Online Companion: The Complete Student, Achieving Success in College and Beyond

Chapter 9: Testing, Testing

Case in Point: Tina Hoover

On her 21st try, Tina Hoover finally passed the California State Bar exam. Tina graduated from American College second in her class in July 1991. Like many of her classmates, she assumed she would pass the Bar exam on her first try, but she didn't…nor did she on her second, third, fourth, or 20th effort. Often she missed by only a few points, and once by only one point. She invested a considerable amount of money in different review courses until she finally found one that really worked for her.

The morning of her 21st try, Tina opened the test book and her heart flipped. It was a monster! She was told that there were audible groans throughout the room, but she didn't hear them-she had her earplugs in. This exam looked harder than any of the 20 she had previously sat through. Her heart raced, but, as her most recent review course had instructed her, she should just "work the process." Using all of her concentration, she proceeded through each part of the exam. She noted that the last word she wrote for each section was just as legible as the first word-a good sign. For one of the sections, it took Tina almost a full 20 minutes to prepare herself for what she was going to write. She nearly panicked, but she remembered what her review course taught her-that some sections might require more outlining than others. Immersing herself in the "process," she felt able to proceed. When she finished, and put down her pen, tears streamed down her face. A woman in front of her tried to console her, thinking that Tina was crying from being overwhelmed, but in fact Tina was crying with joy that she had come through the test feeling so much in control.

When the test results were posted on the Internet a few months later, Tina had a heart-rending moment: it said that she had not passed. Something inside of her, however, told her to wait for the official results to come in the mail. The envelope that arrived was no different in size or shape than all the disappointing ones that had come so many times before. But when Tina opened it and read the letter, her life changed in a moment. She actually had passed the exam, after 20 tries, and now she is Tina Hoover, Attorney-at-Law, sole practitioner. "I was not always a good student," she admits, "but I am committed to being a good lawyer."