Test anxiety Forum

[Brian_Wildcat]

Setting in for anyone else?

[MrWhitman]

Jesus yes. Already affecting my sleep (which is pretty normal for me as an exam approaches). It's going to be fine though--if you worked your butt for 9-10 weeks, you're going to pass.

[weaselbee]

I've dreamt and woken up thinking about MEE and MBE subjects for about the last two weeks now. Really looking forward to this being over.

[TheoO]

Enough that it's given me GIRD.

[Slytherpuff]

I'm grinding my teeth in my sleep and having frequent panic attacks. Only one bar exam dream so far though. As long as I pass, I'll be glad when this is over.

[krjackson59]

Saw this while looking for some predictions on the GA bar exam -- I'll be taking the Attorney's exam this Tuesday.

I have a video for those dealing with anxiety -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO8EM32elyI

Watch it. Trust me. I failed Florida my first try and it devastated me. I was the law school "All-American" in my mind and got my ass humbled because, despite my confidence during school, I lost it all when it came time for the exam. I failed because in my mind, I prepared to fail. I let fear and anxiety fester, and as a result, it became my subconscious thinking. You don't have much time left, but watch this video and change your thinking now! Get ready to attack this test and prepare your mind to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You've worked hard, you worked tirelessly, now go make it count for something and BELIEVE YOU WILL PASS! If you do, you WILL pass.

I hope this encourages you all. I've got FL under my belt, and am pending for reciprocity in DC. On Tuesday I'll go 2/3 on my bar exams. I anticipate all of you will either add your 1st or another to belt as well.

Good luck.

[9xSound]

It's going to be fine though--if you worked your butt for 9-10 weeks, you're going to pass.

I used to believe this. It would be true for most candidates if the bar were in fact a test of minimum competency. It isn't — or the notion of minimum competence is misleading, at any rate. Passing the bar has a hell of a lot to do with how your performance compares to everyone else. It's a competition as much as a test. Huge numbers of students fail after working their butts off for months: not from a lack of effort to learn the BLL, but from a failure to outperform enough of the other candidates.

Suppose the bar did away with all of the written portions, and the only entrance exam they gave was the MBE. Seems like this would be a truly objective bar. But it wouldn't be. They would merely scale the results to fit some mathematical perception of equality between exams. In other words, they calculate that X percentage must fail every time. If too many people got 75% correct, they wouldn't say that these students were smarter than previous takers: they'd say that this test was too easy. Passing would therefore require getting 85% correct, or whatever number fits their little plan. Passing the bar is not about how hard you study. It's about getting more points than other takers, enough to put you into the passing percentile. Bar prep should not be about learning the law, but how to fight for points. Fight for every single point you can.

[Yugihoe]

My sleeping has been getting really poor. It's taken me ~2 hours to fall asleep several times this week, including last night.

Only slept 4 hours last night because I woke up at 8am today to do bar prep. Worried this is going to happen to be on Monday night or Tuesday night and I'll be too tired and mess up on MBE....

[Samarcan]

It's going to be fine though--if you worked your butt for 9-10 weeks, you're going to pass.

I used to believe this. It would be true for most candidates if the bar were in fact a test of minimum competency. It isn't — or the notion of minimum competence is misleading, at any rate. Passing the bar has a hell of a lot to do with how your performance compares to everyone else. It's a competition as much as a test. Huge numbers of students fail after working their butts off for months: not from a lack of effort to learn the BLL, but from a failure to outperform enough of the other candidates.

Suppose the bar did away with all of the written portions, and the only entrance exam they gave was the MBE. Seems like this would be a truly objective bar. But it wouldn't be. They would merely scale the results to fit some mathematical perception of equality between exams. In other words, they calculate that X percentage must fail every time. If too many people got 75% correct, they wouldn't say that these students were smarter than previous takers: they'd say that this test was too easy. Passing would therefore require getting 85% correct, or whatever number fits their little plan. Passing the bar is not about how hard you study. It's about getting more points than other takers, enough to put you into the passing percentile. Bar prep should not be about learning the law, but how to fight for points. Fight for every single point you can.

Pretty sure much of this is false. The bar exam is not curved. It is possible in theory for 100% of test-takers to pass. The test IS scaled, but that's a distinct concept.

[NB12017]

It's going to be fine though--if you worked your butt for 9-10 weeks, you're going to pass.

I used to believe this. It would be true for most candidates if the bar were in fact a test of minimum competency. It isn't — or the notion of minimum competence is misleading, at any rate. Passing the bar has a hell of a lot to do with how your performance compares to everyone else. It's a competition as much as a test. Huge numbers of students fail after working their butts off for months: not from a lack of effort to learn the BLL, but from a failure to outperform enough of the other candidates.

Suppose the bar did away with all of the written portions, and the only entrance exam they gave was the MBE. Seems like this would be a truly objective bar. But it wouldn't be. They would merely scale the results to fit some mathematical perception of equality between exams. In other words, they calculate that X percentage must fail every time. If too many people got 75% correct, they wouldn't say that these students were smarter than previous takers: they'd say that this test was too easy. Passing would therefore require getting 85% correct, or whatever number fits their little plan. Passing the bar is not about how hard you study. It's about getting more points than other takers, enough to put you into the passing percentile. Bar prep should not be about learning the law, but how to fight for points. Fight for every single point you can.

Pretty sure much of this is false. The bar exam is not curved. It is possible in theory for 100% of test-takers to pass. The test IS scaled, but that's a distinct concept.

I don't know if it's patently false, but it's certainly far more conspiratorial than it necessary.

But I do appreciate the sentiment. Bar passage rates have dropped. NCBE spokespeople have at least implied that this has more to do with declining admissions standards than anything to do with the test - a statement that never needed to be made at all. Meanwhile, they continue to change aspects of the test itself, most notably the number of experimental test questions. Does the NCBE perceive itself as the profession's guardian in light of the influx of "lesser" graduates? Not an unfair question. Nor is it unfair to ask about the implications.

However, the answers to those questions and a score meeting or exceeding your state's minimum will get you admitted to the bar. Time spent spinning your wheels is a waste of good last-minute prep time.

Good luck.

[sgd19]

I don't know if it's patently false, but it's certainly far more conspiratorial than it necessary.

But I do appreciate the sentiment. Bar passage rates have dropped. NCBE spokespeople have at least implied that this has more to do with declining admissions standards than anything to do with the test - a statement that never needed to be made at all. Meanwhile, they continue to change aspects of the test itself, most notably the number of experimental test questions. Does the NCBE perceive itself as the profession's guardian in light of the influx of "lesser" graduates? Not an unfair question. Nor is it unfair to ask about the implications.

However, the answers to those questions and a score meeting or exceeding your state's minimum will get you admitted to the bar. Time spent spinning your wheels is a waste of good last-minute prep time.

Good luck.

completely agree. pulling out your hairs last minute isn't the best use of your time. its just going to make it worse. better to take a deep breath and use this time to get in some last minute review

[lavarman84]

It's all in your head. You have control over it. Flush the anxiety down the proverbial toilet, get pumped, and know that you got this.

[9xSound]

It's going to be fine though--if you worked your butt for 9-10 weeks, you're going to pass.

I used to believe this. It would be true for most candidates if the bar were in fact a test of minimum competency. It isn't — or the notion of minimum competence is misleading, at any rate. Passing the bar has a hell of a lot to do with how your performance compares to everyone else. It's a competition as much as a test. Huge numbers of students fail after working their butts off for months: not from a lack of effort to learn the BLL, but from a failure to outperform enough of the other candidates.

Suppose the bar did away with all of the written portions, and the only entrance exam they gave was the MBE. Seems like this would be a truly objective bar. But it wouldn't be. They would merely scale the results to fit some mathematical perception of equality between exams. In other words, they calculate that X percentage must fail every time. If too many people got 75% correct, they wouldn't say that these students were smarter than previous takers: they'd say that this test was too easy. Passing would therefore require getting 85% correct, or whatever number fits their little plan. Passing the bar is not about how hard you study. It's about getting more points than other takers, enough to put you into the passing percentile. Bar prep should not be about learning the law, but how to fight for points. Fight for every single point you can.

Pretty sure much of this is false. The bar exam is not curved. It is possible in theory for 100% of test-takers to pass. The test IS scaled, but that's a distinct concept.

I didn't say that the bar is graded on a curve, and I wasn't trying to be conspiratorial, although it's not an entirely unhealthy point of view when you're trying to get over the hurdle. My point is simply that passing demands that you reach the upper percentile of all takers. Show me how it doesn't. Every exam ends up with a cutoff point. The passers are those who land on the upper side of the cutoff, wherever it proves to be. We can say that this percentage was the cutoff point where minimum competence ended, but the reason that I don't like the concept of "minimum competence" is that it can mislead students into a false sense of security — perhaps to assuage their anxiety. This is the reality: the people who are awarded the license don't demonstrate minimum competence. They demonstrate maximum competence. The best pass: the rest don't. As such, the real test is whether you outperform enough of the other takers to get into the passing percentile.

On the bar, don't be satisfied with delivering minimum competence. Strive for excellence.

[unitball]

It's going to be fine though--if you worked your butt for 9-10 weeks, you're going to pass.

the reason that I don't like the concept of "minimum competence" is that it can mislead students into a false sense of security

Cosigned. I'm the kind of person who likes to be told to go HAAM or go home.