Done, With a Side of Done.

I have officially survived the Bar exam. I am so excited to finally be able to enjoy summer, relax, and move on with my life.  

I will post a little about the entire experience, and I swear this will be my only bar exam post until the results come out.  I refuse to let this test consume any more time in my life than it already has. 

Studying for the exam was a marathon. In June, I studied from about 8-6 every day.  Starting July, I studied about 14-17 hours a day.  I'm a note card person, so I made over a thousand flashcards to help me learn it.  I soon realized that no one could possibly get through that many cards, so consolidated it to about 200. 

pup helping me studying.

I went over these notecards every day for weeks.  We would take three to four hour walks (yes, in this gruesome heat) just to get out of the house.  We would talk out our notecards and come up with acronyms to help remember everything.  We ended up walking so much I had to buy new tennis shoes and socks. 

Pup loved these extra-long walks and has become a master squirrel hunter these past few weeks. We took different paths for a change of scenery and the walking really relieved stress.  Sometimes, these walks ended at Orange Leaf, with notecards still in tow. 

FYI: Orange Leaf has a frequent buyer card now that is 10% off. You're welcome for sharing.

At one low point on a Friday night, we made brownies, mixed them with ice cream, pulled out jenga and played a modified jenga where whoever missed the multiple choice questions had to remove the block.  Seriously.

On Monday I lost it.  The idea of packing up my stuff and driving to Louisville to actually take the test that I'd been studying for all summer without breaks was daunting. Once I got to Louisville, it was better.  I was able to relax and get some sleep.  

I woke up on Tuesday and took the essay portion.  I was terrified that there would be an essay were I had no idea where they were asking. Luckily, that never happened.  Yes, there were a few questions that I wasn't 100% confident in my analysis, but at least I was able to throw out the general phrases they were looking for. Overall, I think BarBri did a good job preparing me for the essays. 


Wednesday was the multiple choice portion (MBE) of the exam.  For those unfamiliar, the MBE is unlike any other multiple choice I've ever taken in that there are multiple correct answers, and it is your job to pick out the "most" correct/relevant answer. It's extremely frustrating in that it often ends up as a judgment call. A few of the questions were almost identical to BarBri questions, which was very helpful, especially because I had missed the practice problem and could remember the correct answer.  Some of the questions I had never seen the relevant law before (like the random zoning law question).  


Now for the dreaded question that everyone asks: "How do you think it went?" Honestly, I have no idea.  Will I be shocked if I passed? No. Will I be shocked if I fail? No. It's just so difficult to predict how I did on the multiple choice, which questions were practice/throw out questions, and how much they will scale the exam.  Right now, I'm just thrilled to say that I have survived. 

Came home to the sweetest husband ever. I hope he's right :)

Now, the eight week wait for the results begins.  I have a lot to keep me busy these next few weeks.  I have tons of back-posts about the house (yes, it is mostly remodeled and I swear I'll do the posts soon); I'm having surgery next week; C's brother and his family are coming in from Germany next week as well; we're going to Seattle and Alaska the week after that; UK football starts; C's sister, brother-in-law and adorable baby are staying with us at the end of August; we're heading to Tennessee for labor day; and finally the following week I start my big-girl/this-law-degree-actually-may-pay-off legal career.  

Sweesh.  Be ready for some excitement (finally) from this little blog.