If you haven't done so already, go on over to Facebook and post "I finished the bar." I know my Texas and Cali folks have one day left and they're in my prayers.
I wonder if I'm going to get this reminiscent feeling each time the bar rolls around or if I experienced it this time because I'm a noob? I remember my bar experience like it was yesterday. Yes I'm about to share a few things from my bar experience.
I don't usually get test anxiety because I'm pretty good at taking standardized tests. There was something about the bar that gave me an anxious feeling. I thought about all the long days of prepping and I just wanted that shit to pay off. I finished the first 2 sessions within a minute of the time allotted and wondered how I would get thru the second day. That struggle was SOOOO real! The first night I could barely sleep because I went back over my notes and realized I had gotten a few questions wrong. Big mistake.
I walked out at the end of the second day not knowing how I did. I wanted a drink tho. I just hoped I passed because I could not see myself surviving a second go-round. I remembered the law I made up on the essays and the MBE questions I just Christmas Tree'd because I didn't know the answer. I prayed throughout the entire test and made so many deals with God I'm still working on honoring my word. I've never prayed so hard in my life! I had so many plans for things to do after I finished the bar & I only accomplished 2 things: Get drunk & sleep. Those are the only 2 things that matter right? Did you have a similar experience? Cool story.
Here are 5 things you can expect to experience over the course of the next few months.
1. Remembering the Questions You Struggled with. You're going to spend time kicking yourself over the questions that gave you a hard time. Thats normal. The questions I *think* I missed were the questions that plagued me the most. I don't even KNOW if I really missed them. I know I misstated the elements of false imprisonment in my essay and that haunted me. After I passed, I realized I wasn't giving myself credit for the questions I answered easily.
2. Getting Asked "How did the bar go?" People are going to ask. You will get annoyed. You can smile and say "It went" and people will follow up with "So do you think you passed?" Just take deep breaths and remember unless you live in DC everyone is not a lawyer so they don't understand what you just went thru. Tell them you're not sure and you will be sure to share your results when you get them. Then, change the phuckin subject.
3. Wonder Whether You Did "Enough?" You're gonna think about those nights you were on Twitter when you should have been reviewing. You're gonna think about the dates you went on with your significant other and feel bad for wondering if you should have gone on the date. You're gonna think about the nights you called it quits early. This one will drive you nuts. Celebrate your progress. Just visualize yourself posting "I passed the bar" on Facebook.
4. Catch Up. Catch up on your bar application and make sure that is up to date so once you DO pass you can get sworn in asaptually. Catch up with your family and friends as they have most likely felt neglected. Catch up on your reading list, politics, fav tv shows, laundry and whatever else tickles your fancy. Catch up on resting your body. You're going to be in bar mode for a few days even though you're probably feeling exhausted. Give yourself a few days where you don't wake up to an alarm.
5. Enjoy this time. For many of you this is the first time you haven't had to do anything school related. Celebrate! Enjoy the time off. Take pleasure in the whole experience of not having to go to class or answer to a professor. Its an awesome feeling. If you don't already have a job, find a way to get paid doing what you love. Find some peace of mind because its gonna be time for results before you know it.
So what if you think you failed? So phuckin WHAT? Fact is, the test is over and you have to move on. You can't call the board of bar examiners & say "Aye check this out I know I got question 74 wrong. I selected D when I KNEW it was C. Can y'all look out for me and change that?" Dwelling on what you may have done wrong is putting a down payment on a problem you may never have: retaking the bar. Even if you have to retake it, it is not the end of the world. Cross that bridge when you get there. The bar is not a one trick beast, if you don't tame it the first time go back in the paint and try again. A setback is a setup...well you know.
Realize you did what you needed to do. If you didn't do all the work or if you didn't stay focused the whole time you're gonna get a little anxiety. That is normal. The last 2 weeks of prep I went totally off of the study plan and that was a source of anxiety for me after the bar. I kept asking myself, "Who the hell do you think you are?" All of the anxiety and relief you're feeling right now is normal. If you can, ease back into the real world. You're like the cousin who just got out of the joint LOL!
Twitter: @LegallyRatchet1
Facebook: Talented Generation
Email: TalentedGeneration@gmail.com
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