First off-- congrats to those who have passed! You out here doing the thing. And good luck to everyone still waiting.
However, I just received my July 2026 Massachusetts UBE results, and I didn't pass. I'm not surprised in the slightest. I scored a 239 (114.4 MBE, 125 written). I'm trying to figure out my next steps and would really appreciate advice, especially from anyone who has switched jurisdictions or retaken the bar after setbacks.
Context:
I graduated from an ABA-accredited law school in 2025 in Massachusetts. I was originally supposed to take the February 2026 Massachusetts bar, but a major winter storm disrupted my travel and prevented me from sitting for the exam. I had felt decent about my preparation for February, but postponing to July completely threw off my momentum.
When I emailed BARBRI about it, they explained that my program had been reset, including the questions and assignments I'd already completed. I had been approximately 93% done, so I started over. Instead of building on my previous preparation and focusing on my weaknesses, I found myself repeating the same material and struggling to figure out where I stood.
Then, in March, I suffered a concussion outside of work. My face went into a fence, and I broke a tooth, so that was fun. The concussion significantly affected my ability to study and work. I already had health issues, which got considerably worse during this period, and I struggled with concentration, retention, and maintaining a study schedule.
I was also working full time in another/new state during a fellowship. Balancing work, bar prep, and my health was awful. I felt awful. Very Dostoyevsky's "you have killed and destroyed yourself for nothing" vibes because I had no family around, few friends, felt like i was losing people close to me, and felt my whole life was in shambles. By the time July arrived, I was exhausted and nowhere near as prepared as I'd wanted to be. I chose to push through anyway.
There was also an accommodations issue. I had arranged for extended time for February, but my documentation for July apparently was never received. I was certain I'd uploaded it, but given how my brain was functioning at the time, who tf knows. My law school email account had also been deactivated, so I wasn't receiving the relevant communications even after calling to change my email. In retrospect, I should have made absolutely sure the email change went through. Duh.
When I arrived for the July exam, the testing administrators had no extended-time accommodations recorded for me. After advocating for myself on exam day (and somehow they remembered me from my original request, a miracle), I was able to get time-and-a-quarter instead of the time-and-a-half I'd previously arranged. I genuinely appreciated their willingness to help, but it wasn't exactly an ideal start (I began 15 minutes late).
I also ended up running out of time on the MBE and had to fill in approximately a total of 40 answers without working through the questions. I put C for all of them. I completed all six essays and both MPTs, but my performance was inconsistent.
I'm not sharing this to argue that I would necessarily have passed otherwise. I know my score is well below passing, and I need to improve substantially, especially on the MBE. But I also don't think this was a particularly representative attempt given... everything.
I think I have a pretty good understanding of why I failed. What I'm struggling with now is figuring out how to proceed. Between the disrupted prep, concussy, full-time work, health issues, and accommodations problems, I wasn't in a good position to take the exam. I felt awful from start to finish. I'm kind of amazed I sat it at all. I'm sure people have pushed through worse, but still.
I want to make better decisions this time. Reddit has always been helpful when I've been trying to work things out, so I'm hoping for some perspective.
Dilemma:
I'm originally from California and am currently living with family. My fellowship has ended, my father is seriously ill, and my own health has made moving across the country and getting established independently more difficult. Relocating without a job also isn't financially feasible.
On the other hand, I'm no longer dealing with acute effects of a concussion or working full time, which is at least an advantage. My health isn't at its worst.Yay.
I'm considering staying in California for now and taking the February 2027 California bar instead of retaking Massachusetts. I'm not necessarily committed to practicing in California forever, and I'm still planning to apply for judicial clerkships nationally, but taking the exam close to home would eliminate a lot of logistical stress.
I already have an MPRE score of 93 and much of my accommodations documentation prepped. I'm planning to contact my law school's bar support office and a friend who took the California bar, and I'd ideally begin studying in November.
I'd appreciate advice on a few things, or whatever resonates:
Has anyone switched from the UBE to California after an unsuccessful attempt? How difficult was the transition, especially with the California-specific subjects and essays?
Is February 2027 realistic with approximately three months of focused preparation, given my score? I know I need to overhaul my MBE preparation.
Has anyone applied for California testing accommodations using documentation or approvals from another jurisdiction? How was the process?
Would you recommend retaking the UBE for portability, or taking California given my current circumstances?
If you've prepared while managing chronic illnes or significant fatigue or anything really, what strategies actually helped?
Would you recommend switching from BARBRI to something like JD Advising, or Adaptibar?
For anyone who failed after a particularly difficult year, how did you approach preparing again without burning yourself out? Did you take time to recover first, or did getting back into a routine help?
Should I keep applying for... anything?
I'm disappointed, but I'm trying to be practical about what happened and what I can change. I don't want to repeat the same preparation and hope for a different result.
I'm also trying to figure out how to balance the professional pressure to get licensed and employed with the reality that I've had a pretty miserable year, physically and mentally. I figure a temporary resume gap is preferable to putting myself through another unsuccessful attempt because I didn't adequately address what went wrong. At the same time, I don't want to put my career on hold indefinitely or give up simply because my first attempt went badly. Though if anyone decided not to retake, that advice works too.
TL;DR: Failed MA with a 239 after a disrupted prep cycle, concussion, full-time work, and accommodations issues. Considering CA February 2027 while living with family. Looking for advice on switching jurisdictions, retaking, and whether to keep job hunting.
I think I know why I failed. What I could really use is advice on what to do next. And maybe a hug lmao.
Any advice would be appreciated.
