Is A Four Hour Time Good Enough To Pass The Bar?

Everyone says it's a marathon, not a sprint and therefore you should pace yourself. But what exactly does that mean? I understand that means you shouldn't go so fast that you burn yourself out but doesn't it also mean that you have to be at the pace where you're not going too slow? And isn't that the bigger fear, the fear that you're going too slow, not that you're going too fast. How do I know that I'm going at a 1o minute a mile pace when I should be going at an 8 minute a mile pace? Is the right pace simply the one where you're completing all the tasks of your bar prep program right on schedule? Not doing less than scheduled because that would be too slow and not doing more than scheduled because that would be too fast? Or is there something more to it?

Anyway, the following is a post over at P.A.S.S. The Bar Exam regarding burn out.

I see how some people have just had it. Others want even more time to pull it all together. Either way, it's cool. Give yourself a break. It's normal. It's very personal. And, bottom line, either way, you have no choice. You are taking this exam on July 25, 26, and 27, and YOU are going to pass! Done deal. No options. No way around it. You'll go in then, and do your best.

So, how do you get through until then? A couple of thoughts. 1) Exercise. Most people are stressed, quite normally so. The best way to burn off the excess stress is to burn it out, with exercise. 2) Pace yourself. Take breaks. Remember even during the bar, you get close to a 2 hour lunch break between the morning and afternoon sessions. So, feel free to take long lunches now, each day. Stop fully and relax. Then get back into it. And, when you've put in a full day of studying, take off at night to relax before you get a good night's sleep. And, make sure to get a good night's sleep, each and every night. 3) Last, but not least, get comfortable with "practice test days." One way of coping with the actual exam is to walk in with a "been there, done that" --attitude. You've been writing practice exams all summer. Those days, tell yourself, "This is just another practice exam." Do your best. You can handle it. I know you can!

Above all, be kind to yourself. This IS one of the hardest times in your life, one of the steepest mountains you will ever have to climb. The good news is, once you get through, it's a lifetime license.