The Best and Worst Times: Bar Prep

Before I began preparing for the North Carolina Bar Examination, I honestly believed the process would not be as bad as everyone says.  I believed if I worked hard and remained disciplined in my studies that the process would be no different than surviving law school.  In theory, this plan sounds good but it was wishful thinking and a little unrealistic.  The one thing I omitted was the impact the pressure of the exam would have on me mentally, physically and emotionally. When enough pressure is exerted, a piece of coal can be transformed into a diamond.  I felt the squeeze and the pressure this summer while studying for the bar. At times, I was frustrated that we even had to sit for the Bar Examination.  I thought: “haven’t we struggled, toiled and fought long enough during law school?  Why on earth do we have to jump through yet another hoop?”  These are questions I asked myself and I came to one conclusion:  Sid, you have to “man up.”  You are not the first nor will you be the last person who will be required to sit for the bar examination. 

May 2011 was a great month for me, my family and friends.  I finished my last exam on Saturday, May 7, 2011.  When I finally finished typing my last exam, I felt a wide range of emotions.  I was excited and proud to finally be done with my law school journey.  A few days later, I headed to Myrtle Beach for a much needed vacation, which I enjoyed.  When I returned, it was time to begin the two day session for Invest In Success which is really the first step in the long process otherwise known as bar preparation.  A few weeks later, my family and closest friends came to my law school graduation to watch me accomplish a lifelong dream.  My mother was beaming was pride and my dad remained calm and cool, but I knew he was very excited as well.  During that weekend, the stars aligned in my life and I felt wonderful. I tried my hardest to not think about bar preparation and how much work was still ahead of me.  I was truly thankful to be done with law school, but I knew that my journey was not quite complete.  I knew bar preparation would begin on May 16, 2011.

My bar review class began on May 16, 2011 and I was not ready for my summer to be over.  My class started and I began working about 6-7 hours a day for the first week.  A week later, I began my primary bar review class and my 7 day a week, 12-hour a day regime began and would not end until July 23.  During this period, I arrived at school at 7:00am and left at 7pm.  When I left school, I used the hours of 7:00pm-9:00pm to eat dinner, work out and prepare for bed. From the hours of 9:00pm-10:15pm, I worked on either outlining essays or reviewing practice multiple choice questions.  I really believed I was living in the movie “Groundhog Day,” where Bill Murray was stuck in the same day.  If I simply stated that the process was frustrating, it would be a huge understatement and misrepresentation of the truth.  There were days when I felt unmotivated, and days when I did not see the progress I thought I needed to see.  I was frustrated more times that I can remember and knew that I had to keep pushing forward.  My mind expanded and absorbed material I did not think I could possibly understand or memorize.  I stayed true to my schedule and as a result, my anxiety and nervousness began to subside during the month of July.  By mid July, I began to feel that all my hard work and perseverance would pay off for me when I sat for the Bar Examination.  By July 23, I had stopped studying and was officially in relax mode.  I reasoned with myself that if I did not know the material by then, I would never know it.

As a law student, I heard many horror stories about the bar examination.  Based on my experience, I found the stories to have some truth to them, while other stories were farfetched.  Either way, on July 26, 2011, I was ready to attack day one of the bar.  After the first day, I felt good about my essay responses.  The next day, which was the Multi-State Bar Examination day, the morning session was very challenging.  I was not as confident about my multiple choice responses and felt I needed to improve my performance during the second half of the exam.  During the second half of the exam, I began to feel confident about my responses. I definitely felt my performance of the latter half of the exam was a major improvement over the first half of the exam. After finishing the bar examination and having a few days to reflect on the test, I knew I had given it all I had to offer.  I also knew my ultimate fate was out of my hands at that point.

I will never forget the day that has permanently changed my life.  The date was August 26, 2011 and I was shopping at South Point Mall in Durham when I received a text message asking me if “I had passed the bar.”  I responded that I did not know but that I was headed home to check my mailbox.  I began driving to my house and I must say that it was the longest 5 minute drive I have ever experienced in my life.  While driving to my house, I thought how I desperately needed a favorable result and that I had no idea what I would do if the result was unfavorable.  As I parked my car and walked to my mailbox, my heart was racing.  I finally reached my mailbox and inserted the key and opened the door.  As I peered inside, I saw a letter from the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners.  I opened the letter and read the first sentence.  It said “Congratulations, I am happy to inform you that you have passed the North Carolina Bar Examination.”  I checked the letter to make sure it was addressed to me and then I started making telephone calls.  The first person I called was my mother.  There are certain moments in your life where words cannot describe, and this was definitely one of those moments for me.  Overall, this was truly a summer of the Best and Worst times.

Peace