exam.

By: jamison

jamison — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:37:06 +0000

Tevenia: Thank you very much. And congratulations yourself. June 7 for the swearing in, right? Yes, it would be fun to meet in person. I’ll be the guy who, believe it or not, is even better-looking than the photo above.

By: Tevenia

Tevenia — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:01:54 +0000

I just wanted to congratulate you on passing the Virginia bar exam! I’ve been following your blog ever since your first “Day After” review (which, by the way, helped me to feel much better after essay day) and I was very happy to see your name on the list! Maybe I can congratulate you again in person at the Supreme Court swearing-in?

Best of luck!

By: jamison

jamison — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:16:33 +0000

Jeff: Thanks for the support. I’ve got the MPRE this weekend, which will hopefully be the last obstacle to becoming licensed to practice in Virginia.

By: Jeff Gamso

Jeff Gamso — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:24:39 +0000

I took (and this is a long time ago) the Ohio bar exam about three years after the Texas bar. I did something similar: I borrowed a friend’s bar review materials and studied them.

I don’t think I ever doubted that I passed the Texas bar (though I was certainly relieved when it was official that I had). But I had no emotional confidence that I’d passed the Ohio bar. Intellectually, I knew I probably had. I don’t have any idea how much time I put into studying for Ohio’s test but emotionally, once I took the test, I couldn’t help feeling it wasn’t enough.

I passed, and swore then that I’d never take a third. So far (and it’s been a couple of decades), I’ve kept that promise to myself.

Got my fingers crossed for you.