The Bar Exam is finally here. You’ve studied and prepped like a pro and now it’s time to do the damn thing. I’ve got some tips and tricks for taking the bar exam because it’s a marathon not a sprint.
And you know what? It’s a marathon every day you take the test so, depending on your state, your brain and body is doing two to three marathons back to back.
The Bar Exam will be the worst test of your life. The LSAT? Easy peasy. The college finals? Joke. The AP tests? Lol. Unless you take a specialization test, the Bar will be the knock down drag out brain killer test that you’ll never want to relive. (Bless those souls who have to take more than one)
My tips and tricks for taking the Bar Exam
Lay out everything you need a week prior
I mean everything. Your outfits – pretend it’s the first day of school all over again and lay it all out. I wore the same thing every day. T-shirt dress, scarf, sneakers. If I got cold I could wrap my scarf around me or my legs and the cotton dress wasn’t going to itch or pinch me. Lay out your pencils, your chapstick, tissues, your unlabeled water bottle, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g you are going to take. Do it the week before because trust me you’re going to add something to it.
Get the hotel room
I stayed in a hotel for the whole three days. I would have been able to drive every day from my apartment but that just isn’t an option. There are too many obstacles and unexpected things can happen. The shorter you make your distance from where you sleep to where you take the test the better. You’ll sleep longer too. If you can get within walking distance more power to you!
Enjoy your lunch
Your brain needs a break after going nonstop the entire time you’re in your seat. When you have your lunch break, take it. Don’t review anything, don’t keep studying, just sit and enjoy your lunch. I listened to music in my car or I turned on The Office to have something my mind could go in and out of focus on. Don’t let yourself nap – you won’t get up and you’ll be locked out of the test. The only time I didn’t enjoy my lunch was the last day of essays. In Texas you have 12 essays – 6 in the morning and 6 in the afternoon, and (for the most part) you know the topics. So when lunch rolled around and I could cross of 6 topics I looked over the other 6 during lunch. I know I got some points from that last minute specific pointed review.
Stick to your time schedule
Your prep course is going to tell you how to parcel out your time on the test. DO THIS. I had 30 minutes for each essay and that was a hard and fast rule for me. 10 to read and outline, 15-17 to write, and 3-5 to review/edit. Then on to the next one. Do NOT creep into your next essay’s time. On my last essay on the last day, one of the proctors went up to the podium right in front of me. It was 15 minutes EARLY! I looked at my watch and silently cursed because I thought I had screwed up on my timing. The proctor ended up reviewing something on the podium and then sat his happy ass down. Me and the guy next to me looked at each other like WTF! You could hear the whole center sign with relief when he sat back down!
Have three alarm clocks
I’m not a morning person. Even if I make it super easy on myself I still have trouble getting out of bed. Snooze queen over here. But with the bar you can’t do that. I had my normal alarm clock on my phone, an alarm across the room, and since I was in a hotel while taking the test I had a wake up call scheduled. I also had my mom call me as my last resort call. Even if you are a morning person and wake up easy, make sure you have a backup. Getting locked out of the test is preventable. Don’t get cocky about the stupid things.
Breathe – yes you have time
You are going to get stressed during the exam. You are going to get overwhelmed. It’s going to happen. Your brain cannot function properly when you start to freak out. Take 10-20 seconds to breathe. Yes, DURING the test. Put your pencil down, stop typing, put your hands in your lap, look up at the ceiling, and take at least three deep breaths. This is probably the one most important tip for taking the bar that I tell everyone. I know I stress about keeping to your schedule but you can breathe for 20 seconds. 20 seconds will not throw you off. I did this at least twice every day. People around me probably thought I was crazy but it works. It brings your brain back to a spot where it can focus on the problem in front of you.
The Bar is brutal, there’s no question about it, but you can do it. You will have studied and prepared and with these tips and tricks for taking the bar exam you are going to come out a sworn lawyer on the other end.
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