Everyone needs a confidence boost from time to time. And those times can include big interviews, presentations, or in the law student context—big tests! Before final exams and the bar exam, many students are stressed about whether they will measure up. Of course, doing the work beforehand to prepare, like making the outline, doing the practice problems, and reviewing flashcards, can set you up for success. But so can getting yourself in the right mindset before the exam.
Below are a few of my favorite strategies to get yourself in the right space for the big test, whether that is a final exam coming up or the bar exam that you’ll take this summer.
- Superhero Pose – This is my personal favorite way to boost confidence. After watching Grey’s Anatomy (for the millionth time) before my law school finals at home during COVID, I decided that in order to get in the right mindset I needed to be a superhero. So, just like Amelia Shephard recommended to her resident, do the superhero pose before that big task. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, ball up your hands into fists and put them at your hips with your elbows out, and then puff out your chest and look up to the sky. Hold this pose, breathe, and let the confidence grow. This kind of ‘power pose’ can increase feelings of confidence. Now I teach my students, whether first-year students getting ready for their finals or graduates about to take the bar exam, to do this very thing. (It can feel silly at first, but when you do it as a group, you feel a bit less silly—pro tip.)
- Make Your Kicka** Playlist – Music can influence your mind in positive ways, such as through powerful music to inspire confidence. So, as you take breaks while studying, pull together a playlist that will enhance your energy using music that is energetic or strong. Then, play it while driving to your test site or while hanging out before your exam begins. Even if this kind of music isn’t your style, as long as the music you pull together is what will energize you, then go for it!
- Know What You Can Control – Over my years in law school academic & bar success, one of the biggest challenges I have noticed for law students taking exams is ruminating over the things students do not have control over. “I want to get an A in [insert course name here]. What if I don’t get it?” And while reaching a certain grade can feel like a good goal, it is not very realistic given the curved grading used in many law school courses. Instead, to feel confident for test day, focus on the things you do have control over—how much studying you put in, the gaps you got filled when you had questions, and whether you ‘left it all on the page.’ So, make yourself a list of the top 2 or 3 things that you improved on or accomplished for this test, specifically those things that you had control over. When you feel confidence wavering, remind yourself of that list.
- Go in on the Offense, Not Defense – When I was studying for the bar exam, Professor Cassie Christopher shared this with our class. She said that the goal was to go into the bar exam with the aim of getting as many points as possible, not hoping that the bar exam didn’t kick your butt. And now, I tell this to students studying for finals just as much as those studying for the bar exam. The more you can go in with the mindset that you have done everything you could to get to this point and that you don’t know how you would have studied any differently, the more you will feel ready to take on the test.
Remember, being confident as you go into exams can help push you across the finish line. Studying and hard work up until that point are key, but confidence can help you meet the moment. So, figure out how to best build your confidence and crush the test! You’ve got this!
(Erica M. Lux)
