I feel like I am taking another bar exam this week. For all of you who are, I feel your pain. My own bar exam memories still haunt me—-both Virginia and DC. However, I squeaked by, and you will, too. Fortunately, you will not be one of the only women writing the bar exam. Seriously, I did not know whether Virginia would let me sit for the exam in 1979. Those were the days! (This is the same state where my law firm suggested that I use my middle name on the letterhead because it sounded like a man’s!)
The bar exam is a necessary evil. However, it is a two- month experience, and then it is over. There is summer left and fun and sun ahead of you. Stay the course.
Here is my best advice to you. Try to get a good night’s sleep each night before the exam, and be confident. A positive attitude goes a long way. Do not second guess all of your answers and look back after the exam. First of all, it is hard to recall just exactly how the question was posed—especially on the multistate—and it will only erode your confidence. Over analyzing is rarely a good idea, and it is certainly not a good idea when you have to keep up your energy and spirit for the next day.
Don’t discuss the exam with others who are taking it. Most of them will not give you a candid response about how they feel or how they think they are doing. They are trying to hide their fear just like you are.
Try to do something that will relax you after the exam. Take a walk, get an ice cream cone, sit by the water. Take deep breaths and remember that you did well in law school and you know a lot of stuff. You worked hard to prepare for this exam, and your job is to give it your best shot.
It is a marathon and not a sprint. Treat it like one. Clear your head, be steady, keep up the pace, and round that next corner with confidence. I am pulling for you!
Break a leg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
