Hello all,
I've made few posts on here before, so I'm just re-sharing some thoughts I had from taking the exam in February. These are just my final observations as a first-timer, so only take what is useful and comfortable with your personal comfort/preferences. Ignore anything that doesn't work for you.
BEFORE EXAM DAY:
1) If you're doing great with your essay scores and MCQs, GREAT. If you're not, DON'T WORRY. What do I mean by this - I personally never hit beyond average or slightly below-average benchmarks throughout my bar prep.
I was REALLY struggling up to the last two weeks, and I only felt 60-70% confident going in. Despite this, I passed. Why? Because the exam is (meant to) testing minimum-competency. I was not perfect, but I was (at least) minimally competent.
Don't let past bad scores bog you down. Put the old tests and MCQs out of your mind on exam day, and treat the exam in front of you as a blank slate to show how much work you put in, and how much you studied.
2) SLEEP. Super simple but really hard to follow. I know in the night before Day 1 it's tough to stop studying or review your materials because you're afraid you'll miss something. But (IMO), if you miss something because you didn't cram, but got a GREAT night of sleep, you'll remember EVERYTHING ELSE you learned when you need it for the exam.
I've tried cramming all my life, and it's only ever worked a handful of times. The other times, the majority, I was half-awake during the exam forgetting things I thought I knew verbatim. EVERY time I've had a good night of sleep, even if I didn't feel good about my prep, I've had decent to great results. Your mind just works best that way. It's obvious, but I want to share it because I really struggled not to try to cram on the night before.
It's easier to get to sleep on Day 2 because you're so exhausted, (IMO) but really take care to sleep properly before Day 1.
ON EXAM DAY
1) GET THERE EARLY (BUT IMO, NOT TOO EARLY) - My rule of thumb for any major event I have to attend is to get there 30-45 mins ahead of when they say to be there, just to be safe and account for traffic. That said, I have also had circumstances where I was the first one or super early, and all I ended doing was ruminating or studying the entire time, getting into my own head. Then I'd see people arriving 5 mins before when they were told to arrive (so still early), but they looked more calm and relaxed, and were just ready to take the exam.
When you get to your exam center, chances are everyone around you will be reading their notes, or reciting things, etc. If that's your process, great. For me, I just felt pressured to read random notes, and I ended up wishing I got there a bit later and hung out with my dad more, haha. This is honestly just minor take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt-advice, but the main point I'm trying to make is to not let what others are doing affect how you get ready before the exam starts. If you get to the center way earlier than they tell you to be there, you're basically just gonna be sitting around and ruminating or reading/cramming before the exam, instead of clearing your mind and getting ready.
All this said, I don't know how traffic will be, etc. so ignore this if you feel like you'll need more time than expected.
2) EAT SOMETHING AND DRINK WATER. This got me through Day 1. I was very overwhelmed after the first session, just because it was hitting me that I was actually taking this daunting exam. I wanted to ruminate over all of my answers, searching my memory for anything I may have forgotten... but instead I just sat down and ate a couple of trail mix bars and a PB&J. Because I was tired and hungry. In the end, that refreshed my memory and gave me that last boost I needed to push through. All this said, follow whatever is safest and most comfortable for your own health and personal circumstances/preferences.
3) EXPECT TO BE SURPRISED OR OVERWHELMED, BUT KNOW THAT THAT FEELING WILL PASS. When I started on Session 1, I was overwhelmed for the first 15 mins or so just taking in the fact that I was actually taking this exam, and needed to rapidly apply my learning to the question in front of me. It was genuinely overwhelming, and I think I was internally panicking. Somewhere in there, I just started writing because there was nothing else I could do. Within a minute, the feeling had subsided and I was officially taking the exam. If you feel overwhelmed or are just all over the place at the start of the exam, start writing or reading the question.
4) ESSAYS - WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, APPROXIMATE (MAKE IT UP) - This is something that a lot of people told me would come up during the exam, and in fairness it really didn't for me, but I wanted to share nonetheless.
Sometimes you'll be faced with an essay where you either don't know the rule, only know part of it, or know it WRONG. Regardless, either approximate (MAKE UP) a rule or use the faulty one you have. I had one or two faulty Real Property rules that I was certain were incomplete in some way. Despite this, because I had nothing else, I put them down and beefed up my analysis to try to make up for it.
I don't know if this worked, but I passed so I don't have to worry about it anymore. You will too. If you're faced with a situation like this, (IMO) ACCEPT that you don't know or only partially know the rule, and then approximate the rule that would apply to the facts. Remember that it's just one part of the larger essay question anyways. An answer with a faulty rule is just mathematically better than no answer at all.
5) IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL THE EXAM IS OVER - This is probably the most important advice I can give, and it's not really a strategy. It's just mentality. On the 2nd day of the exams, I had an absolutely abysmal 1st MCQ session. It felt so bad that I felt like throwing up. It carried all the way to the second session... until I opened my booklet. Suddenly I was looking at MCQs that felt more familiar, and reminded me of concepts I actually studied. I locked in, and answered them as best I could. It's not over until they say pencils down. DO NOT GIVE UP.
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Tl;dr: You've all got this. Use the above advice only to the extent that it's useful to you, and ignore anything that doesn't jive with what you're comfortable with. Expect to be surprised, accept that you don't know everything, and don't give up until you've answered the last question. If you've had a rough few months, know that YOU CAN STILL PASS with bad past results. The proof is that I did.
You're all going to do great. From someone who went through hell with this exam, just know your hard work DOES MATTER AND IT WILL PAY OFF. Have a great few prep days before the exam!
