The numbers don’t lie

October 29, 2008 at 12:40 pm | Posted in law school | 2 Comments
Tags: July 2008 Massachusetts bar results, nervous anxious about the bar

My blog stats, which tell me the search engine terms people have used to find me here, show that recently more and more people are searching the terms “Massachusetts July 2008 bar results,” “July 2008 MBE mean/passing score,” “when will the July 2008 Massachusetts bar results come out?”

To all you searchers: I feel your pain. I check the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers website daily just in case the passing list somehow went up online before the letter arrived.  (And, as an aside, is it like college admissions?  Do you get a big letter for passing?  A thin envelope otherwise?)  I coached my husband on how to handle the (unlikely) situation should letter come while I am in New York.  (The command: “Don’t you dare open that letter until I’m home.” Response: “Are you kidding? I’m opening it for you. But if you don’t pass, I won’t tell you it arrived.”  Which is a ridiculous approach because every single one of my law school friends will be emailing me instantly, so I’ll know it’s bad news if he doesn’t call…) And I feel ever so slightly nauseous all the time. 

I am not at all convinced that I passed.  I’m not just saying that.  Yes, yes, I know everyone feels that way.  But read through my archives and you’ll see:  I struggled mightily with the MBE (and ended up filling in at least the final 10 questions of each session with a “B”) and the whole bar review process in general.  In Massachusetts, while the MBE score is combined with the written score to get your overall passing score, you also need to pass the written part to  pass the whole thing (in other words, if you get a perfect score on the MBE but don’t pass the written part in and of itself, you don’t pass the bar. Please someone correct me if I have this wrong…).  I feel pretty confident about the written part; nevertheless, I may be that one person who passed the written part but whose score still wasn’t enough to overcome a dreadful MBE score. 

So there.  My anxiety is out in the open.  If I pass, Tim has promised me dinner wherever I want.  (L’Espalier? Sorrelino? Fugaku?)  If I don’t pass, my mother said she’d give me $1,000.  (Remember, Mom?) Does this reflect the supreme confidence only a mother can have in her child’s abilities, or is it merely a sum sufficient for short-term retail therapy?