The Waiting Game

Congrats for being done with the bar. I think you have gotten past the hardest part. Some people said that waiting is the worse. I'd have to disagree. November is so far away that you pretty much move on and forget about it. The funniest thing is realizing that you have nothing you have to do (i.e. study, practice essays), and it almost feels weird to have free time.

I think it will start hitting you all a few weeks before the results when people start to bring up that the "July Bar Results are coming out." But, you know what, there is nothing you can do now. So, kick back and relax and be at ease that you put in so much hard work.

Clock Question

"Last minute question about the timer. I seem to have trouble finding small timer without the alarm function. Will it ok to show them that I have disable the alarm function? Thanks. Also can I wear slipper during the exam?"

Just bring a watch and put it at 12:00 p.m. and when they say start, push the button that makes it start ticking again. Then, at 1:00 p.m., it's one hour pasted, etc.

Do not bring a clock with an alarm function, even if you plan to disable it. Someone behind me got "cited" (which probably means nothing aside from being written up) for bringing a clock with an alarm function.

Baggy Question

"Do you have to put your stuff in ziplocs or can you put them in plastic grocery bags or department store bags with handles? Also, thank you so much for your blog. It provides really useful information. "

I'm pretty sure that you have to put it in a "clear plastic bag" that is see-thru (i.e. ziplop bags). You should probably read your admissions tickets, but from my recollection, you need the ziplog bags that are see-thru. Anything else, and you probably need to leave it outside. However, I did notice they sold the 2-3 feet bags, so you could pack a lot in them.

Ontario

I took the bar in Ontario, and it is hotter than heck out there. However, instead, it was pretty cool. I think I wore a t-shirt and then brought a sweatshirt or outer garment so I could put it on when I got cold. I think I had to put it on sometime. I would really recommend layering.

Checklist for Bar Exam

Here is what my checklist was for things I brought into the bar exam:

1) 3 mechanical pencils
2) 5-10 highlighters
3) 5-10 pens in case I needed to write
4) laptop, cord, battery
5) External floppy disk drive
6) 2 sets of earplugs
7) keys
8) wallet: extra cash to pay for parking
9) Drugs in a bottle: tylenol, advil, stomach medication, anything I might need
10) Tissue
11) Extra layer of clothes: jacket
12) Eyedrops for my contacts
13) Solution for my contacts
14) Contacts container in case I needed to take them out
15) Eyeglasses in case I needed to take my contacts out
16) Watch
17) Bar admission ticket
18) Outlines: I put this in my car

That's all I could think of so far. Some people brought in pillows to sit on. I didn't think it was necessary.

The Baggy

Some people brought in the life size Ziplop bags. You know what I mean if you have seen them. They are like 2 or 3 feet tall or something like that. So, if you want, go try to hunt for those Monday afternoon (when you should have stopped studying), and your laptop will surely fit in there.

I put my keys in my baggy as well as my wallet. Honestly, they will allow you to bring stuff within a reasonable limit. The only thing I did see them cite was the watch/clock thing when a person brought an alarm clock in. But, as you learned in Barbri, just put your watch at 12:00 and push it in when they say start.

The Elevator War

So, if you read one of my way earlier posts, you will know that I did not stay in a hotel. However, if I did stay at a hotel, I would highly recommend asking for a 1st or 2nd floor room (no higher than 3rd floor) if your hotel is multi-stories. If you live on the 10th floor, you might be waiting forever for an elevator during peak hours (after you take the bar exam, when you are getting ready to go there, etc.). Everyone else will be doing the same, and it might take a while to get the elevator, which in turn may stress you out. However, if you stay on the 1st floor, you won't need to worry about this. If you stay on the 2nd or 3rd floor, just take the stairs and get some exercise that way. [Also, no worries about elevators getting stuck (sorry...didn't mean to freak you all out)]. Of course, if it did get stuck and you were unlucky enough to be in it, it just wasn't meant to be, and there is nothing you can do. There are multiple freak accidents that could happen, and if it does happen, you weren't meant to pass the bar, and that's just fate.

Question

Question: "can we outline in scrap paper and directly write the answer in the provided Ans sheet. "

I'm not sure what you mean. I know you can highlight and put notes on the Question sheet. I used a computer, so I highlighted the made notes on the question sheet and then outlined on the stratch paper. I then typed my answer in.

Laptop

Yes, you can't bring your laptop bag with you. I have a really small Sony VAIO, and I was able to carry it in one hand and put the power cord on top. If you bring your backpack, I think you can put it outside the door, but there is no one there to watch it, so people might steal it.

Sleeping Habits

During these last few weeks, you really should have a healthy sleepy habit, especially one week or at the very minimum starting 3 days prior to the bar exam. I really discourage against all-nighters, and you should try to go to bed no later than midnight and really try to wait up no later than 9:00 a.m.

Remember, you will be taking the bar from 9 to 4. You really don't want to have problems falling asleep in the nights before the bar. If you pull too many all-nighters, you will be very tired and might even risk getting sick during the bar. You want to adjust your brain to start working during the early morning hours.

So, keep healthy sleeping and eating habits, for that matter.

How I Memorize

Like I mentioned previously, I memorize pretty well and pretty quickly. Refer to my last 3 weeks memorization schedule in my previous posts.

Pretty much, I laid out all my outlines. I reviewed and went over and repeated in my brain 3 times each rule and went over individual sections (around 1-2 pages) at a time. Then, I would try to repeat them outloud and then review if I got the rule right or not. I guess you can do it in your head, but I just liked talking over it out loud. I kept on doing this.

By the last week or so, I would just read the rule over once or not at all, and then recite the rules for the sections. That's how I was about to go thru like 3 to 5 subjects in the day. I would then highlight things on my outline that I missed.

So, that's my approach.

Question: Practicing Essays

"How did you decide which essays to practice on any given day?"

I think I just went thru the Barbri book and did the essays that weren't assigned. I think I did it so I went thru the different subjects. I did practice essays for the subject I was memorizing for that day.

If you are really struggling on a certain subject, I would recommend doing that subject or at least outlining more of those.

A Day in the Life of the Bar

Here is what my scheduled looked like during the bar and other advice I can think of:

MONDAY:
I studied until 12 noon and then relaxed the rest of the day. I went to Vons to buy some lunch items. At around 8:00ish, I packed my cooler for the big day. I took a sleeping pill at 8:30 p.m. and then tried to go to bed.

Whatever you do, DO NOT stay up late on Monday trying to study. Whatever you don't know by 12 noon, you will not learn in time for the bar. Just relax so that you are prepared for 3 tough days. It's WAY better to just take half day off even if you don't feel ready than to try to cram something in because nothing will stick at that point.

TUESDAY-THURSDAY:
I woke up at 6:15 a.m. and ate breakfast. I put ice in my cooler for lunch, and I left my house at around 7:00 a.m. I arrived at approximately 7:35 a.m. I found a nice parking spot under a tree, and then reviewed a few outlines and checklists. I listened to some music after that to relax before the bar.

When I started taking the bar, it wasn't that bad. I just followed my plan: 15 minutes outlining, and 45 minutes writing out the answer. I did the questions in order and did not read all the questions before starting.

Afterward, I drove home where my mom made dinner, ate dinner, and then watched some t.v. and did it all over.

DON'T QUIT:
I've always heard this and believed in this. No matter what happens, don't quit. DO NOT decide for yourself that you will fail. If you walk out and don't go back, you will fail. Let the Bar people decide. I had many friends who thought they failed (they were all ready to take the FEB bar), and they ended up passing. Keep at it. The MBEs were really hard last year, but we all did okay. So, stick with it!

During the Bar

SLEEPING PILLS:
Starting Monday night, I took Tylenol Simply Sleep around 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. every night. I wanted to get a good night's sleep, and I knew I wasn't going to do it otherwise. Since I was driving to the exam site from my parent's house (see past post), I had to wake up at around 6:15 a.m. or so each morning. I tested out the sleeping pill a week before, and it worked out well for me. I went to bed by 9:00 or 9:30 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., the latest each night, and I got a decent night's sleep for the bar. I wasn't too drowsy either.

PACKING LUNCH:
Each night prior to the bar and in the morning before I left, I packed my lunch. I had a Snapple, ready made salad pack from Vons, and a fruit of some sort. I packed some ice in a little cooler and put it in my car. When they let us out for lunch, I went to my car and had my lunch and listened to music. Actually, many other people did the same thing. I highly discourage you from trying to buy lunch, especially on the first day. You don't want to be stressed out worrying about whether or not you have time for lunch or not.

POST-BAR TRIP:
Since I didn't take my post-bar trip until late August, I booked a massage for the day after the bar. It was wonderful! My neck was so tight from all the tension and from hunching over and typing on my computer. It was the best thing I did for myself and after two months of studying, it was worth it!

I really don't have that much specific advice for anyone. Hopefully, you have kept at it, and you will reap the rewards.

If you have any last minute questions or need advice on anything, just post a comment, and I will try to answer it as quick as possible!

Last Minute Shopping

When I had the chance, I went to Target to pick up my bar stuff. Here is what my shopping list comprised of:

1) Ziploc bag (gallon size) to put all the pencils, pens and everything in.
2) Tylenol Simply Sleep: I took these one day about a week before the exam to see what kind of effect it had on me. It didn't make me drowsy, so I was okay.

The night before the bar, I went to Vons and bought their salad as bar lunch.

The Final Few Weeks

I already posted my schedule below. I probably did 1 or maybe 2 Performance Exams during the last few weeks, but I spent the majority of my time memorizing. At this time, I was scoring around 75 to 85% on the practice MBEs, although I did not do any of the Advanced Barbri ones because they were a little bit ridiculous. If you can hit the 70% mark on MBEs, you should be fine. Just keep at it...the end is near.