Advice For The Day Of The Bar Exam

Here are the things you should do on the day of the bar exam to avoid self-destruction.

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It’s getting to be that time.  Breathe.  I know that even mentioning it sets you off, but really, it’s getting close.

Today’s column is not about how you shouldn’t be watching bar review videos right now, how you should be taking practice MBE questions daily, how you should make sure you exercise and get plenty of rest, or how you hopefully listened to my advice from a while ago.   This column is about the things you should do on the day of the bar exam to avoid self-destruction.

  1. Show up on time. Yeah.  Seriously.   Do you know the number of students each semester who show up for a final on the wrong day, oversleep, or otherwise fail to account for traffic and other impediments?  It’s astounding to me.   If you need to, set three alarms.  Have friends call you to wake you up.  Have a buddy system with other bar exam takers (ones you trust).  There should be no reason, apart from a serious emergency, that you should miss the test or be late.
  2. Many bar exam takers get a hotel near the bar exam site, especially if the bar exam is in a different city from the one in which they live.  If you do this, your goal should be to stay in a hotel that isn’t the one in which everyone else is staying.  It might even be time to explore the wonderful world of Airbnb.  Stress and insecurity are contagious.  You don’t want to be in a hotel full of stressed-out people doubting themselves.

    Nor do you want a long commute.  The morning you need to be early will be the same morning a freak 30-car pileup will block your path.  I speak from experience here.

  1. Do not talk to anyone else who is taking the bar exam. Of course, this is forbidden during the test, but you don’t want to be doing it in the days leading up to the test or during breaks.  As I said, stress and insecurity are contagious.  It will only take one person’s discussion of what they answered to send your mind into a tailspin.
  1. Every moment you are not in the exam, stretch and breathe. If you’re into meditation, now is a good time to find a quiet spot.  The purpose of stretching and deep breathing is to assure that oxygen flows to your brain.  People who deep breathe can lower their blood pressure and heart rate, calm anxiety, and therefore think more clearly.  Spend some of your lunch break and every other break doing this.
  1. Choose your lunch wisely. Eating at that fast food place might seem convenient, but you’re setting yourself up for a difficult afternoon.  As the blood helps digestion, it moves from your brain to your stomach, inducing food coma.  To avoid this, avoid simple carbs, going instead for veggies and lean protein.  If you have to have carbs, go for complex carbs such as whole wheat breads.
  2. Also, a word here about caffeine:  Pace yourself.   It might seem like you should have an extra shot or three in the morning, but it can backfire on you.  First, if you’re not used to it, your heart will start racing and it might feel like a panic attack.  Second, you’ll crash hard, probably when you least wish.   So, go ahead and have your usual doses of caffeine, properly spread throughout the day, but don’t go crazy with it.

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  1. After you’re discharged from the exam, flee. Do not linger.  Nothing good can come of sticking around and chatting.  Go exercise.  Don’t go over your exam answers.  And for goodness sake, don’t study more.  Your brain is fried.  Now is the time to recharge it for the next day.  That means treating yourself to a nice dinner, and avoiding hanging out with people who want to talk about the bar exam. Be sure to go to bed early.
  1. Be prepared. Whatever items you must have with you, be sure to have ready in a pile together.  Be sure to go through the list of prohibited items so you don’t end up having to run back to your car or otherwise cause yourself additional anxiety.  Bar exam security is stricter than any airport or rock concert.
  1. Read the questions carefully. You probably at this point have taken 5 billion practice questions.  When you read each question, you might have in your mind a parallel question you once answered.  That isn’t this question.  Don’t answer the question just yet.  Read it again to make sure you understand fully what the question is asking.
  1. Avoid negative self-talk.  You can be your own worst enemy the day of the bar exam.  You might start second-guessing your performance on the last section.  Or you might think that everyone knows the answers but you.  You might start thinking about getting the results and failing.  You might not even be aware you’re doing this in the middle of the exam instead of focusing on the questions.

Stay focused.  If negative thoughts come in, think “STOP!” Then replace the negative thought with a positive thought.  Maybe even use a mantra.  “I can succeed.  I WILL succeed.”  Negative thoughts will slow your pace and make you lose focus.  Don’t let them win.

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Good luck!  You got this.


LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a top 100 law school. You can see more of his musings here and on Twitter. Email him at lawprofblawg@gmail.com.