Luck is one idea that most bar review professionals don’t like to talk about. We would prefer to take credit for everybody who passes and blame failure on bad luck.
Still, it’s important to acknowledge that luck will play a role in your success or failure on the California Bar Examination.
The truth is that a well-prepared candidate can have plenty of bad luck and still pass with a comfortable margin. A knowledgeable and skillful candidate can use sharp technique to compensate for soft areas of knowledge and still craft decent answers. Remember, the California Bar Examination is a test of competence, nothing more and nothing less.
Sometimes a poorly-prepared candidate can have great luck and bluff his or her way past the bar examiners, but this is not a common occurrence. In my experience, most candidates make their own luck through careful planning and balance. You’ve got to know enough law, have decent skills, and not crack under the pressure.
The goal is to have your best days on the same days the exam is administered. The best way to insure that happens is by working backwards from the exam and creating a careful, sensible game plan.