Passing the bar exam on your first attempt is by far the most exciting and rewarding feeling of your entire law school experience. These are not just my sentiments; they are echoed by millions of lawyers who have endured the challenge of the bar exams.
On the day of the big news, I woke up groggy and lazy from the previous night. We had not anticipated that the results would be released that day. When I checked my phone—as I usually do first thing in the morning—I found a notification that the results were in. My heart began racing and pounding. Amidst the chaos of my emotions, I closed my eyes, with shaky hands, and let out a silent prayer: “God, please help me.”
The results were being released privately on each student’s portal. When I tried to access my portal, I encountered the same problem I had faced when I first attempted to register for the exams. I had to call the Council of Legal Education to report that I couldn’t access my portal.
By this time, news of the results had already spread like wildfire within our school groups. Students were talking about their successes, celebrating their nine passes, and sharing funny memes. Others were upset, especially with one unit that had given many of us trouble: Legal Writing and Drafting.
Minutes turned into hours, and soon I had spent nearly the entire day waiting. Finally, I received the master copy of the results and scrolled down to find my name. I ran my finger through the rows, counting all the “P”s—P, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, P—until I had counted nine “P”s. The moment of celebration had arrived!
The first person I called to share the good news was my mum, and I like to believe her prayers tied everything together. I then called my siblings and my father to share the good news before posting on social media to celebrate, just as my friends were doing. The moment of celebration was truly here.
Once my portal was fixed, I eagerly reviewed all my results to see how I had performed in each unit. I performed relatively well in most of them. My lowest-performing unit was Conveyancing, where, despite all my preparation, I passed by only five marks. Still, it was a “P,” and that made me happy.
However, not everyone was in a celebratory mood that day. Some of my friends did not join in the festivities but instead chose to congratulate others. It was rather sad. Failing the bar exam is not the end of the journey. Many have to retake some units a second time, but what matters is that, eventually, they too get to celebrate achieving the coveted nine “P”s.