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Okay gang, you're one week out. In studying, you know by now where you're in good shape and you know what you still have to work on. This thread is not about that. This is about the other shit you need to do between now and then.

(1) Go the fuck to sleep. No more studying until 3 AM, even if you feel like you're more productive at that time. Guess what time the bar examiners don't let you take the exam: 3 AM. So if you're still sleepy at 6:30 or 7 AM when you need to be getting out of bed on test days, you're going to have trouble focusing. Fix your schedule now.

(2) Plan your route. This consists of two things: (i) follow the route to the exam location at any point in the day; and (ii) look up the route on google maps putting in your desired arrival time so you have some sense of how long the route will take during morning traffic.

(3) Plan your meals. Don't waste any brain power during the week of the exam trying to decide what to eat. Decide now what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus snacks, on exam days and be sure you have it in your house. And make your breakfast and lunch the night before each day.

(4) Plan your attire. I'm serious. Set your clothes out in two (or three if you're in a three-day state) stacks so that you can just go to the Tuesday stack that morning without any thought whatsoever.

(5) Plan your day. Make a separate list of all the things you need to take with you for each day. This includes your test supplies (pencils/pens), laptop, admission ticket, ID, and food. Put each list under that day's pile of clothes, so when you get fully dressed your list is staring back at you.

(6) Schedule your sleep. Work backwards from what time you have to wake up to get to the exam center in a timely fashion. Allow no less than 7-8 hours in bed, so even if you have a hard time falling asleep you should get a decent rest. At this point rest has a much higher marginal value than sleep. If this means you have to be in bed by 11, then go to bed at 11.

(7) Don't Panic. Panic is counterproductive. Even if you're completely stumped, just start typing something that makes sense and move on. And always watch the clock.

To add my two cents to your awesome advice.....

3) Target carries something called a "Go Picnic" box. This + Lara Bar + apple was a great lunch. The beauty of the Go Picnic box is it is non-perishable, isn't too too heavy to eat, and for what you get, its a pretty balanced meal (you get some protein, you get some carbs, you get some iron). They also have them for gluten free and vegan diets (I'm a special snowflake so this was important). It also has all the utensils in it you'll need to eat the meal, which is nice so you don't have to try to find some plastic fork if you forget it.

http://www.target.com/s?category=0%7CAl ... m=gopicnic

4) Agree, and wear something comfortable. I wore velour tracksuits every day. Try to bring a light jacket (they allowed me to wear my velour tracksuit jacket). It was like 100 degrees outside, but like 52 degrees in the testing center.

7) Totally agree. Panic may wash over you in the first few minutes, try to get through it as quickly as possible. My strategy was to read all the essay questions/fact patterns and to write out rules right away, because I knew there was a good chance I would forget a rule, but once I had the outline with the rules I could go back an analyze. It also helped me to know what essay I wasn't going to spend a lot of time on, because it wasn't my strong area.

7b) Spend the $5-$10 and get your own analog travel clock. The proctors keep time, but you aren't promised that the clock in the testing center will be right. You also don't know where you'll be in relation to the clock in the room. Or even if they will have a clock in the room (I remember my testing center having a clock the first time around, but not the second). I also remember that the clock in my testing center was behind me, so I had to turn all the way around to see it, I'm sure it took less than a minute.....but enough of those minutes can add up. When I had the travel clock, it was so perfect, I could just glance up and see where I was at with time, and I was able to check more often. Just make sure the travel clock is under 4x4.

Thanks guys! Appreciate this and all the advice so far. On that note, I should go to sleep

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rcharter1978 wrote: 7b) Spend the $5-$10 and get your own analog travel clock. The proctors keep time, but you aren't promised that the clock in the testing center will be right. You also don't know where you'll be in relation to the clock in the room. Or even if they will have a clock in the room (I remember my testing center having a clock the first time around, but not the second). I also remember that the clock in my testing center was behind me, so I had to turn all the way around to see it, I'm sure it took less than a minute.....but enough of those minutes can add up. When I had the travel clock, it was so perfect, I could just glance up and see where I was at with time, and I was able to check more often. Just make sure the travel clock is under 4x4.

I think this is is outdated advice. Check your admission tickets. I don't think any time-keeping devices (even analog) are allowed at all anywhere anymore due to NCBE rules (Okay, so maybe in Louisiana where they don't use the MBE -- but their exam starts today I think so they're not reading this anyway). The change seemed to start sometime around 2014 with the MPRE and 2015 with bar exams.

rcharter1978 wrote: 4) Agree, and wear something comfortable. I wore velour tracksuits every day. Try to bring a light jacket (they allowed me to wear my velour tracksuit jacket). It was like 100 degrees outside, but like 52 degrees in the testing center.

I meant to mention that. Personally I wore jeans, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a fleece vest and was comfortable, occasionally needing the vest and occasionally not. It's weird to wear that stuff in the summer, but you'll likely be in a giant expo hall with concrete floors, cold folding tables and chairs, and an HVAC system designed to cool 3000 overweight conventioneers as they wander about the exhibits, not 800 students sitting perfectly still for 8 hours.

BVest wrote:

rcharter1978 wrote: 7b) Spend the $5-$10 and get your own analog travel clock. The proctors keep time, but you aren't promised that the clock in the testing center will be right. You also don't know where you'll be in relation to the clock in the room. Or even if they will have a clock in the room (I remember my testing center having a clock the first time around, but not the second). I also remember that the clock in my testing center was behind me, so I had to turn all the way around to see it, I'm sure it took less than a minute.....but enough of those minutes can add up. When I had the travel clock, it was so perfect, I could just glance up and see where I was at with time, and I was able to check more often. Just make sure the travel clock is under 4x4.

I think this is is outdated advice. Check your admission tickets. I don't think any time-keeping devices (even analog) are allowed at all anywhere anymore due to NCBE rules (Okay, so maybe in Louisiana where they don't use the MBE -- but their exam starts today I think so they're not reading this anyway). The change seemed to start sometime around 2014 with the MPRE and 2015 with bar exams.

rcharter1978 wrote: 4) Agree, and wear something comfortable. I wore velour tracksuits every day. Try to bring a light jacket (they allowed me to wear my velour tracksuit jacket). It was like 100 degrees outside, but like 52 degrees in the testing center.

I meant to mention that. Personally I wore jeans, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a fleece vest and was comfortable, occasionally needing the vest and occasionally not. It's weird to wear that stuff in the summer, but you'll likely be in a giant expo hall with concrete floors, cold folding tables and chairs, and an HVAC system designed to cool 3000 overweight conventioneers as they wander about the exhibits, not 800 students sitting perfectly still for 8 hours.

I took the exam in Feb. '16 and the analog clocks were still allowed all three days in California.

http://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Portals ... 0616_R.pdf

I stand corrected. Check your admissions tickets in other states though. I know they're banned in Texas and Illinois.

I would also recommend cleaning your desktop (no notes), setting up a plain background and uninstalling any programs that tend to auto-execute and create pop-ups. I think the examiners don't want to see anything that you can read on your laptop screen.

mvp99 wrote:I would also recommend cleaning your desktop (no notes), setting up a plain background and uninstalling any programs that tend to auto-execute and create pop-ups. I think the examiners don't want to see anything that you can read on your laptop screen.

ExamSoft handles that for you, no?

whitecollar23 wrote:

mvp99 wrote:I would also recommend cleaning your desktop (no notes), setting up a plain background and uninstalling any programs that tend to auto-execute and create pop-ups. I think the examiners don't want to see anything that you can read on your laptop screen.

ExamSoft handles that for you, no?

Yes, when it's open, but when you're first opening it the examiners don't like to see stuff up because you're not supposed to be reviewing anything on your computer in the exam room. For example, Texas says:

Once you open your laptop in the Secure Area, you must launch SofTest immediately—you cannot use your
laptop to read notes, check e-mail, or browse the internet. Once in the Secure Area, accessing anything
on your laptop other than SofTest is a violation of the Honor Pledge.

BVest wrote:Okay gang, you're one week out. In studying, you know by now where you're in good shape and you know what you still have to work on. This thread is not about that. This is about the other shit you need to do between now and then.

(1) Go the fuck to sleep. No more studying until 3 AM, even if you feel like you're more productive at that time. Guess what time the bar examiners don't let you take the exam: 3 AM. So if you're still sleepy at 6:30 or 7 AM when you need to be getting out of bed on test days, you're going to have trouble focusing. Fix your schedule now.

Somewhat disagree. Up until the last 2-3 days, study like there's no tomorrow. You want to use every millisecond efficiently. However, the last few nights before game day, get 7+ hours of sleep since the test requires a lot of stamina.

(3) Plan your meals. Don't waste any brain power during the week of the exam trying to decide what to eat. Decide now what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus snacks, on exam days and be sure you have it in your house. And make your breakfast and lunch the night before each day.

Agreed. And another suggestion is to eat the bare minimum amount of food your need. You don't want to have to waste valuable time going to the bathroom during the exam (not to sound graphic, but in a worst case scenario, I'd rather wet myself than get up to use the restroom). Also, you also don't want to have an upset stomach- I knew somewhat who tossed their cookies before the exam. Exam week isn't the time to try a new Mexican dish. For dinner, stick with the basics like rice, chicken, and veggies. No weird shit. And on exam day, eat a small sandwich, a small piece of fruit, and drink a small bottle of juice or water (remove the label from the bottle).

4) Plan your attire. I'm serious. Set your clothes out in two (or three if you're in a three-day state) stacks so that you can just go to the Tuesday stack that morning without any thought whatsoever.

Don't worry about being a fashionista. Wear whatever is comfortable. I also recommend bringing a sweater. Last year when I took the bar at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Jersey, it was about 30 degrees in the room. I nearly got pneumonia. I think the NCBE does this to torture us.

(7) Don't Panic. Panic is counterproductive. Even if you're completely stumped, just start typing something that makes sense and move on. And always watch the clock.

During the first three times I took the bar, I panicked. My mind basically shut down. On the 4th attempt, however, I was too desperate to panic. I knew that if I didn't pass then my life was basically ruined- owing over $100K in student loans and having nothing to show for. On the MBE, I knew that there were sections that I found easy (torts, crim), moderately difficult (con law, evidence), and impossible (contracts, civ pro, property). I simply guessed the answers in my weakest areas and went all out in my strongest areas. As far as the essays, if you forget everything, look deep into your brain, extricate any rules you can think of, and find some way to apply it to the fact pattern.

Timekeeping devices are definitely out in my state. And they won't even allow you to bring any cash to pay for lunch, even in a clear plastic bag. I figure my best bet is to have a few bucks in a small bag, leave it in the "unsecured" area, and hope my fellow test-takers won't rip me off. Even if they do, I won't be hungry anyway.

anori wrote:Timekeeping devices are definitely out in my state. And they won't even allow you to bring any cash to pay for lunch, even in a clear plastic bag. I figure my best bet is to have a few bucks in a small bag, leave it in the "unsecured" area, and hope my fellow test-takers won't rip me off. Even if they do, I won't be hungry anyway.

Can't u just puta $20 in your sock or something?

L_William_W wrote: You don't want to have to waste valuable time going to the bathroom during the exam (not to sound graphic, but in a worst case scenario, I'd rather wet myself than get up to use the restroom).

Idk about this man wetting yourself at the bar exam sounds sounds like it might be the worst case scenario. I have trouble imagining a situation where the 5 (max) minutes it takes to go to the bathroom mean the difference between failing and passing.

jchiles wrote:

L_William_W wrote: You don't want to have to waste valuable time going to the bathroom during the exam (not to sound graphic, but in a worst case scenario, I'd rather wet myself than get up to use the restroom).

Idk about this man wetting yourself at the bar exam sounds sounds like it might be the worst case scenario. I have trouble imagining a situation where the 5 (max) minutes it takes to go to the bathroom mean the difference between failing and passing.

Hahahaha. This guy has been giving some terrible advice on these boards.

LionelHutzJD wrote:

jchiles wrote:

L_William_W wrote: You don't want to have to waste valuable time going to the bathroom during the exam (not to sound graphic, but in a worst case scenario, I'd rather wet myself than get up to use the restroom).

Idk about this man wetting yourself at the bar exam sounds sounds like it might be the worst case scenario. I have trouble imagining a situation where the 5 (max) minutes it takes to go to the bathroom mean the difference between failing and passing.

Hahahaha. This guy has been giving some terrible advice on these boards.

Thooooo.... I might get weird as fuck too if i failed the bar 3 times

Odds I'll be able to bring a hard-boiled egg and a piece of bread with me into Javits in a clear plastic bag? What about more than one granola bar? I run on protein and carbs! Seriously, though. This was my go-to brain food during law school exams.

whitecollar23 wrote:Odds I'll be able to bring a hard-boiled egg and a piece of bread with me into Javits in a clear plastic bag? What about more than one granola bar? I run on protein and carbs! Seriously, though. This was my go-to brain food during law school exams.

I don't know NY rules, but it's unlikely you can bring it into the exam room with you. They might have a drop location outside the room where you can leave it and eat it during lunch. Texas allows no food or drink in the exam room (there's a water fountain, but no containers).

jchiles wrote:

L_William_W wrote: You don't want to have to waste valuable time going to the bathroom during the exam (not to sound graphic, but in a worst case scenario, I'd rather wet myself than get up to use the restroom).

Idk about this man wetting yourself at the bar exam sounds sounds like it might be the worst case scenario. I have trouble imagining a situation where the 5 (max) minutes it takes to go to the bathroom mean the difference between failing and passing.

I think this advice comes from L_William's POV of taking the exam 4 times. He was super focused and might have worked through the pee.

I'm not entirely sure how the proctors would have handled it, though.

Having said that, I think its probably a non-issue....if you really have to go, I would go to the restroom.

But follow family trip rules -- go right before you start the each exam session. If you start the exam knowing you have to pee, thats a waste. If you really can't hold it though, just go to the restroom. I would be super distracted by the feeling of having to pee, which would make it imperative for me to go to the restroom.

BVest wrote:

whitecollar23 wrote:Odds I'll be able to bring a hard-boiled egg and a piece of bread with me into Javits in a clear plastic bag? What about more than one granola bar? I run on protein and carbs! Seriously, though. This was my go-to brain food during law school exams.

I don't know NY rules, but it's unlikely you can bring it into the exam room with you. They might have a drop location outside the room where you can leave it and eat it during lunch. Texas allows no food or drink in the exam room (there's a water fountain, but no containers).

Here are the NY rules: https://www.nybarexam.org/Docs/secpolicy.pdf

LOL @ "quiet snack".....that must be open to all sorts of interpretation, but you guys are lucky in NYC.

rcharter1978 wrote:LOL @ "quiet snack".....that must be open to all sorts of interpretation, but you guys are lucky in NYC.

I once had a girl starting eating an apple behind me during a law school exam. I shut that shit down quite quickly. Better not see any apples on Tuesday.

whitecollar23 wrote:

rcharter1978 wrote:LOL @ "quiet snack".....that must be open to all sorts of interpretation, but you guys are lucky in NYC.

I once had a girl starting eating an apple behind me during a law school exam. I shut that shit down quite quickly. Better not see any apples on Tuesday.

LOL, as you should. I can't believe anyone was okay with that.

For me though - there are just some people that are super loud at eating. They would make salt water taffy crunch. The world is just full of people who eat with their mouth open, smack their food and crunch everything. They can't help it, but when you're already in the middle of exam and some fucker is crunching a slice of American cheese.....I would be stabby.

rcharter1978 wrote:

whitecollar23 wrote:

rcharter1978 wrote:LOL @ "quiet snack".....that must be open to all sorts of interpretation, but you guys are lucky in NYC.

I once had a girl starting eating an apple behind me during a law school exam. I shut that shit down quite quickly. Better not see any apples on Tuesday.

LOL, as you should. I can't believe anyone was okay with that.

For me though - there are just some people that are super loud at eating. They would make salt water taffy crunch. The world is just full of people who eat with their mouth open, smack their food and crunch everything. They can't help it, but when you're already in the middle of exam and some fucker is crunching a slice of American cheese.....I would be stabby.

If I have earplugs in, and I can hear you eating, IT'S NOT A QUIET SNACK.