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.