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I live in the DC metro area and will be taking the Maryland Bar Exam in Baltimore this summer (about a 1 hour drive without traffic). Is it worth it to not reserve a hotel room and drive from my place both days of the exam?

I will be doing the same, and I will be staying at a hotel. If your employer is paying for it, definitely do it; otherwise, a hotel is probably TCR depending on cost.

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philosoraptor wrote:I will be doing the same, and I will be staying at a hotel. If your employer is paying for it, definitely do it; otherwise, a hotel is probably TCR depending on cost.

Employer is giving both days as paid holidays (which is probably worth more). However, they are not paying for the hotel.

get a hotel room within walking distant to exam location.

Yes, and stay in one that has the breakfast card thing you fill out the night before so they deliver it to you at a set time. That way you get a good morning breakfast and don't have to fear sleeping through an alarm.

Hard as it may seem try to go to sleep especially early, so you wake up on your own.

i got stuck in traffic the morning of the bar exam. I almost had a nervous breakdown. invest in a hotel.

I did it for the LSAT. I'd do it for the bar, but I'll be like 15 min away by car, and the walk from the nearest hotel woud be 30 min.

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How comfortable are in you hotels? I can never sleep in them, I hate them. So I plan to stay at home if at all possible.

Yes and if they have a spa get a massage this your day

I'm thinking of staying in a hotel in Baltimore from July 28 to Aug 1 (want to check in the day before, and then maybe see the sights for like a day and a half after the exam). Would then fly out of BWI and vacation at home for a week.

Any recommendations on the hotels, or anything else?

If you're taking an exam at a hotel, I wouldn't stay in that hotel. It's going to be a zoo of neurotic crazy people that will stress you out.

Find one across the street or something.

Absolutely get a hotel room. Get a nice one too, that brings you breakfast in the morning to your roon when you leave the little card hanging on your door. Extra insurance to make sure you get up, and you need that breakfast energy, its going to be the most stressful day of your life thus far.

And someone above said don't get the same hotel as others - meh, you will be walking to and from your room, you won't see anybody. There is a reason certain hotels are popular on exam day - proximity and quality service.

Don't cheap out. And if you aren't a good sleeper, get ambien, get familiar with it, and use it. I've said it before on here and I say it again - ambien was and is an amazing advantage for test time. I couldn't sleep naturally the night before a big test without it, and being able to walk into an exam fresh off 8 amazing deep hours of sleep - I swear, it earned me percentage points on exams.

Glad I saw this thread. Getting a first class hotel room is a great idea. Plan on a good night's sleep and order a nice breakfast. I think I'll make reservations in the next day or two.

I just realized, reading through this thread, that I gave the same advice like three weeks ago. I gain satisfaction knowing I've been consistent with my advice.

I disagree with a hotel room, but mainly because I hate them and don't sleep well in them. If you're like that, stay at home.

I agree that you need to book hotel room. You can use special service for booking, where it will be much more cheaper. And you will get a good rest before exam.

It's too late for February, but here's my advice for anyone considering this issue. Providing you have the money, having a base of operations close to the exam location is critical. I showed up with my wallet, which is prohibited, and just ran across the street and left it in my room. It also helps with last minute study. At the very least, you are insulated from interruptions as you study, and you can order room service, which saves time and is a real morale booster. Quick story: I blew off trusts based on my frequency analysis, and got cold feet in the last week, looking over the outline exactly once. There were no Trust questions in the am session, so I sat in my room looking over the outline for an hour while I ate. In the pm session, I TORE through the package and there it was, Trusts. I scribbled down everything I needed in the margins and I nailed that essay, all because I had a hotel room nearby.

A lot of this is luck, having a base of operations nearby attracts that luck.

NotMyRealName09 wrote:Absolutely get a hotel room. Get a nice one too, that brings you breakfast in the morning to your roon when you leave the little card hanging on your door. Extra insurance to make sure you get up, and you need that breakfast energy, its going to be the most stressful day of your life thus far.

And someone above said don't get the same hotel as others - meh, you will be walking to and from your room, you won't see anybody. There is a reason certain hotels are popular on exam day - proximity and quality service.

Don't cheap out. And if you aren't a good sleeper, get ambien, get familiar with it, and use it. I've said it before on here and I say it again - ambien was and is an amazing advantage for test time. I couldn't sleep naturally the night before a big test without it, and being able to walk into an exam fresh off 8 amazing deep hours of sleep - I swear, it earned me percentage points on exams.

Yes on the meds. I don't take anything, not even aspirin, but I am a big believer in taking what you need to get past the bar. I just spent a year listening to every podcast possible about the bar, and reading all the web sites devoted to it, and I can't tell you how many people have finally passed after repeated failures because they turned to the proper meds. Anxiety and sleep problems can really mess you up in two full days of testing.

Sheffield wrote:Hard as it may seem try to go to sleep especially early, so you wake up on your own.

Yes:

1. As the test nears, you should be getting up progressively earlier so that you can go to sleep earlier on test day. I timed it so I had a few hours to breakfast, look some notes over (MPT forms) and make sure the bathroom breaks were out of the way. It was a real convenience on test day.

2. As test day nears, stretch your study period to 3.5-4 hours without any breaks. It really helps with endurance and concentration. I've never had three hours pass so quickly as it did during the bar.