Bad Exam - Should I be worried?

[Tile]

Current 3L here. I just wrote an exam and it went absolutely miserably.

For context, this has never happened to me before. I’m generally near the top of my class, and my lowest grade in law school up until now is a B+. This was a total outlier and out of character moment. I aced the midterm in this course and felt confident while studying and going into the final exam.

But, the exam turned out to be much harder than expected and left me totally deflated. Other students felt the same, so I’m clinging to some hope that we get a favourable curve.

Is it irrational to think this could impact my hireback chances? I have articling secured, but I’m worried that a poor grade in this course specifically (a main area of the firm’s practice) could affect my candidacy for hirebacks. Am I overthinking this, or do I have legitimate cause for concern?

Any and all insights are appreciated from those who experienced something similar or can speak to the impact of grades on hireback chances.

 

[Eatable Bran]

You are overthinking this. Your firm’s top considerations (in no particular order) for hireback are likely to be:

1. Work quality

2. Space 

3. Fit

I wouldn’t stress about this. 

[chaboywb]

Unless you fail (you won't) then you'll be fine. It won't matter for hireback, and a single anomalous  grade won't matter very much for post-articling job searching. Also, haven't you been in law school long enough to know that you can't stress about grades? I got an A+ on an exam I thought I bombed and a C+ in a course that I thought I'd mastered. Enjoy your break (sadly, this may be your last stress-free holiday for a very, very long time) and don't think about this!

Edited December 18, 2024 by chaboywb

[Turtles]

On 12/16/2024 at 5:24 PM, Tile said:

Current 3L here. I just wrote an exam and it went absolutely miserably.

For context, this has never happened to me before. I’m generally near the top of my class, and my lowest grade in law school up until now is a B+. This was a total outlier and out of character moment. I aced the midterm in this course and felt confident while studying and going into the final exam.

But, the exam turned out to be much harder than expected and left me totally deflated. Other students felt the same, so I’m clinging to some hope that we get a favourable curve.

Is it irrational to think this could impact my hireback chances? I have articling secured, but I’m worried that a poor grade in this course specifically (a main area of the firm’s practice) could affect my candidacy for hirebacks. Am I overthinking this, or do I have legitimate cause for concern?

Any and all insights are appreciated from those who experienced something similar or can speak to the impact of grades on hireback chances.

 

I walked out of an exam I thought I may have failed and later learned I earned the course prize.  

You have better things to do than try to anticipate your grade in a course you have already completed. 

[Tile]

Thanks for the comments, all. It’s much appreciated and gave me some peace of mind.

[weavil1000]

I had an exam experience just like the one you are describing. Hardest exam I’ve ever taken. I thought I was so prepared, and the first question just destroyed my confidence. Praying for that curve. 

Edited January 13 by weavil1000

[SNAILS]

My experience is that law students freaking out about a bad exam end up with a B (when they think they failed it).

[Rashabon]

I didn't finish one of my exams and thought it was very hard, and I got an A on it. I had another that I thought I aced and it was my lowest mark in law school (but in fairness the entire take home exam was a trick question which was not cool). No point guessing what your grade might be, this isn't a math class where tracking the answer is easy.

Also reiterating what people said, unless you flunked an entire term nobody is going to care about one bad grade, assuming it even is bad.

[VarsityBlues]

Don’t stress too much about this, just don't fail any classes. I had two Cs in 3L and it didn’t impact my Big Law hireback at all. Firms understand that exams don’t always go as planned, and one bad grade won’t define your career. If you’ve been performing well overall and have a strong track record, it’s not likely to hurt your hireback chances.

Most firms care more about your overall performance, attitude, and work during your articling term. If your exam grade is a one-off and you continue to show your value in other ways, it’ll be fine. If anything, use this as motivation to bounce back and keep focusing on the bigger picture. Don’t let one exam shake your confidence too much.