In July of 2007 my husband took the Illinois bar exam. (We had just kind of sort of started showing interest in each other.)
In July of 2008 I took the Illinois bar exam. (We were firmly and seriously dating at this time.)
We both passed. Neither of us are experts on the bar exam itself, not one teeny tiny bit, but I suppose we each have a bit of perspective on the time leading up to the exam and waiting for results, after each going through it ourselves and then watching/supporting the other through their own little personal nightmare of the exam.
I’ve written all about the bar exam in years past. Most aptly at this point in time, some tips for a current examinee the week of the actual bad boy. Perhaps a bit late for this year, but tips for loved ones of a bar examinee. For future reference, I once talked about the fun fun day when results come out and all the hysteria that follows. Then of course there is my post that I didn’t even write myself (and of course disclosed that I didn’t write it myself) in which I shared a few bar exam jokes. Don’t worry, unless you have taken a bar exam that post will not be remotely funny. If you have taken a bar exam you will probably laugh really hard, unless you don’t care for profanity, and in that case, well, shit out of luck I suppose.
The only reason I link back to these is that I’ve been made aware that the posts are making the rounds of the current examinees. I can only assume they are enjoying them because I’m averaging an email or tweet a day from someone saying “So my friend from law school linked to your blog on Facebook today…” and more than half my current search engine traffic is coming in the form of the following types of searches:
Bar exam, funny
I think I’m going to fail the bar exam
Help for the Illinois bar exam
Bar exam, I’m dying
Oh sweetie. I know. It is awful but the good news is that you are in the home stretch. So to reiterate points from posts past:
- You can not and will not know it all. Neither does anyone else. You need a C, not an A to pass.
- It is almost over and no matter what happens to you on Tuesday or Wednesday, Thursday will still arrive as scheduled. I promise.
- Your wrist will hurt if you hand write. Milk it for all it is worth.
- Don’t get your wallet stolen when you are out celebrating/drinking/sobbing when it all ends. No really, I speak from experience.
- Don’t take your cell phone to the exam.
- I’m not kidding, don’t take your cell phone.
- You know the urban legend of the person whose Mom calls with 10 minutes left the second day and their phone rings and they get automatically failed? IT ISN’T AN URBAN LEGEND. Don’t take your phone.
- No one really followed the Bar/Bri outline 100% the entire time and if they say they do they are lying. I promise.
- Same goes for people who claim to completely understand federal tax, commercial paper and secured transactions. They do not. They are just psyching you out. It will probably work.
- Remember that thing I said about the cell phone? I meant it. Don’t take it.
