Bar Exam Preparation

As I attempt to study for my final exam tomorrow, I continually find my mind wandering to the thought of what life will be like and how miserable I am going to be while studying and preparing for the bar exam.  While "studying" I happened upon an article called, Five Tips for Early Bar Exam Prep.


Here are those 5 "tips" and my take on each of them:

1Have You Eliminated All Distractions?
Distractions??? What distractions???  Of course I have eliminated all distractions, except of course for little Nugget, the hubs, blogging, gchat, home improvement projects, tanning . . . and the list continues... 


2 Do You Have a Dedicated Study Space?
Dedicated space for me means securing a study cube in the library and threatening to injure any of those that mess with my "dedicated study space."  That means the 1Ls taking summer classes should probably watch out of my way... the stink eye will be common place if you take my cube!  I suppose I could study at home, but who does that?  I would be distracted and therefore I wouldn't have eliminated all distractions as the first tip suggests that I should!


3 Are Your Finances in Order?
Does this assume that we have money to get in order?  The majority of my fellow classmates are as broke as I am!  So I suppose my finances are easy to get into order since there are none to place in an orderly line!  Furthermore, my wonderful hubs takes care of the bills (I think...) so I'll continue leaving that up to him, at least until after the bar, so that I am sure we have electricity in the house.


4 Have You Arranged to Take Two Months Off From Work?
This has to be a joke!  Two months off from work - what work?  This assumes that we have 'gainful employment' that is 'JD preferred.'  Sure there are some leads out there and sure some of us have a job, but we all have been 'warned' the job market is less than inspiring right now.  Regardless, I  have arranged for my time off, so I guess that means I'm good to start bar studying, even though I would rather work.  I have toyed with the idea of working one or two days a week, but that would cut down on my "me" time that has been so graciously scheduled into my bar study schedule, right along with 'bathroom' time, 'eating' time and 'sleeping' time.  This is going to be the best summer ever!  NOT!


5 Have You Persuaded Your Family and Friends to Support You?
Persuaded friends and family?  How about just demand that they either support you or get out of your way?  That's the approach I took.  So for those of you reading, if you haven't been warned yet, consider yourself warned now.  During the 10 weeks that I will be studying for the test of a lifetime, the test that makes or breaks my future, don't expect to hear from me.  Don't assume that if I haven't called that I am dead - check with the hubs first who should know if I'm alive.  I may be sleeping on a cot in the library or in a chair at MY study cube, but that doesn't mean I am a goner.  Just means I am sleep deprived.  Better than that, if you don't hear from me AFTER I have taken the bar, rest assured - I have just ran away to a secret location where I will be celebrating the end of the studying and the end of the exam, followed by panic and anxiety about the release of the results...


So there you have it folks!  The 5 tips for bar exam preparation.  Not included in those tips are ways to find motivation, ways to keep from falling asleep while listening to BarBri lectures, ways to keep sane, ways to not gain a million pounds while sitting and studying for 10 solid weeks and ways not to be the meanest and most irritable person you have ever met.  If you happen upon those, please let me know... they may actually be more helpful...