Taking the bar exam? Want to succeed? Here's a few tips from a poor soul that had to take the bar exam in two different states...and taking these tips to heart helped her pass the first time, both times.
1. Understand the distinctions in the law, and understand them well. If you don't understand them, or you think you "sort of" do, make sure you talk to other students or appropriate person. This is especially important for multiple choice.
2. SLEEP. Every night. 8 hours. Your brain needs to process and rest. Its better to get the sleep and feel refreshed instead of cramming that last piece of information in that you won't remember, anyway, because you're too tired.
3. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to be able to train yourself appropriately. Your brain is like a muscle--you probably haven't utilized it ever before like you will in the bar exam, so you need to realize that you actually have to train yourself to absorb more and more information over time.
4. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. If you ARE getting overwhelmed, stop, breathe, think of something else for a few minutes, go for a walk, work out, go to the beach for a short swim!
5. Don't underestimate the bar exam. Just as some of you have to control your tendency to freak out and find it all too much, some of you have to remember that this is big--a lot of money and a lot of wasted time if you do not take it seriously. Study every day, no matter what, for at least a few hours.
6. The biggest fear, of course, is fear of failure. But quit fearing failure if it is driving you to panic (which then will drive you to fail, because you can't think). The reality is-those of us that have taken the bar know that it is incredibly difficult. I don't know a single person that was 100% confident they passed right after they took it. If you fail, we won't look down on you, we know how hard it is --and how easy it could be to slip into panic. Take a breath, know you can do it again and it will not be the end of the world, I promise.
7. FOCUS. Keep your mind on the matter. Make the time you spend studying QUALITY time, as opposed to quantity. I personally would rather study in a focused manner for 2-3 hours than spend 8 hours doing it half-heartedly, wouldn't you?
8. Know, now, that your friends and family, no matter how well-intentioned, do not understand what it means to study for the bar exam. Your girlfriend will be bitter. Your husband will be lonely. Your children will make as many demands, if not more, than they did before. Your friends will not understand why you just can't go out for "one." Prepare them as far in advance as possible...before graduation, even before 3d year starts! "I will not be available for this time period. Do not ask me questions. Do not expect me to understand simple questions like, what do you want for dinner?--because I will be thinking about the constitutional requirements for search and seizure." Reduce your stress by preparing them well in advance--you won't be available, and you mean it!
I think these two following tips helped me immensely in preparing for the bar, because I deliberately kept away from the day to day pressure in the time leading up to the bar exam. I firmly believe that following this advice helped me keep a level head. For these reasons, as another tip, I do not recommend attending a bar review lecture course (except possibly the one, whose name will not be mentioned, that is 2 days in the beginning), but rather listening to the lectures in CD format (because bar review courses is where everyone congregates and obsesses):
9. DO NOT sit and obsess with everyone else about the bar exam (this includes the days of the bar exam).
10. DO NOT compare the amount you study to what others say they are studying. Its irrelevant. The quality of your time and focus, and covering all the material, is what matters.
The key components to success, in a nutshell, are that you learn to focus and avoid distractions, especially those that are emotionally draining/straining.
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