As the Exam Approaches…

Two weeks until the exam…

By about two weeks from the exam, you should be finished with all of the PMBR MBE questions. Do not do any more. Use this time to work on state specific essays or the MEE essays, whichever or both (like Rhode Island) you will face, and the MPT if your state(s) use it.

Two days before the exam…

Stop! You are done. You cannot learn any more. Relax. Review a little each day those subjects you might feel week with. But don’t force it.

Night before the exam…

The night before each day of the bar exam, I stayed in a hotel attached to the testing center. In the morning, you simply don’t need the added stress of driving, parking, and arriving on time. I could tell you horror stories that others shared with me. I won’t. I enjoyed a leisurely morning and a nap at the afternoon break. At night, I enjoyed a nice meal, rented an overpriced hotel movie, and slept in one of those Westin Comfort Beds.

I brought with me to the hotel the files I created for each subject. In each file were my MBE legal pads and the documents I created containing the rules from the BARBRI essays. Before I left for the hotel, I removed my outlines from those files. It was too late to read them. Whatever value I was going to get from outlining I got. All I needed were those legal pads and a list of rules. Even then, I needed them like Linus needed his blanket because I didn’t use them. I watched movies, drank a beer, and slept. I suggest you do the same. Sometimes, less is more.