I Passed the California Bar Exam (Second Time's the Charm)

Hi all! Yesterday afternoon, I found out that I passed the California bar exam. This was my second shot; I took my first one in July 2025 and came very close to passing, but unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough.

As a preface, I'm not a bot and nobody paid me to write this and I'm not promoting anything. This is truly coming from my experience. I'm just an individual like yourself. Please read this cover to cover. It will help.

Why Commercial Courses Failed Me

I want to emphasize how important it is to ignore the "commercial bullshit" your schools push. That is likely what clipped me the first time. I spent a month doing those stupid Barbri videos and their course—it was probably the most useless shit I could’ve done. Their graders absolutely suck and give very little feedback on essays. The course itself is just incredibly passive studying.

Although I had Goat’s course in July, I got it too late. It is essential that you get this course within the coming week at the latest and read it cover to cover. It’s so easy to do—it’s entertaining, it’s not boring, and it feels like you’re just browsing a sub reading memes. It is probably one of the clearest and most concise ways to practice for the exam and actually understand the topics. He covers everything and goes beyond the scope of all the commercial courses I’ve tried. It’s done so gracefully that you don’t even realize how much you’re learning. I think it’s important to take basic notes, but you don’t have to copy everything word for word—just the shit you’re confused on. Taking those notes by hand isn't a bad idea, either.

How I Passed: My Strategy Shift

So, how did I pass? It was simple.

Attempt #1: The Writing Focus On my first attempt, I wrote over 100 complete essays. I graded them with generative AI tools, read the model answers from the California Bar website, and then read the model answers provided by my commercial course. I would write out the definitions and rule statements used in the model answers by hand to memorize them. This was actually very effective for me—I was well above passing on the writing portion—but I got fucked on the MBE.

Attempt #2: The MBE Focus For my second attempt, I decided to ignore the essays and ignore everything the commercial courses told me. I put the majority of my focus on the MBE because that’s the majority of the exam. Goat’s course really helped me learn those stupid "hidden answer" tricks they use and helped me understand the material to the point where I felt comfortable selecting answers during practice.

I did over 2,900 practice questions this time using UWorld. I would do maybe five at a time—sometimes mixing subjects, sometimes focusing on one. I always reviewed them with tutor mode OFF. I would review the ones I got right to understand why, and I’d explain to myself why the other choices were wrong. I did the same for the ones I guessed on. For the ones I got wrong, I’d go back to Goat’s course, find the subject, and try to understand it more deeply. Doing this 2,900 times really drilled the subjects into my mind.

BURN OUT: Often, you are going to feel super burnt out and ready to give up. That is completely normal. The way I dealt with this was by changing things up. I spent the majority of my time at home, but some days it got so difficult to sit in the same spot that I just couldn't do it anymore.

I went and bought a pair of Sony XM6 noise-canceling headphones and would head to a coffee shop or library once every few weeks—not even every few days—just to zone out and do my thing. During the studying itself, there will be days where you’re just not up to it. It’s okay if you don't hit your full target. On average, I would do about 30 to 40 questions. I wouldn’t do them one after another; instead, I went in blocks of five, or sometimes ten if I was feeling it. It really depended on the day. There were even days where I couldn’t do much, but I’d still force myself to get 15 questions done.

I did the same with the essays: I printed out every single one I could find, organized them into stacks by subject, and pulled from the pile to practice issue-spotting and writing rule statements. This is likely what saved my ass. This isn't a "job," and it isn’t going to work the same for everyone. Studying is different for everybody; it is definitely not one-size-fits-all.

It was also super helpful that both Goat and UWorld have apps. I would use the apps to make it feel like I wasn't actually "studying," but rather just fucking around on my phone. It made the process much more tolerable and reasonable for me.

Being mobile was key. I was able to go outside for a brisk walk and still review material. If I wasn't feeling that, I could literally pull up in my truck and sit in the bed anywhere I felt like. My point is: you can modify this process however you want. Do whatever works for you and your own mind.

The Resources That Actually Worked

I can honestly say his course was the reason I passed. It allowed me to get a true understanding of the study material. It’s the most bullshit-free course I’ve seen, and it makes a real difference. No, he didn’t pay me to say a single thing; he didn’t even talk to me about a review. I just think you’re doing yourself a massive fucking disservice if you use anything else. Everything else is honestly such a scam.

Admittedly, I also had John Grossman’s videos and Critical Pass flashcards from a friend. They weren’t bad, but the flashcards were overwhelming—too much information in a small format without enough explanation. The videos were decent; they’re okay for the first couple of weeks to get your gears going, or for the last couple of weeks to cram info while you’re cleaning or at the gym.

The Actual Exam Experience

I also wanted to say that I fucked up one of the property essays pretty badly. I called the wrong thing an "encumbrance" and totally thought I was screwed because of that. The PT was also really tough, and I felt so fucking lost, but I made sure to complete everything as much as I could—I did the letterhead and all that bullshit. You’ll see in the course exactly what you need to do for the PT. Don’t put that shit off; do at least 10 of them during practice and you should be chilling.

As long as you have a clear outline for your essays, they make sense, they go in order, and you are almost directly speaking to your reader, you should be fine. This time, I didn't write 100 essays. Instead, I read through the model answers, issue-spotted before reading, and then wrote the rule statements considered "passing" by the CA Bar on the back of the paper to memorize them. To be honest, the majority of those rule statements were absolute bullshit and had very little accuracy to Black Letter Law, but it was enough to pass. They just care about your analysis—how you structure a "bullshit argument" off of it.

Also, during the MBE, I was shitting bricks because I kept getting the same answer choice letter again and again. It was frequently recurring and kind of fucking scary, but clearly, it wasn't a big deal since I passed. I had to guess on a lot of them and was shooting from the hip very often.

The Financial Reality

Something nobody told me, and I had to learn the hard way, was the importance of staying on top of my finances during this bullshit. It is incredibly difficult to maintain your life for 80 days without working full-time. Most people I knew didn't work at all; personally, I didn't have a legal job yet, so I wasn't working whatsoever.

Unfortunately, rent, car payments, and groceries don't stop, and that shit stacks up quicker than you realize. If you don't have savings, you need a backup plan because financial pressure is a distraction you can't ignore. I was lucky to have enough savings to cover me, but I had friends who were "down bad" and lacked family support.

I discovered that Chase and Wells Fargo both offer 0% APR credit cards—one gives you 21 months and the other 15 months of no interest on your balance (you just make the minimum payment). Obviously, this isn't financial advice, but it's something people do just to survive. If you pass and get hired within a year, you can just pay it off. It’s a shame the NCBE puts us in a position where we have to take on debt just to survive this god-awful exam, but that is one way out.

Health, Logistics, and Support

I also want to emphasize how important it is to stay on top of your eating, sleeping, and exercise. The second time around, I exercised every day except Sundays. It didn’t have to be intense—sometimes just a walk—but I was lifting four times a week and doing cardio. It kept me in the right headspace and made me feel like I was living a normal life.

For groceries, I didn't have time to go to the store, so I used delivery services like Costco and Amazon. I also tried HelloFresh for a bit since they have those introductory offers, which was easy since you just microwave them—though at one point, it started to taste like dog food.

My friends and family were also incredibly supportive. One of my friends passed in July on his first shot; he was a total gentleman and contained his own euphoria in front of me to focus on helping me pass. He checked in every few days, gave me his Critical Pass cards, and took me out for ice cream once a week just so we could have a few hours of "normal life." He never let me feel like shit for failing; he just reminded me that many great, high-earning attorneys took the exam multiple times.

Preparing for the Unexpected

Plan for random bullshit. If you don’t have decent renters insurance, get it. During my second attempt, my HVAC and water heater both exploded—which is fucking crazy—but I wouldn't put anything past this garbage process. Because of my insurance, I handled it in 30 minutes online and didn't have to think about it again.

Also, don’t worry about the testing center. The proctors are usually just people hired through the Department of Labor; they aren't attorneys "breathing down your neck." They’re actually quite nice and won't bother you. It’s high-stress, sure, but the environment itself isn't a big deal.

A Final Warning

I have one warning and one warning only: don’t even think about cheating. The amount of time, money, and energy you’ve put in just to be eligible for this exam is too high to risk. Even if you think you could get away with it, it isn't worth the marginal 0.1% chance of being caught.

You can do this. I’m honestly surprised I passed it myself—I'm still in shock. A few months from now, you’ll be in the same position as me, not believing you actually did it.

Take this motherfucker by the horns and get it done.

Final Advice

Please take it from me: don’t listen to the bullshit your school is going to tell you in a couple of weeks. They’re likely on the take with some company and they don't care about your success as much as you do. Most commercial courses suck dick.

Goat is truthfully the most underrated and powerful resource for Bar Prep. The owner is accessible, he cares about you succeeding, and he will do whatever he can to help.

Don’t let this exam take over you the way it took over me. I had the worst year of my life and was ready to throw in the towel. FUCK the NCBE and their bullshit hazing process. Every single one of you is competent enough to practice law, minus a stupid license.

YOU WILL PASS.