Let me start off by saying, you never have to tell anyone you failed the bar. Not ever. You don’t have to tell a prospective employer, you don’t have to tell your parents, friends, family or any strangers you come by. This can always and forever be your secret.
But, there will be times when you decide it is beneficial to spill the “secret.” Like when your parents ask why you’re studying for another three months, or your employer requires a passing score to stay on. Both situations can seem scary to come clean, but they don’t have to be. [Read more…] about How and When to Tell People You Failed the Bar Exam
So you’re thinking about taking the bar exam in Florida? Well, me too. The idea of having to take another bar exam is absolutely terrifying to me. I write for Bar Exam Toolbox, Law School Toolbox, and A Girl’s Guide to Law School mostly on the topic of being positive in the face of stress. But, I have to say, just thinking about sitting for another bar exam, gives me actual, visible, hives. 
The first thing I’m going to urge you to do, now that the bar exam is over, is to take a deep breath. You did it! No matter the outcome, you poured your heart into your studying for the last 8+ weeks, you did your best on the exam, and now it’s over. Now, hopefully, you have some time off between this crazy endeavor and starting your job. If you don’t, no worries. Keep breathing and jump right into your new career! 
As I’m sure you’ve heard me say a few thousand times already, I failed the bar the first time. The difference between my first bar prep experience and my second, couldn’t be any farther apart. This was a purposeful design, as my first attempt was spent with a giant cloud of anxiety hanging over my head, and I decided for my second attempt that I could not live like that any more.
I went to law school with the intention and understanding that when I came out, I’d be working for a family company as their in-house counsel. But that didn’t happen. Instead, I had to take the bar exam, failed the bar exam, and had to face taking it a second time. I couldn’t figure out how to look for a job while studying for the exam because there just wasn’t enough time in the day to do it all and rest.
When I first started law school, the bar exam seemed so far away, and then all of a sudden it wasn’t. I was terrified by the process – so terrified, in fact, that I never asked what the admissions process was like.