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I think it quite strange that the Pasadena Hilton is fully booked for the Feb exam. I stayed there the last two times and I was able to book a room just 1 month before the exam.

Anyhow, I choose Sacramento this time. The bar exam group code for The Residence Inn is: SBCSBCA. It's a decent discount ($209/night), versus the $300+/night rack rate which is totally insane.

airbnb

Related question: is a hotel that much of an edge?

I commuted everyday for July 2015 from about 20 miles away because I couldn't afford the hotels and my friends were taking it elsewhere. I found it to be ok as long as I caffeinated and ate healthy (mostly salads/paleo). I'm usually a morning person who wakes up around 6:30am for work without an alarm, so for the bar 5:30am was not too much of an adjustment. I took it at Century City and enjoyed walking around the mall in the evening for a bit before going back into the idea of taking it another day.

I still can't afford the Century City hotels for 3 days but am wondering if I should maybe switch to Ontario so I can get a hotel, or stick to Century City.

fadedsunrise wrote:Related question: is a hotel that much of an edge?

I commuted everyday for July 2015 from about 20 miles away because I couldn't afford the hotels and my friends were taking it elsewhere. I found it to be ok as long as I caffeinated and ate healthy (mostly salads/paleo). I'm usually a morning person who wakes up around 6:30am for work without an alarm, so for the bar 5:30am was not too much of an adjustment. I took it at Century City and enjoyed walking around the mall in the evening for a bit before going back into the idea of taking it another day.

I still can't afford the Century City hotels for 3 days but am wondering if I should maybe switch to Ontario so I can get a hotel, or stick to Century City.

The Westside hotels are way too expensive. I think the Hyatt is over $300 night for the bar dates. But you seem like a morning person, so I don't think you need the hotel. I myself an not a morning person...and I live 3 hours away from a testing center.

fadedsunrise wrote:Related question: is a hotel that much of an edge?

I commuted everyday for July 2015 from about 20 miles away because I couldn't afford the hotels and my friends were taking it elsewhere. I found it to be ok as long as I caffeinated and ate healthy (mostly salads/paleo). I'm usually a morning person who wakes up around 6:30am for work without an alarm, so for the bar 5:30am was not too much of an adjustment. I took it at Century City and enjoyed walking around the mall in the evening for a bit before going back into the idea of taking it another day.

I still can't afford the Century City hotels for 3 days but am wondering if I should maybe switch to Ontario so I can get a hotel, or stick to Century City.

If I were you, I would do Ontario. There are literally 3-4 hotels that are a 2 minute walk across the street. One of them (Country Inn by Ayres) almost shares a parking lot with the Convention Center. I can't imagine a situation that is any easier than that. There isn't that much to see, but we do have two malls that are about a 5-10 minute drive from the Convention Center if you want to unwind after the exam.

I stayed at Pasadena Inn. About 2-3 blocks away from the convention center. Good walk to wake yourself up in the morning and reflect on the task at hand. Price was very reasonable. Room was quiet. Free wi-fi. Free breakfast. Recommended.

Don't pay a fortune for the hotel. I just found a motel last Feb in Sacramento. there are plenty of them within the walking distance of the test center. $60 a night. I also took flight from outer state. The total cost was much less compared to taking the bar exam in LA or SF. I passed the bar for the first try and a foreign LLM girl who stayed in the same motel also passed. Maybe I am not picky about hotel. But, I don't think it is a major factor.

6TimeFailure wrote:I think it quite strange that the Pasadena Hilton is fully booked for the Feb exam. I stayed there the last two times and I was able to book a room just 1 month before the exam.

Anyhow, I choose Sacramento this time. The bar exam group code for The Residence Inn is: SBCSBCA. It's a decent discount ($209/night), versus the $300+/night rack rate which is totally insane.

Picking a hotel room was a big deal for me because the bay area traffic is so unpredictable and I didn't want anything to kill my mood. I ended up taking the exam in Oakland at the Oakland Marriott this July (passed on the first attempt). The room was approximately $200 a night. The exam was administered inside the hotel's ballroom. I liked being able to just roll out of bed and walk downstairs to take the exam. The hotel staff was really nice too. They gave out free wine in the hotel lobby after each exam day (I didn't get any, but many people did).

Best wishes in February!

Glad someone started this topic. Thanks for the info!
On a somewhat related note, for those preparing for the Feb. 2016 bar and looking for a Critical Pass Flashcard discount, use link below to get $10 off. I searched everywhere for a coupon/discount code and couldn't find one anywhere so I figured I'd share.

I got this as a referral so you have to use the link to get the discount: http://criticalpass.refr.cc/NQBJZZ7
Wish I had access to someone else's referral link before I paid full price, but didn't have any luck finding any current ones . Sharing the love. Anyone interested, feel free to utilize.

TGraves28 wrote:Picking a hotel room was a big deal for me because the bay area traffic is so unpredictable and I didn't want anything to kill my mood. I ended up taking the exam in Oakland at the Oakland Marriott this July (passed on the first attempt). The room was approximately $200 a night. The exam was administered inside the hotel's ballroom. I liked being able to just roll out of bed and walk downstairs to take the exam. The hotel staff was really nice too. They gave out free wine in the hotel lobby after each exam day (I didn't get any, but many people did).

Best wishes in February!

How do you know which location you got?

lacrossebrother wrote:How do you know which location you got?

i got an email two days after i submitted my application that said my application was being processed and that my assigned text center was xxxx

Hotels.com shows pretty pricey hotels around Pasadena. Poop.

Raiden wrote:Hotels.com shows pretty pricey hotels around Pasadena. Poop.

Pasadena is just a pricey area. Look around Arcadia since its closer, and may be a little less expensive. Actually, you should probably check areas to the west of Pasadena. I believe Eagle Rock is around there, and slightly to the west. Its not as nice as Pasadena so the rates may be a little more reasonable. Or perhaps everyone got the memo and is jacking their rates up because they all suck.

But the drive on the 210 east in the morning would be far easier than driving west.

storge wrote:Glad someone started this topic. Thanks for the info!
On a somewhat related note, for those preparing for the Feb. 2016 bar and looking for a Critical Pass Flashcard discount, use link below to get $10 off. I searched everywhere for a coupon/discount code and couldn't find one anywhere so I figured I'd share.

I got this as a referral so you have to use the link to get the discount: http://criticalpass.refr.cc/NQBJZZ7
Wish I had access to someone else's referral link before I paid full price, but didn't have any luck finding any current ones . Sharing the love. Anyone interested, feel free to utilize.

TGraves28 wrote:Picking a hotel room was a big deal for me because the bay area traffic is so unpredictable and I didn't want anything to kill my mood. I ended up taking the exam in Oakland at the Oakland Marriott this July (passed on the first attempt). The room was approximately $200 a night. The exam was administered inside the hotel's ballroom. I liked being able to just roll out of bed and walk downstairs to take the exam. The hotel staff was really nice too. They gave out free wine in the hotel lobby after each exam day (I didn't get any, but many people did).

Best wishes in February!

Thanks for the code!!

WillitBlend wrote:

lacrossebrother wrote:How do you know which location you got?

i got an email two days after i submitted my application that said my application was being processed and that my assigned text center was xxxx

Although past the date, when I registered for February 2016 bar (by initial deadline), I simultaneously booked hotels near my first and second choice test centers. I eventually ended up with my first choice, Ontario--picked due to more reasonable hotel rates. Since I was coming from IL and arriving a week beforehand (due to unpredictable winter weather), I needed a more reasonable rate because I was staying for 10 days.

WillitBlend wrote:

lacrossebrother wrote:How do you know which location you got?

i got an email two days after i submitted my application that said my application was being processed and that my assigned text center was xxxx

Although past the date, when I registered for February 2016 bar (by initial deadline), I simultaneously booked hotels near my first and second choice test centers. I eventually ended up with my first choice, Ontario--picked due to more reasonable hotel rates. Since I was coming from IL and arriving a week beforehand (due to unpredictable winter weather), I needed a more reasonable rate because I was staying for 10 days.

Getting a hotel is the only way to go, whatever the cost. You've already spent thousands of dollars on law school — now isn't the time to be cheap. And you do not want to be fighting rush hour traffic 45 minutes before the exam when you could have been comfortably rehearsing your checklists over coffee in the quiet of your room before walking over to the Convention Center. The bar exam is about focus as much as anything else. Getting a room for three days near the test site will give you the maximum opportunity to stay focused on the exam by reducing the distractions that commuting and family create.

That said, spend the money for a decent room. Staying at a dive motel just because it's cheap can be risky. You don't want to be distracted by drunks shouting all night long outside your room.