Every year, some of the most brilliant law students fail the Bar Exam. And every year, students who struggled through law school pass on their very first try.
How does this happen?
It happens because the Bar Exam is not an IQ test. It is a grueling, endurance marathon. And when it comes to marathons, raw intelligence will only get you so far. To cross the finish line, you need something much more elusive: Grit.
The Science of Grit
In 2007, psychologist Dr. Angela Duckworth and her research team set out to answer a simple question: Who is successful and why?
They studied West Point military cadets, National Spelling Bee champions, and Ivy League undergrads. Across the board, they found that raw intelligence and natural talent were not the most accurate predictors of success. The defining characteristic of high achievers was “grit,” which Duckworth defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals.
When you are studying for the Bar Exam, your long-term goal may be to become a public defender or to start your own entertainment law firm. Your near-term goal is passing the Bar. But your passion and perseverance are tested daily when you score a 40% on an MBE practice set, or when you are too exhausted to do one more essay. The candidates who pass are the ones who possess the grit to wake up the next day and do it anyway.
How Gritty Are You? (The 12-Item Grit Scale)
Duckworth and her team developed a 12-item assessment to measure this trait. Take a few minutes to evaluate yourself. Be brutally honest—there are no right or wrong answers, only a baseline to help you understand your current mindset.
For each statement below, rate yourself on this scale:
- Very much like me
- Mostly like me
- Somewhat like me
- Not much like me
- Not like me at all
The Statements:
- I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.
- New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones.
- My interests change from year to year.
- Setbacks don’t discourage me.
- I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest.
- I am a hard worker.
- I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one.
- I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete.
- I finish whatever I begin.
- I have achieved a goal that took years of work.
- I become interested in new pursuits every few months.
- I am diligent.
How to Score Your Results
Step 1: For questions 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 12, assign yourself points as follows:
- 5 = Very much like me
- 4 = Mostly like me
- 3 = Somewhat like me
- 2 = Not much like me
- 1 = Not like me at all
Step 2: For questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 11, the scoring is reversed (because these represent a lack of focus/perseverance):
- 1 = Very much like me
- 2 = Mostly like me
- 3 = Somewhat like me
- 4 = Not much like me
- 5 = Not like me at all
Step 3: Add up all your points and divide by 12.
The maximum score is 5 (Extremely Gritty), and the lowest score is 1 (Not at all Gritty).
How to Actually Build Your Grit Muscle
If you scored high on the Grit scale, you’rev more likely to have the natural stamina required to survive the exhausting months of Bar prep. But if your score is lower than you’d like, don’t worry. Grit is not a fixed genetic trait; it is a muscle you can build.
If you are struggling to maintain your focus and effort, here is how you can develop your “grit muscle.”
1. Decouple Your Self-Worth from Your Practice Scores
People with low grit view a bad practice score as a permanent indictment of their intelligence. People with high grit view a bad score as neutral data. Bar prep is a process of failing repeatedly in private so you can succeed when it matters. When you score a 45% on a set of Contracts MBEs, a gritty student doesn’t shut the book and spiral into self-doubt; they open the explanatory answers, figure out which rule they misunderstood, and try again. Treat your mistakes as stepping stones, not stop signs.
2. Set Smaller Near-Term Goals
When you sit down at your desk and think, “I need to learn all of Property law today,” your brain will naturally become overwhelmed and look for an escape route (hello, procrastination). Grit is sustained by small, manageable victories. Shrink your daily goals. Instead of trying to “learn Property,” make your goal: “I am going to focus on the law for defamation for the next 45 minutes.” Stringing together these short-term wins is what builds long-term endurance.
3. Rely on Habits, Not Motivation
Motivation is a feeling, and feelings are fickle. You will not feel motivated to study the 4th Amendment on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Gritty people do not rely on motivation; they rely on systems. Treat your study schedule like a non-negotiable professional obligation. Set a specific start time, block out distracting websites, and put your phone on silent. When the friction to start studying is removed by a strict routine, grit has room to grow.
4. Connect to Your “Why”
In Duckworth’s research, the grittiest individuals had a deep sense of purpose. When you are staring at a seemingly impossible Performance Test, you need a reason to keep going that is bigger than just “passing a test.” Why do you want to be a lawyer? Who are you trying to help? Are you fighting for your family’s financial security, or stepping into a career you’ve dreamed of since childhood? Write your “why” on a sticky note and put it on your monitor.
The Bottom Line
Passing the Bar Exam takes years of work—from the moment you take the LSAT to the day you sit for the exam. You have already proven you can conquer massive challenges.
When you feel the burnout creeping in, remember that you don’t need to be the smartest person in the testing room. You just need to be the grittiest. You just need to pass.
(Reference: Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly, D.R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1087-1101.)