Monday, September 29, 2008
The Official Bar Exam Results Anxiety Thread
Maybe it's just me, but I am really nervous about results. Anyway, I know you guys want to get rid of the Class of 2008; however, let us have our one last hurrah here on the Blawg. I'm curious if anyone's heard anything about when results will be out. (Translation: Those of you who work at the Supreme Court? Let us know when you know.) I did hear a rumor that they would be out on October 3rd, but that's pretty early. They're usually released the day before the BLE website says they're going to be released, which, if that turns out to be true, would be October 8th. Good luck everyone and hope to see you at the Homecoming event before the Texas game!
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112 comments:
Oh yes, after a blissful 2 months of ignorance, I forgot that there's a decent chance that I failed.
I don't think the class of 2008 should go away. The blog needs all the contributors it can get at this point.
What weirds me out is how confident all the people I work with are about their own bar results (3 others). And, for those who want to know, I work at a medium sized litigation firm. I like it a lot. So glad not to be in law school.
I had some associates explain to me last year (when we were waiting for one of the other clerk's results) that results are typically posted on the BLE website a day or two before the official release date. So if the official release date is the day they post the actual physical list on the wall at the Supreme Court, then you can expect to see results posted on the web a day or two before that. But no one actually knew when and it would lead to folks checking the website incessantly for days leading up to the official release date and ultimately others would know your results before you. Which, by the way, is just terrible that they don't tell you before they tell the whole world whether or not you passed.
I think the BLE website now says results will be posted here (i.e., on the website) NO SOONER than October 9th at 9 AM to make it more of a fair game for everyone. Like, this is the absolute soonest anything will be released on this website so don't spend all week checking.
It always says the "no sooner" thing and it's always sooner. It is to prevent phone calls coming into the BLE offices. If they word it that way, they're less likely to get phone calls asking about when results will be released.
And I agree that they should email results prior to publishing them on the Web.
oh, good, so i do get to sit and check the BLE site every 10 seconds for the entire week of October 6th!
one of the attorneys here said before the whole web thing they would post results in the denver post, which at the time he didn't know, and that he found out from his neighbor that he passed. that would be nice...out of the blue someone is like, "hey, congratulations on passing the bar" and you can skip that gut wrenching anxiety of scrolling down the long list of names praying to see your own
I just puked...
I'm curious about who's confident they passed, who thinks they didn't (me!), and who just doesn't know. I don't think I did because I didn't feel on top of my game at all, esp. on the MBE, and I know for a fact I missed a lot of stuff on the essays. I just flat out got a lot wrong as I was spitting crap out.
I am pretty sure I failed...
I know I messed up some essay stuff, even MPT stuff
I have no clue on the MBE though, but doubt i did well enough to make my essays count for very little.
If anyone has a ticket to the Texas game they won't be using, please email me at michelle.witter@colorado.edu
I only need one. Thanks!!!
(The game is now sold out)
2L now running away, screaming, at the thought of the bar....
AHHHH!!!!!!
I found out I passed when my sister called to congratulate me. Although the website said that results would be released "no sooner than..." it wasn't true. Luckily, the news was good. I know a couple of people who found out, by a third party, that they had failed. Colorado really should give people the courtesy of a private notification 24 hours in advance before releasing the info to the whole wide world.
anon 12:49, how much earlier than the "Sooner than" date did you get your results?
There's a really cute girl walking a dog out in the park across frommy house. Should I go introduce myself?
yes! and tell her all your friends online told you to do so. She'll love that- very flattering.
one of the partners at my firm said that they got called in for a morality hearing a couple of weeks before he got the results for his bar. it was concerning some traffic tickets that he had gotten that summer - no big deal and they didn't keep him from being admitted.
The point is: they would not have called him in for the hearing to determine whether or not he was fit to be admitted to the bar unless he actually passed the bar.
So my question is: has anyone out there been called in for any type of hearing? Or have you heard of anyone else being called in?
The reason I ask is because I have plenty of tickets that should have showed up on my records and yet no hearing - if the gut wrenching feeling at the end of the test wasn't enough - this pretty much convinces me that I failed.
I don't think I can handle working as a law clerk for the next 6 months.
Dude, I just found out today that if I fail the bar, which I think I might have, I probably lose my law clerk job. So consider yourself lucky if you fail the bar and get to keep your law clerk job. As for the C&F, I was told a long while ago that my background check came back okay. This was before the bar. And I have plenty of stuff that may have red-flagged my application. I wouldn't read too much into not being called before C&F.
Anon 4:58, that's good news. Because I really really really (there are not enough reallys in the world to express the degree here) torqued off one of the people on my references list back in late August. I so HOPE they did the background checks before the bar, when this person still loved me.
The reason I am up so early is that I just woke up from my first post-bar results nightmare. Everyone passed except for me. It felt incredibly real...and I can tell you that it sucked incredibly bad.
Anon 5:35
YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I had the worse nightmares all night last night that I only scored a total of 117 points on the bar. I kept trying to find out if they lost the essay portion of my exam or something and they kept telling me that it was 117 total for both the MBE's and Essays. It was incredibly real. I even woke up a couple of times and walked around and then had the dream all over again. I'm a total wreck at work today....
I took the Bar in August. I am slightly nervous, but not freaking out at all. I didn't feel like a I flubbed anything to the point that I wouldn't pass with the curve. I finished all of the essays and the multiple choice with a little extra time. By no means do I believe that I received the highest score, but I am cautiously optimistic.
My question to you is why are you so nervous? Did you not answer all of the questions? Were you rushing through the essays?
P.S. I hope this post does not jinx me.
I received a letter yesterday requesting more documentation for my application. I was named a party to a lawsuit in college for unpaid rent. I paid my share, cased closed. I sent in a case summary provided by the court. Apparently I need proof of satisfaction of the judgment for my application to be accepted.
I don't know if this means that I passed, but I am wondering why they waited until SEPTMEBER FREAKIN' 30TH to notify me of this document issue. I sure hope I can get the information before the swearing-in (assuming I passed).
Nervous because I flubbed Civ Pro, parts of Crim Law, Commercial Paper, and Evidence and thought the MBE, at least my morning session, was monster hard.
Ok. Now I'm nervous. I haven't received anything from the BLE and I KNOW I should b/c there should be questions. And no, even with the curve, I'm not sure I passed.
From anon 12:49: they posted the results the night before their "no sooner than.." time/date.
Also, I understand that it is good news if you're being contacted about your application (why would they care if you haven't passed) but it is not necessarily bad news if you haven't been contacted... your application just may not have been flagged for extra scrutiny.
Anon 11:16...I'm in the SAME boat. There are definitely reasons (good reasons-more than traffic tickets) to call me in for a C&F hearing and/or request more documentation from me about my "sordid" past and I haven't gotten anything from them...
Statistically, the vast majority of you have a wonderfully good chance of passing. The failures among you will occur most likely because of personal issues beyond the control of the applicant (like a computer melt-down or death in the family), total lack of preparation, or because the applicant is unfit to practice.
That's what happened in my class, and that's what will happen in yours.
So if you prepared minimally and did not spend your entire summer working or F-ing around, the odds are good that you passed. And since most of you did not drop the ball, I am confident that you won't make DU look good this year.
So simmah down nah!!
From a lawyer re: the bar:
I know nothing is comforting at this time with your imagination going wild, but every single one of my group of friends was convinced we had failed, but not a single one of us did. I had the lowest passing score (i.e., the best score) and was rewarded with a case of fine Ale.
I know guys who failed three times, but who are doing great now. Don't let pride get in you way, and believe no matter what happens, in the end you will have all that you want.
Is anyone else already checking the bar results site fairly frequently?
Anon 10:52...yes, about every hour or so I go on there just in case they decide they want to release results a week early...one of the partners today told me "it's not the end of the world if you fail the bar, it's gonna suck to take it again, but you just gotta do it..." i don't know if that means it's gonna suck because i'll also be looking for another job or just suck generally to take the bar again...
As Ty Webb told Danny Noonan in Caddyshack, "Don't worry about this one. If you miss it, we lose."
I just looked at some other states that have posted results - it was so incredibly depressing to see the word "Fail" next to someones identification number. I tried staring at it and imagining that it was me - hopefully this will desensitize me for next week....
I don't really feel like I bombed anything but I just have a pit in the bottom of my stomach that won't go away....something about 3 yrs of my life and over $100k being wasted.
I'm guessing if that rumor about Oct 3 was true we'd have heard some buzz about it by now. Looks like Wed.
Looks like we got a reprieve for the weekend...maybe I won't dream about Bar results tonight.
Us CA bar takers have to wait until late November for results. Feel lucky, guys.
I used to clerk at the Colorado Supreme Court. Here is how it has happened for at least the last several years. The justices have to certify the results just before they are released. This happens when they meet for conference. Conferences are on Thursdays at 9:00. It is usually at the top of the agenda. Once they approve the results, they call down to an assistant who calls the BLE, and the results are posted almost immediately.
So the results usually go up on a Thursday between 9 and 10. It is highly unlikely that they will be posted before October 9 at 9:00 am.
They used to give an estimated date that fell on a Friday, and then they'd actually go up on a Thursday, hence the information about them normally going up earlier than the date given by the BLE. It looks like the BLE is now just giving a date that corresponds with the court's conference date. So, I probably wouldn't expect them early this year.
Anyway, long story short, wait until Thursday at 9:00 to start constantly refreshing the results page.
Thanks. That's very good information. Not what I wanted to hear, but good info nevertheless.
To throw a slight wrench into things, February 2008 test-takers received their results on April 30-- which was a Wednesday. The date they were supposed to get results "no sooner than"? May 1. (Although perhaps the justices had their conference a day earlier to compensate for Easter vacations as Easter was the following weekend, I believe.)
That's right--the former clerk's theory makes sense but doesn't fit the Feb '08 profile. We we got our results on Wednesday night, not Thursday morning. But like the above poster said, it's possible it was a one-time fluke due to the Easter glitch. I don't mean to add stress to people about checking but at the same time think its pretty awful to find out second-hand whether you passed. If it were me waiting for results, I would check Wednesday evening just to be safe.
You guys are crazier than some Jesus freak on the side of a busy highway. JC isn't coming back anytime soon. Just like the nut on the side of the road, you need to chill and quit getting all worked up about nothing.
If I failed this time around, I feel pretty good about passing next time around. It's not the end of the world. Some of you sound like you're going to go commit suicide if you fail.
If you do--go vertical. Horizontal usually doesn't work. That would really suck to fail twice in the same day. But I would recommend that rather than going the suicide route, you just be thankful you don't have start getting in your 1200 billable hours just yet (that'd be a posh job, right?).
if i failed, i'm moving to vegas and pursuing a "career" of heavy drinking and gambling.
i share the concerns of those of you who havent been called in. if there's anyone who ever SHOULD have been called in, it's me. if you have been arrested before, isnt that an automatic call in?
suicide FTW
or at least a large quantity of booze and painkillers...
I've been arrested FOUR TIMES and haven't been called in. Vertical, huh? Hmmmmm.
Seriously, that was an awesome post, but I'm still nervous and I'll still feel like puking when the results finally come up. It's simple economics. Have a job. Don't want to lose it.
I know there's no chance they will come out today but I keep refreshing the page anyway. I just really don't want to find out about the results from someone else.
i didnt sleep last night. i had a dream that someone took a picture of me and typed "TOTAL FAIL" on it in MS Paint...
Bar examiners:
If you release the bar results tomorrow, I will perform the sex act of your choice. Um, you know, so long as you are sort of hot.
Thanks,
Applicant
nice offer, but dont you think theyd want to know if YOU are hot?
Anytime anyone at work uses any of the terminology (holder in due course, bearer paper, etc.)from the essay topics I had no clue about, my ears ring and my heart races. It's easier to assure myself that I passed when I do not have to think of all of the things I did not know...
I'm just sick of EVERYONE at work (down to the receptionists who don't even really know what the bar exam is or how it works) asking me when the day is or making some other comment about it...
when i confessed to one of the lawyers that i was really nervous (after he joked about what the office betting pool was at) he said he was surprised by that. partially b/c he was confident he passed and he did so he doesn't understand the feeling of self-doubt and partially b/c i'm "always really together and level-headed about things"
i'm going to assume that everyone else thinks that about me and that's why they continue to bother me about it...b/c they think i can take it
I CAN'T
Anonymous 4:57: Quit worrying...your bar results won't matter since you are going to get fired anyway when your boss or someone from your office reads your post. Buck up, kid. It's a right of passage.
5:43 PM
You clearly don't have a job. I'm in the same boat - and am completely sick of the freakin' receptionist making jabs about me passing the bar. I want to drop kick her! And if one more of the paralegals asks me if I think I passed, swear to god I'm going to wipe a booger on their desk!
The wait is becoming unbearable. I'm tired of limbo. I just want to know, good or bad.
Anyone feel like stepping into the plate and calling the board of law examiners?
I'm sure they'd appreciate that. If I were them, I'd turn the phones off starting Oct. 1 (but if anyone does call, please post the response! ha.)
I called BLE and went through their message menu. The option for bar results had a message discussing he February 2008 bar results.
Maybe you should call your staff representative that you were assigned when you submitted your application and see what happens.
I think the former clerk's explanation as to why we should expect them Thurs. am makes the most sense, but I can't get it out of my head that they DID come on Wed. after the Feb '08 administration. Plus, every single time they've always come out a day ahead, even then. Why does it have to be our results that are different?
Dude, I have no idea where that paperwork is. Screw it.
anon 8:37
you seem like the kind of condescending douchebag that made me want to drop out of law school almost every day i bothered to go to class
Ahh...another bitter unemployed winer
Does anybody know what the cutoff time is for posting on any given day...like, I can quit thinking about it after 5pm tonight if they aren't posted by then? Or do they get all tricky and post them in the evening or at night?
"winer" = winner, wiener, or whiner?
Anyway, don't hold your breath. I just heard 'round the office sometime in the last 2-3 years the results were delayed 4 days after the date reported on the site.
anon 2:14
be thankful for affirmative action, nepotism, or perhaps both
moron
Assuming the clerk who posted above was right (and I have no reason to think he/she wasn't -- that post sounds on the $) if not tomorrow then it would be next Thursday, when the justices certify results at their Thursday conference, right?
Shoot me.
I'm sure it will be tomorrow morning. The Wed. evening thing is weird, but I'm sure it will be tomorrow morning-- not 4 or 5 days later. Sheesh.
Well, there goes 5pm. Good luck to everyone in the morning!
Can someone reassure me that a judge wouldn't tell a clerk they passed early? Because mine didn't say squat except, "Why are you worried?"
Still waiting at the gallows.
I believe a Happy Hour is in order for tomorrow evening...let's say 9:30am? Okay, 5:00'ish? Denver? It's going to be a beautiful 70 degree day...Tamayo rooftop lounge has a great happy hour. I'll be up for drinking, pass or fail. If I fail, all you passers better buy my drinks.
POST THE DAMN RESULTS ALREADY!!!!
Hate to say this, but today is Yom Kippur. Would they delay the results for a jewish holiday?
They probably didn't realize today was Yom Kippur when they put today's date out there. Now they have and realize it would be bad form to post them. Yom Kippur is the holiest Jewish holiday...they would not post them on Christmas day, would they?
I agree.
This is unbelievable.
You guys are high. Are they in session today? Are they having a conference? If so, we should see results soon. If they really "forgot" about Yom Kippur and didn't want to release on this date, someone would have noticed before TODAY and put a new date on the site.
are you implying that Christmas is the holiest Christian holiday? What about easter. I think in honor of yom kippur all those following religions stemming from the judeo background should pass (jews, muslims, christians).
I have no doubt the judges would have realized it. I doubt BLE would have.
I hope you're right though . . .
they are up and I can't look
Wow--94% of first-time takers passed. Nicely done, everyone.
I didn't see "anonymous," you must not have passed. Sorry
I really can't look. It still shows up with the posting message.
want me to look 4 your name?
hooray! everyone i know passed!
I know a couple people who didn't. One from CU and one I clerked with from DU. I still can't believe I passed. BBB
Great job everyone! I heard this was the highest pass rate in CU Law history.
On a side note, I was surprised that some people that I thought would pass didn't and vice-versa. But for those who didn't make it this time, I'm sure you'll make is next time. I hope it doesn't affect your job.
CU's pass rate and the overall pass rate were really high. DU definitely had an upswing there. (Although their repeater rate is abysmal). To those who passed, congrats, and to those who didn't, here's hoping that Feb. is the charm. Try not to get too discouraged. It could happen to anyone.
Only 120 people from '08 took the exam, so don't jump to conclusions if some names aren't on the list. There were a bunch of people that took the test out of state, or are waiting to take it in February
My head hurts.
Just wanted to say thanks to:
1. God
2. My very patient husband and children
3. The outstanding faculty and staff at CU-Law
4. My brilliant and humane classmates, who set the pace
5. Bar-bri home study.
Without them, I couldn't have done it. (I don't ever want to have to do it again!)
Congrats, CB!!!! I'm so proud of you for doing it the way you did. You're an excellent classmate and friend. Only good things for you from now on. Love, BlawBlawBlaw
Seriously - I can't believe how little I actually studied and still passed. What a joke of a test!
Please keep in mind that some of our classmates, who are very smart, hardworking, and capable people, did not pass the exam. No need to be bragging about how little you studied or how "easy" it was. It wasn't.
frankly - it was easy - and i'm definately not one of the smart kids in class - something had to have gone terribly wrong the day of the exam for someone to not have passed. either a complete meltdown [emotionally or via computer] or complete disdain for passing. anyone who showed up to all of the barbri classes and filled in the outlines should have passed, simple as that.
I scored pretty well. (Got my score in the mail today). But I wouldn't say it was "easy" at all. I was convinced I'd failed. I don't think you can say the MBE is easy, and most people fail because of that part of the test.
yeah the MBE was tough - but I'm not saying that it was extremely tough - I mean come on, only 8 of us CU grads actually failed. I bet that if you looked at each of their stories they probably each had something major happen that caused them to fail. No doubt in my mind that they will pass next time with minimal effort so long as everything goes smoothly.
Congrats CS!!! She had the third highest score on the AZ bar. Wow
http://www.supreme.state.az.us/admis/pdf/708pressrelease.pdf
BTW how come DU sent out a congrats to all there bar passers and CU hasn't sent squat. Oh wait - I am sure we will get something soon (which will ask for a donation as well). Hmmm.
Strange to me, too, that we have such a high pass rate and it's crickets from the law school. In the past they've had a press release at least. Wonder what gives.
Dean LT sent an email congrats to all students. Is there anything yet saying what percentage of CU passed v. the percentage of DU that passed?
As a class of 2008'er, I didn't receive the Dean's email. Since we're the ones who actually did it, don't you think we deserve the credit? Geez. I don't think I missed the email. Did he just not send it to us? I get other crap from the school. And MM, you can go to the Supreme Court web site to see all the stats broken down by law school. DU had a huge improvement.
I didn't get an email either. Strange. Memphis Minnie, would you mind posting the text of it here?
So sorry, I deleted and don't think I can recover it from cu webmail. Basically said please join me in congratulating the 2008ers. I would think DM would be sending out something eloquent shortly.
CU Passage 94% 118 pass, 8 fail
CU Passage 83% 178 pass, 36 fail
No email here, either. I think they must have forgotten to send it to the class of 2008. I had wondered why the law school was so silent about this stellar achievement. How odd.
Well, one thing's for sure, we'll get that follow-up survey from Dean T to report our score and how hard we actually studied and all that jazz. Maybe they're saving the congratulations for then???
DU has taken a fair amount of heat about their recent bar numbers, so let's give them a hat tip where one is due. They showed a lot of improvement this year.
Also, most of us don't need a special email from the administration to appreciate what we've accomplished. There's no need to be bitter - our class had a terrific showing.
whoa...I just opened my scores and think I need to celebrate more. I scored under 300, meaning I was not too far above 276.
Anyone know that the average score was for the bar exam? Trying to figure out what to compare the score I just got in the mail.
Seriously? Compare it to a 275 failing score. Who gives a crap what you scored as long as it was high enough to pass?
I agree with the previous poster. Who CARES? Good job. Have a beer. That said, I scored fairly well on the MBE (159 scaled) and was almost in tears when we finished the exam thinking I'd failed. In fact, I was sure I'd failed. Lesson to future bar takers: You just don't know, so forget about it until results come out.
"Who cares" is the correct answer.
However, if you're curious about your score, check out the Pennsylvania bar exam results (just google it). Their release has highly detailed score info.
Congrats to all new esquires!
Ditto Anon 6:00
For any future bartakers reading this post I have 2 lessons I learned:
1) No matter how you feel about the exam you just never know. I talked about an essay with someone after and was like, oh my god, I really didn't hit the majority of what that was about. I also forgot to do some stuff on an MPT, which is where they say a lot of people rack up points. That made me feel bad about the exam just purely from the performance standpoint, but I got a 317-plenty of room to pass.
2) No matter what your sordid past may hold, do not read too much into not being asked for more info or not being asked to go in for a C&F exam before results come out. I have 2 prior arrests for alcohol related violations and reported them both to BLE and gave copies of whatever was in the court files to them. They never asked for more info (probably b/c both things were older and figured if I didn't comply I would have had a warrant issued) nor did they ever call me in for a C&F, even after they sent me results. My result was PASS, as opposed to PASS-Admission on Hold. The latter is what they will put on your letter if there is something yet that you must comply with such as a C&F hearing or a CLE class which they will explain to you in your pass letter. So if you're thinking, oh god, It's September 30th and I haven't heard anything about my file and I know there are things they will want to ask about, don't sweat it, they really probably don't want to ask about it or they may be waiting until they send the pass letter.
Sorry for the long post, but I hope it is helpful to some 3Ls!
Co-sign to last anon. I absolutely bombed, and I mean I know I bombed, at least 3 essays. I may have done decently on the others. I almost cried after the morning MBE but ended up rocking the MBE. I passed with a 305 overall. Also had C&F issues, and no hearing.
I am at Pass-admission on hold because I only sent in 1 of 3 pages of a document on my application that has nothing to do with a court case or any other legal issues. They care more that your documents are in order than if you have an alcohol related arrest on your record. Awesome!!!
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