318: Quick Tips -- The Final Two-Week Bar Exam Countdown

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! How you spend the final two weeks leading up to the bar exam can make a significant difference in your performance! In this episode, we provide a strategic guide for focusing on high-yield review and mental preparation. We have broken it down into specific daily frameworks, starting with Day 14 and up to the morning of the exam.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The normal stress response before an important exam
• A two-track approach to final preparation
• Daily frameworks for Days 14 through to the morning of the exam

Resources:

• "Listen and Learn" series (https://barexamtoolbox.com/bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-archive-by-topic/bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-explaining-individual-mee-and-california-bar-essay-questions/#listen-learn)
• MBE Success Strategies: How to Beat the Most Challenging Part of the Bar Exam (https://barexamtoolbox.com/mbe-success-strategies-how-to-beat-the-most-challenging-part-of-the-bar-exam/)
• How to Practice Essays in the Final Weeks Before the Bar Exam (https://barexamtoolbox.com/how-to-practice-essays-in-the-final-weeks-before-the-bar-exam/)
• Practice a Full Bar Exam Sessions – Go for the Gold (https://barexamtoolbox.com/practice-a-full-bar-exam-session-go-for-the-gold/)
• Strategic Tips for Unwinding Stress (https://barexamtoolbox.com/strategic-tips-for-unwinding-stress/)

Download the Transcript
(https://barexamtoolbox.com/episode-318-quick-tips-the-final-two-week-bar-exam-countdown/)

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on  Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-pass-bar-exam-less-stress/id1370651486) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Bar Exam Toolbox website (https://barexamtoolbox.com/contact-us/). Finally, if you don't want to miss anything, you can sign up for podcast updates (https://barexamtoolbox.com/get-bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-updates/)!

Thanks for listening!

Alison & Lee

Episode Transcript

Lee Burgess (00:02):
Welcome to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast.
Today we're talking about a criticalmoment in your bar prep journey - those
final two weeks before exam day.
Your Bar Exam Toolbox hosts are AlisonMonaghan and Lee Burgess, that's me.
We're here to demystify the barexam experience so you can study
effectively, stay sane, and hopefullypass and move on with your life.

(00:22):
We're the co-creators of the Law SchoolToolbox, the Bar Exam Toolbox, and the
career-related website CareerDicta.
Alison also runs TheGirl's Guide to Law School.
If you enjoy the show, please leavea review on your favorite listening
app, and check out our sister podcast,the Law School Toolbox podcast.
If you have any questions, don'thesitate to reach out to us.
You can reach us via the contactform on BarExamToolbox.com,

(00:43):
and we'd love to hear from you.
And with that, let's get started.
Welcome to another "Quick Tips" episode.
If you're listening to this and you'rein that two-week countdown to the
bar exam, first take a deep breath.
You've already done the heavy lifting,and now we are in the refinement

(01:05):
stage; not the reinvention stage.
Today, I'm going to walk you through astrategic framework for these final days
that balances critical content reviewwith essential mental preparation, because

here's the truth (01:19):
How you spend these final two weeks can make a significant
difference in your performance, butonly if you approach it intelligently.
So, let's talk about what'shappening in your brain right now.
If you're feeling panic creepingin, that's completely normal.
Your stress response is in overdrive.

(01:40):
You might be tempted to cram aroundthe clock, but here's what cognitive

science tells us (01:45):
Panic studying is actually counterproductive.
When we try to absorb too much newinformation too quickly, we run into
what's called the "forgetting curve",where retention drops dramatically
without proper reinforcement.
What you're likely experiencingright now might be anxiety about
gaps in your knowledge, burnoutfrom months of intensive study, and

(02:07):
imposter syndrome - that feeling thateveryone else knows more than you.
This is where you need to introduce whatI call the "80/20 rule of bar prep".
At this stage, 20% of your effortswill yield 80% of your final progress.
It's about working smarter, not harder.
So, for these final two weeks, I wantyou to think about your preparation

(02:29):
as running on two parallel tracks.
The first track focuses onhigh-yield review, not relearning.
This means:
- Prioritizing heavily tested subjectson both the MBE and the essays;
- Focusing on rule statementsonly - this is memorization time,
not conceptual learning time.

(02:49):
You need to be able to writeout these rules very quickly and
with elements where appropriate.
It is great to havesomeone quiz you on this;
- Emphasizing applicationrather than theory.
You must think about fact patternsthat apply to these rules.
Our "Listen and Learn" episodescan really help with that.
We have a full list of thoseepisodes linked to in the show notes;

(03:13):
- Creating one-page ultimate cheatsheets for each subject with
only the most critical rulesor the rules you struggle with.
To be honest, I always screwedup the insanity defenses when
studying Crim for my bar exam.
They were always on this list.
Your second track is all about gettingyour mind and body ready for game day.

(03:35):
You need to be practicing under timedconditions, but being strategic about it.
You need to be implementing stressmanagement techniques - we'll
talk about some specific ones.
You need to do physical preparation,aligning your sleep schedule with what's
going to be asked of you on exam days.
And environment preparation - youneed to visit the test location

(03:57):
and prepare your supplies.
This two-track approach ensuresthat you're not just cramming
content, but preparing your entiresystem for optimal performance.
So let's break this down intoa specific daily framework:

Days 14 through 10 (04:12):
During this first phase, you are identifying
your specific knowledge gaps.
Conduct three-hour practice sessions - onein the morning, one in the afternoon.
Or consider a different scheduleif you get extended time.
No matter what, try to mimic what yourtesting day is going to look like.

(04:32):
Immediately review youranswers to identify patterns of
error after the full session.
Get used to not checkingyour work as you study.
And spend your evenings on one-hourreviews of heavily tested areas.
Or do this first thing in themorning if that's the best time
you have cognitive retention.
For example, if you notice youconsistently miss questions on hearsay

(04:55):
exceptions, spend your evening slotdrilling those rules using active
recall, not passive re-reading.

Days 9 through 5 (05:03):
Simulated testing conditions.
Now we're building mental endurance.
Conduct morning simulations that mimicactual testing sections, and then use
your afternoons for targeted reviewof your weakest areas and evaluation
of how you did in the morning.
In the evenings, limit yourself tolight review of memorization tools only.

(05:28):
This phase is critical forbuilding your test-taking stamina.
Also consider practicing in a libraryor other public setting to acclimate
to background noise and distractions.

Days 4 through 2 (05:38):
Strategic tapering.
Now we start to ease back.
We reduce to shorter review sessions,like two to three hours maximum.
We increase our emphasis onmental rehearsal techniques.
We practice visualizationexercises for test day scenarios.
Hey, it works for athletes.
Why wouldn't it work for the bar exam?

(06:00):
We focus on memory reinforcementthrough active recall.
Make sure you are getting plenty of sleepand moving your body, and make sure you
have your logistics down for the exam day.
This is like tapering before a marathon.
We are ensuring your mentalenergy is at its peak on exam day.

Now, Day 1 (06:18):
The mental game.
The day before the exam isall about confidence building.
No new material whatsoever.
Light review, at most, of yourpersonal cheat sheets only.
You want to double check your testcenter logistics like directions,
parking, and ID requirements.
You want to establish an eveningroutine for optimal sleep.

(06:42):
And if you are traveling, make sureyou are set up at your location.
Have food and other logisticscompletely figured out.
Leave nothing to the last minute.
Remember, the goal for this day isn't tolearn anything new; it's to build your
confidence and ensure you are well rested.
Now, the night before and themorning of: Let's talk about the
specifics of those final hours.

(07:05):
The night before, I would avoidalcohol completely, as this
can make it hard to sleep.
I would limit screen time.
Blue light affects sleep quality.
Instead, find a good book to read thatwill make you happy and not stressed out.
Prepare everything you'll needfor the morning, and try a gentle
relaxation technique before bed.
It could be a meditation, oryoga, or a breathing exercise.

The morning of (07:29):
Stick to your normal breakfast routine.
Now is not the time to try new foods.
If you are staying in a hotel, considerhaving food you can make in the room.
Don't try to order in.
Arrive at the testing locationearly, but not too early, because
excessive waiting increases anxiety.

(07:49):
Try not to talk to a bunch ofnervous people either - that
doesn't help anything.
Use positive affirmations or visualizationin your final waiting period.
And make sure you go to thebathroom before each section starts.
Now, as we wrap up, I want toremind you of something important.
You've prepared for months, andthese final two weeks are about

(08:10):
refinement, not revelation.
Remember that feeling prepared isdifferent from feeling confident.
Many successful bar takers still feelnervous right up until the exam begins.
That's normal and does notpredict your performance.
The bar exam tests minimumcompetency, not perfection.
You don't need to get everything right;you just need to demonstrate basic

(08:34):
proficiency across the tested subjects.
So, trust your preparation.
You've put in the work and now it's timeto execute your game plan with confidence.
We will also link to a few relatedepisodes in the show notes that
you might also want to check out.
And stay tuned for our upcoming episode,the Post-Bar Recovery Plan, because

(08:55):
what you do after the exam matters too.
If you enjoyed this episode of theBar Exam Toolbox podcast, please
take a second to leave a review andrating on your favorite listening app.
We would really appreciate it.
And be sure to subscribeso you don't miss anything.
If you have any questions or comments,please don't hesitate to reach out to
myself or Alison at [e-mail] [e-mail].

(09:18):
Or you can always contactus via our website contact
form at BarExamToolbox.com.
Thanks for listening, and we'll talk soon!
Good luck on the bar exam!
You've got this.