r/barexam

I'm a rising 3L and pregnant with my first child. Due mid-April 2027. I graduate law school in early May. Should I take the F28 exam instead of the J27 exam??? I'm worried about studying with such a new baby and missing out on precious time. However, I also don't want to wait so long to start working. I feel like both options are really bad. That said, if I do take the bar in July, my partner will be off work with me and the baby through test day.

Advice, personal anecdotes, and suggestions are all appreciated!!

Edit: Thank you so much to everyone who's commented. I feel like I now have a better sense of what my options look like. It's been helpful to read your varying perspectives.

A homeowner returned home unexpectedly and found a burglar carrying a television toward the back door. The homeowner shouted at the burglar to stop. The burglar dropped the television and ran out of the house. The homeowner pursued him down the street.

Several blocks away, while the homeowner was still pursuing him, the burglar shoved a pedestrian out of his way. The pedestrian fell into the street and was struck and killed by a passing car.

The burglar is prosecuted for felony murder based on the burglary.

Under the common law, is the burglar guilty of felony murder?

A. No, because the pedestrian was not killed inside the burglarized dwelling.

B. No, because the burglar had abandoned the stolen property before the pedestrian was killed.

C. Yes, because the death occurred while the burglar was fleeing from the burglary and before he had reached a place of temporary safety.

D. Yes, but only if the burglar intended to cause serious bodily harm to the pedestrian.

Hi! Would anyone happen to have SmartBarPrep and GOAT Prep outlines they’d be willing to share? I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

I’m taking the February UBE after failing the bar twice. I’ll have been out of law school for about 4 years, although I’ve stayed in the legal field doing substantive legal work during that time.
I’ll have about 5 months with no job, so studying can essentially be my full-time focus.
I already have Themis and am considering Studicata/other supplements.
For people with ADHD, especially repeat takers: what actually worked for you? How would you structure five months of prep after being out of school this long, particularly for MBE improvement and memorization?

Hey fellow J26 bar takers! It feels like the only jobs I'm finding are in family or elder law -- two areas I have virtually no interest in practicing.

Also, why does almost every single associate attorney position have a minimum experience requirement of 3-5 years?? Not sure how I was supposed to gain experience as a full time litigator while I busted my booty through three years of law school and taking the bar, but here we are.

I'm continuing to network as much as I can through contacts I made in law school and through my state bar association. I also recently signed up to volunteer through my state's volunteer lawyer's organization, so I'm hoping that I'll develop more connections and sharpen my client communication skills.

Not sure if I'm looking for advice or commiseration but any thoughts are welcome.

Does anybody know of anywhere hiring in Houston while I wait for bar exam results? I literally just got denied a job at F*ckin Walmart and I need some income bad.

I’m hoping to get some honest advice from people who have been in a similar position because I’m honestly feeling stuck.

I graduated with my JD in May 2025 and took the bar for my third time July 2026. Since graduating, I haven’t had stable employment or a decent source of income, and I’m at the point where I really need to get back into the workforce while I continue working toward passing the bar.

I’ve primarily been applying to JD-advantage/JD-preferred positions, but I’ve also been applying to paralegal, legal assistant, and other entry-level legal roles. I’ve submitted a lot of applications and I’m barely getting callbacks — sometimes I don’t hear anything at all.

What’s frustrating is that I feel like I’m caught in an awkward middle ground: I have a JD, but I’m not yet licensed, and I’m wondering if employers see me as overqualified for some positions but underqualified for others.

I’m also wondering if my application materials are part of the problem.

For those of you who have successfully navigated this:

• Is there anything I should be doing differently on LinkedIn to attract recruiters/hiring managers?
• Are there specific job titles or industries I should be targeting as a JD graduate who hasn’t passed the bar yet?
• Should I be approaching JD-advantage applications differently from paralegal/legal assistant applications?
• Are there any resume resources, templates, or people/services you recommend for getting an honest resume critique?
• If you’ve been in a similar situation, what actually helped you start getting interviews?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who didn’t have a traditional JD-advantage background and still managed to break into one.

I’m not looking for pity — I’m really looking for practical advice because clearly what I’m doing right now isn’t working, and I’m willing to change my approach.

Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/cjkmpxcuw7kh1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa20ee0dc1c611d61a34307cb4c8b64e4ee55198

As a repeater taker who will sit for the September bar in WA.

Anyone else feel like they developed some sort of fear or lack of desire to leave the house post-bar prep/exam???? I’ve been wondering if I’m alone in this. I barely left the house during bar prep (big mistake i know) sand now i don’t really want to leave the house……… (i have left the house several times since the exam but i don’t really like it and often avoid doing so).

I just started my 3L year, and generally have been right on the curve for the entirety of my time in law school. I really just want to pass this test the first time......so any advice for someone who has 10 months to get ready? I am currently taking two bar exam classes this semester. I tend to excel at essay writing. How did everyone pass the UBE the first time??

I’ve applied to countless law related jobs since April and have so far only gotten 1 interview. Today, I received interest in my application for my dream job. However, after emailing back the recruiter told me I can’t be considered since I haven’t been admitted yet.

I’m gutted but I’d love to know if anyone in my department in NY has heard anything over the summer about a swearing in date? My application was approved first week of July and I’ve heard nothing since.

Anyone got the final confirmation/instructions email for the September 2 virtual ceremony?

Hi! I’m a foreign attorney and would like to ask advice if I should wait to take the Next Gen Bar in New York, or already take the Legacy UBE? Which one would be harder to pass? Thank you!

I passed the UBE with a 304 largely by playing video games and listening to lectures (and Speechify recordings of my outlines). I also did about 400-500 MBE questions. Didn't do any practice essays, but I did review some model answers. Did maybe 3 or 4 practice MPT. That was literally it.

I mainly played FPS games or single player action/adventure games that allowed me to detach and focus on the lecture.

As someone with ADHD, I struggled trying to do lecture outlines or read black letter law outlines. Just wasn't retaining info that way. But when I did something where I could be engaged and entertained/interested at the same time, I found that the info was sticking.

Obviously, this wouldn't work for everybody, but it worked for me.

I’ve seen a lot of posts about gaining weight and I totally see yall. But I’ve been struggling with my weight since the first year of law school. Somehow during barprep I lost 50 lbs without (intentionally) changing my eating habits or movement quota…

Of course I’m very grateful because I needed to lose the weight but also concerned and confused?? Haha anyone in the same boat?

I took the MPRE this month and funny enough, I have more concern for that test than the actual bar. Mind you, I took the bar for the first time in May (next gen). I was so gassed that I could only muster enough energy to study a week for the MPRE. I used themis’ free program to do it. There were a lot of problems that I did and reexamining the rules and explanations of the ones that I did wrong. But when I took the actual MPRE it was a lot trickier than I anticipated it would be. I knew that it was supposed to be “easier” than the actual bar but it seemed like the questions on the MPRE seemed even more random and different than what I practiced while studying. I had a different experience than when I actually took the bar.

The kind of person that I am, I manifest and believe that I passed the MPRE. I have also seen others on here tout that they have passed with even less studying than I did to pass the MPRE. My juris. requires a score of 85. However, my final marks that I did for the Themis program were less than what I had hoped for before entering the MPRE.

Also, I have seen people on here say that the MPRE prep with Themis was super easy and straightforward. Am I an idiot because I thought the themis questions were somewhat tricky (others were still easy though)? I don’t know what I’m asking for rn, but let me know if anyone else in here has felt the same and experienced similar.

I will be taking the bar for the first time in February. I work full time at a fairly high-level corporate job and have two kids (this true during law school as well) and so "full-time" bar prep isn't an option. I'm also not willing to do it 7 days a week, at least not until December or so.

That being said, I'd like to go ahead and get started now that I've knocked out the MPRE. I've noticed Themis/Barbri aren't available for February takers until October. Is there any value in using Grossman lectures/Adaptibar question sets until then? My plan is to focus on the subjects I'm stronger in and knock those out early/use those resources as a bit of a diagnostic, then leverage barbri or themis for deeper work on things I'll need more support with (I never took business associations, and UCC article 2 feels like a fever dream where I just remember "merchants" and "signed writing").

I don't want to waste money, but I'm also willing to throw money at resources that are worth it, so if you have other recommended resources that are immediately accessible please let me know!