Are you a law student who is freaked out about having to take the July bar exam? Or are you a
repeat bar exam taker who is on the study 14 hours per day and then crash and burn cycle?
One of the biggest mistakes bar exam takers make is not managing their stress levels in the
days leading up to the bar exam. Maybe you don’t know how to manage your stress so you
sweep it under the rug. Maybe you study long hours and then turn to Netflix and TikTok videos
as a form of relief. Maybe you’ve been taught to plow through the discomfort.
If you don’t manage your bar exam related stress and anxiety, you may waste precious bar prep
time and energy only to find out later you failed the bar exam because you were paralyzed by
fear on bar exam day.
Unfortunately, the first time I took the bar exam, I allowed my stress to get between me and a
passing score. I spent long hours in the library and did not find ways to manage my bar exam
induced stress and anxiety. I swept it under the rug because I didn’t know how to do things
differently. My idea of self-care was going home to watch a TV show at night.
All throughout, I was freaked out by the amount of material I had to cover and the lack of time.
As the bar exam got closer, my stress levels were at an all-time high. All in all, I did not manage
my high levels of stress during the weeks of bar prep and paid the price in the end.
The point of sharing my story is to help you see the importance of proactively managing your
anxiety and stress levels in the weeks of bar prep. As you know, high anxiety and stress don’t
magically disappear as the bar exam gets closer and much less the morning of the bar exam.
I learned the hard way that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can do bar prep differently. You
can proactively manage your stress and anxiety levels and doing so has massive benefits. For
one, you will stop procrastinating. When you aren’t freaked out about the bar exam, you will be
motivated to study day in and day out. And more importantly, when you do sit down to study,
you will absorb the material better when you are in a calm state. You will be alert and able to
think critically. When you aren’t stressed out about the bar exam, you get MOMENTUM. And
when you get momentum and see your progress, you stop doubting in your ability to pass. And
when you stop doubting in your ability to pass, you sleep the night before the bar exam and not
cry. Overall, you feel CALM and CONFIDENT going into two days of intense testing. And when
you are calm and confident on bar exam day, the sky is the limit when it comes to your score!
One thing you can do to manage your stress and anxiety levels is to incorporate the practice of
yoga into your bar prep schedule. Yoga is not something you do because it’s trendy and yoga
clothes are cute. Yoga is a practice that helps you regulate your nervous system through
breathing and movement. Another thing you can do is meditate. Nowadays, you can easily find
meditation apps and YouTube videos with guided meditations. Check out Headspace.
I can hear you saying, “I’m not a yoga/meditation kind of person” to which I say, you are also
not the kind of person who takes a bar exam every day. Extreme circumstances, require
extreme measures. This is a special exam that will require a special kind of stress management
routine.
You may also be thinking, “I don’t have time to do yoga and meditate! I have to study!” Yoga
and meditation may take 30 minutes out of your day but it’s time well spent. It’s better than
failing the bar exam year after year because you were stressed out and anxious. Think about
how much time you’ve lost sweeping your bar exam related stress and anxiety under the rug
and not passing. Think about how much time you waste scrolling mindlessly on TikTok and
Instagram.
You have a choice. Will you waste precious weeks of bar prep time not actively managing your
stress and anxiety levels?
OR
Will you step into the next level version of yourself TODAY? The version who proactively
manages her stress and anxiety by incorporating the practice of yoga and meditation.
Either way, the bar exam will happen in July but only one of these will allow you to get the most
out of your bar exam journey and lead to the results you want in the end. Try it. You may even
find yourself living your best bar prep life!
To register for my free LIVE Training, How to Finally Pass the Bar Exam, use this link.
