The bar exam is one week away and I have NO motivation.

[Octavia]

Title pretty much says it all...I feel like I'm all studied out, but there's still so much to learn before next Tuesday. Of course, being here instead of buried in my BarBri books is so helpful in that respect, haha. I know there are a couple other PSers taking the bar in July, wanna prop each other up through the final week?

 

[mary poppins]

Dread of having to take the bar exam a second time was enough to motivate me into studying and taking practice exams. If you've been studying all summer, though, it's easy to understand how you would feel burned out by now. Make sure to take time for yourself and do something relaxing - sit outside in the sun for a while, go to the gym, stop by the pool or beach, read an trashy magazine, play with a kid. Good to let the mind relax a bit and not focus on the bar exam.

At this point, you should have a good idea about what you know and what you don't know or are having trouble with. It's time to really hammer away, in mini sessions, at the areas you don't know or that are causing you trouble. If you still don't get it, let it go and move on. Also, protein is brain food, so be sure to eat it regularly while studying and on exam days.

You're in the home stretch! Good luck!

 

[Jennifer W]

We don't have to sit this in Scotland (we do the practice diploma exams instead) so I have no experience of it, but you're a smart cookie, and you're doing so well thus far - you're going to pass. You are. If you get off PS and into the books.

Good luck, I'll be thinking about you, cheering you on!

Jen

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

My brain feels like it just can't absorb any more info. Law school was totally useless. I spent three years not learning this stuff, and now I really regret it. Ugh, someone put me out of my misery please.

 

[Luckyeshe]

You, PSers can do it!!! You're so close to the finish line!! Just study a little bit more!!! (did that help even a little bit to motivate you? )

Good luck on the bar exam!!! *****DUST DUST DUST******

 

[kittybean]

Octavia and B.E.G--you can do it! You wouldn't believe how much stuff I crammed into my head that last week. For me, the most helpful thing was doing the essays in the BarBri practice essay book because it helped me really learn the topics on the MBE as well. (Obviously, this will only be helpful for you if you have an essay section on your exam.) I was just outlining them toward the end, but it was amazingly helpful.

Try to take some breaks--eat some healthy stuff and go do something that gets your mind off the exam. Even though I normally hate working out, I actually loved going for a run while studying because I couldn't freak out as much while running.

Oh, and you will pass, no matter how awful it feels. Most people walk out of there (especially after the MBE) feeling like they totally screwed up, but the reality is that you will pass with flying colors. Best of luck to you, and make sure to bring lots of snacks to the exam . If there's such a thing as bar dust, it's coming your way!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Thanks everyone!

Kittybean, thanks for the reminder about snacks. I need to make a note (and also reread all the many many instructions of what not to bring to the testing room!). I'll be in Albany early the day before so plenty of time for a supermarket run and an early night.

 

[panda08]

I'll echo what the others said, YOU GALS CAN DO IT!!! As KittyBean said, it really is amazing just how much you can cram into your noggin. I never thought I could stretch my brain that much.

The one piece of advice I've always given to others is to relax and not psych yourself out too much. I put down the books a few days before just so I wouldn't freak out. A flood of info will come back to you when you read that first hypo.

The finish line is near... push through and then do something awesome afterwards!

 

[Bunny007]

Considering the massive amount of information you're expected to learn for the bar, take some solice in knowing there's only so much you can learn by the end of the week. If you don't know it by now, you probably won't! And I mean that in a good way.

You've probably been studying non-stop for weeks/months. At this point, I truly believe a little de-stressing, good sleep and relaxation (and a little bit of studying) will do more good than last minute cramming.

Good luck!

 

[kittybean]

Thanks everyone!

Kittybean, thanks for the reminder about snacks. I need to make a note (and also reread all the many many instructions of what not to bring to the testing room!). I'll be in Albany early the day before so plenty of time for a supermarket run and an early night.

No problem. Beef jerky was my best snack idea. I have never, ever been so happy to have beef jerky as I was at that exam.

The list of stuff you can't bring is absurd. One of the items was "no sweatshirts or jackets with pockets." I almost had a breakdown because all of the sweatshirts I own have at least one pocket and I absolutely could not take an all-day exam without a cozy sweatshirt. I finally ended up borrowing one from DH.

Another funny bar story: during my BarBri prep class, we had to take a long practice MBE. I ended up sitting right in front of this older guy who was an extremely heavy breather. During the first half of the test, I didn't really notice it, but during the second half, I could not think straight with Darth Vader sitting behind me. When we self-scored, I did much worse on the second half, so I said a little prayer that I wouldn't be seated next to that guy at the exam. I figured it was highly unlikely since there were 1200 people taking it at the same place, but a little voice in my head was whispering, "Don't forget your ear plugs." So I brought them . . . and lo and behold, I was sitting right next to the heavy breather. I had a 1/600 chance of it happening, and there he was. I had a minor panic attack, thinking it was some sort of sign of my ultimate demise. As it turns out, the ear plugs worked perfectly, and the other person I was supposed to sit next to ended up going into labor before the exam and not taking it, so I got to scoot into her seat. I could not hear him at all. Moral of the story: bring ear plugs, 'cause you never know when you're going to be sitting next to Doc Holliday/Napoleon Dynamite/Darth Vader.

 

[Octavia]

Thank you all for the support, especially those who have BTDT. It really is calming. I haven't been on too much today because I've had my nose in the books...

I've been doing pretty well so far, I'm just so worried that it will all fly out of my head once I have to sit down and do the test itself. Plus, every once in awhile an essay question comes up and I have NO CLUE what they're asking...some of the time it's stuff we haven't actually learned, which they told us to expect on a few MBE questions but not essays! I'm just reminding myself that some of the passing essays they use as model answers are really bad...even if one or two of mine are that bad, the rest have to be better, right? And I'm taking two states, so I have to pass at least one...right?

GAAH!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

lalalala

secured transactions makes me want to die

hell is NOT waiting at the DMV. hell is waiting at the DMV being forced to learn secured transactions.