The bar exam starts for nearly everyone on Tuesday, so I want to start with Good Luck to February takers!! By this time, you should be finished or nearly finished studying. Only in rare cases will studying do anything after this point. You need to rest and relax. You studied 2 ½ long months. Obviously, no one knows what will actually happen on the exam, but you put yourself in the right position to be successful. All you could do up to this point is study hard. Now, believe what you did put you in a position for success!
I have a few tips for the next couple days:
- Get a good night’s sleep. You want to be as mentally fresh as possible tomorrow morning. You don’t want to finally wake up after a few questions because every point counts. Be mentally ready to start on question 1.
- If you have trouble getting your mind going in the morning, take 5 minutes to look at EASY bar review material. This is especially true on the MBE. If on the BARBRI test, you struggled with the first 10 questions, do 2-3 really easy questions in the morning. Don’t grade them, because that is not what matters. You just want your mind working when you get into the exam.
- Gather everything you need for the exam tonight and place it by your front door. Include, pens, pencils, any food or drink allowed in the exam (you may want to keep that in the refrigerator), erasers, pencil sharpeners, etc. You don’t want to rush around tomorrow morning. Eliminate as much stress now as possible.
- Re-read the information from the bar examiners. Know what time you must be at the exam location. Also, know what items are allowed/prohibited. You don’t want to take something into the exam that is prohibited. You also don’t want to miss out on items you could take into the exam.
- Eat good meals. Unless you never do it, eat a decent breakfast. Don’t eat too much artificial sugar because you don’t want to crash in the middle of the test. Plan a good healthy lunch. Don’t overeat because you will get tired during the second half of the exam.
- Relax tomorrow night, and don’t worry about studying. You are going through an exhausting 2-3 days’ worth of testing. You must take every break opportunity you can. Your mind will be exhausted by the time you complete the exam, so conserve enough energy to make it through the entire process. I suggest watching a bad movie that requires absolutely no thinking.
- If you are staying in a hotel, don’t forget to pack all your items the day before you plan on checking out. You don’t want to rush around packing the last morning of the exam. Either have someone check you out or leave your things at the bell desk in the morning.
- Do everything you can tonight to make the next few days as stress free as possible. If you need help or ideas, feel free to contact me.
- Keep your energy up during breaks. After lunch, walk around the exam location to keep your blood flowing. During other breaks, do some stretches. You shouldn’t get too comfortable and relax until the day is finished. You don’t want your mind thinking the day is complete until you finish the exam.
- When you wake up tomorrow morning, tell yourself “I will pass the bar today!” Be assertive and believe it. Confidence alone can get you points on the exam.
Remember, you graduated law school and have the ability to pass the exam. Now, go execute your strategy!
(Steven Foster)
