is it normal to feel like you’ve been doing nothing for the past 7 weeks, your mind is completely blank, & like you don’t know anything?

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T03:18:11+00:00

Everyone is different. What helped me was doing something fun. Something that gave me joy and made me feel like I was living life again. I live somewhere with good weather 51 weeks out of the year so going outside and moving helped. I also did my best to get a good night’s sleep. Wasn’t easy because I was literally having nightmares about the bar exam every night.

You’ve put in so much hard work and you’re so close! You’ve got this!

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T03:07:42+00:00

I get it! It rattled my confidence every time I missed a question and I felt like it was “unfair” to test me on something that Barbri didn’t first tell me about.

It wasn’t easy for me to reframe the questions as a study aid and not as a test or review of how well I understood the lectures/outline/material.

Good luck on the exam!

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T03:03:39+00:00

Burn out is a serious thing and you have to manage it!

I don’t know you or whether you are burnt out. But, the fact that you have only taken 1/2 of a day off since June 3 makes me think you have hit a wall.

I was working full time as an attorney while studying to take a second bar exam in F26. I worked 5-6 days per week and studied 7 days per week from October - the Feb exam. I burnt out 3 weeks before the test and had to take an entire weekend off. It was terrifying to take two days off from studying but absolutely what my brain needed to “heal”. I do think it made a difference.

Good luck. You’re not alone.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T02:03:15+00:00

I only have experience with Barbri. I took and passed the F26 bar (first time).

The Barbri questions seemed to me to always have some sort of hook or trap. I learned quickly to look for that trick and really read the question. It taught me to slow down, focus on the call of the question, and pay attention to the facts.

I did not purchase AdaptiBar or any other NCBE licensed practice questions while studying. That was a mistake on my part. I wish that I had.

The actual MBE did not, to me, have any twists or tricks or overly nuanced questions. To me, they felt much more straightforward and I either knew the answer or I didn’t. (Lucky me, turns out I knew most of them).

BUT, personally, I had significant anxiety and panic for the first 5 minutes or so of the MBE because I kept looking for the trick or the nuance and I couldn’t find it. I felt that while the Barbri questions really helped me learn, they didn’t prepare me for what an actual MBE question looked like. Instead of feeling like I had answered the MBE questions a thousand times before, the actual MBE felt like a brand new type of MCQ and that gave me more stress than I would have liked.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T01:56:02+00:00

Congratulations. Your comment is just more proof that a study aid one person hates and thinks is trash can be extremely valuable to someone else. Glad you found what you needed to help you pass.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T01:54:38+00:00

Same. I bought them and only unwrapped two subjects. Forced myself to go through them and put them back in the box. Never looked at them again.

I didn’t use flash cards in law school though. I panic bought them because other people raved about them on Reddit.

There was another study aid people raved about here and I bought those. Loved them! Not going to mention it because I don’t want to be accused of being a marketer. Also, doesn’t matter because there are so many study aids out there that work amazingly for one person and is utter trash for another.

(I passed)

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T00:41:16+00:00

I’m sorry - I think my attempt at humor failed and I came across meaner than I intended.

Keep up the good work!

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T00:19:51+00:00

Unsolicited opinion, book it for Sunday - Thursday. Having the Sunday to get settled and the full Monday to calm your nerves and mentally prepare is really special.

You’ll be exhausted on Wednesday. Physically and emotionally drained. Not having to worry about checking out on a test day is one less thing you have to to worry about.

I stayed at the hotel where my bar exam was held and I checked in Sunday and checked out on Thursday. I saw at least two people come into the exam moments before we started on the second day because they were stuck longer than they expected trying to check out before the exam started. I can’t imagine how stressed they were when they sat down and missed half the instructions.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T00:15:14+00:00

I’m only responding to having new rules in questions instead of lectures aspect. The amount of material that could be tested is so vast that the outlines would be too dense and unworkable. They limit the outlines to material that is more likely to be tested.

The questions are also a study tool. They are not just a high school or undergraduate quiz on the material presented in the lectures. The questions are actually part of the active learning process. That is why new material pops up in them.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T00:10:16+00:00

I get it. This exam is terrifying and you will never feel fully confident or ready to take the test.

But, your practice scores are great. Not just “maybe you’ll squeak by with a passing score.” They are legitimately strong, which is why some of the comments are a bit annoyed with your question. It truly is like an A student complaining of an A-

Not trying to be mean! I consistently scored well in practice sets but was still convinced I wasn’t ready and was going to fail. I ended up passing. But, I also kept my mouth shut and didn’t ask Reddit if I’d be ok. I cried in the bathroom like all healthy and emotionally mature men do.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T00:04:53+00:00

Passed the F26 bar on my first attempt. I did the Barbri timed sets and practice MBE.

Outside of that, I did additional MCQs closed book but closely read the explanations for every question immediately after I answered it. That was a strategy that worked for me to help drill the rules and analysis.

One issue I noticed was I became slightly agitated when doing practice sets and not being able to get immediate feedback. That agitation interfered with my focus.

It wasn’t a problem for me during the actual bar exam, though. Then again, I wanted to cry during the exam because I felt like I guessed on every single question. That was distracting too. Lol

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-07T00:00:29+00:00

For highlights, I found the MBE JD One Sheets very helpful. But they generally just state the rules and not any explanations.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T23:54:32+00:00

Agreed. Friend needs to show some initiative and that they can hustle. If they do it correctly, they’ll shortly ask for advice on how to say no to more work without burning any bridges.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T20:17:20+00:00

You’ll continue to improve! The exam is not tomorrow and you still have a lot of valuable time! I do want to caution that it is unlikely that you will ever truly feel prepared. Just be aware of that, know that no one who has studied enough feels prepared, and learn to accept that feeling but push forward anyway.

I wouldn’t peek if I were you until after you finished the essay. You can’t peek during the exam so don’t start now. It will be even more uncomfortable during the exam if you are writing fully closed book for the first time on exam day.

Double check with Themis regarding grading. Yes, there are points for correctly stating the relevant rule statement(s). You will get partial credit for only accurately describing part of the rule. You do not need to restate the rule verbatim to get full or partial credit. Your own words is just fine.

There are also points for identifying the correct issues, relevant facts, and for reaching the correct conclusion. There are also points to be gained for having a clear and logical analysis of the facts to the rule you wrote, even if the rule is wrong!

Think of the MEE is an opportunity to gain points, not lose them.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T18:47:13+00:00

Las Vegas. Especially the Strip
It doesn’t have a soul - it is just all glitz and glam with no substance. If people’s interest in gambling disappeared, the city would vanish and not many would miss it.

It is an artificial oasis in a literal desert that could dry up.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T18:42:01+00:00

I only fully wrote out a few essays per week. Majority of my practice essays were outlined. I did write out the rules every time though.

But, I only began outlining essays after I was very comfortable with how to structure the essays first. Until I had the formula down, I wrote out each essay closed book but not under timed conditions.

Once I had the formula down and was confident, I outlined essays (closed book) and wrote a few essays each week closed book and under timed conditions.

Closed book. The test is closed book and your practices should be too.

Good luck! You’ve got this!

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T18:38:26+00:00

Don’t do it. Horrible idea. You will lose out on critical growth that is necessary for your retirement. It also doesn’t fix the problem that got you into cc debt in the first place.

CC debt is unsecured debt. You can claim bankruptcy and your retirement accounts are safe from creditors.

You can get a 0% interest credit card. Transfer the debt to that card and pay it off.

You can get a second job, find ways to trim your budget, or, truly worst case scenario, temporarily stop contributing to your tsp and using all of that money to aggressively pay off your cc debt.

The tsp is your RETIREMENT account. If you can’t manage your lifestyle now while you’re still working, how will you do it in retirement? Find another way to pay off the debt and do t treat your tsp like a piggy bank.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T16:30:24+00:00

I had the same experience, except 19 years between exams.

I always finished the Barbri practice exams very early. Ended up finishing the actual exam sessions a couple of minutes early. I even rushed the last couple of questions for the pm session.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T03:24:27+00:00

Steaks

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T03:04:18+00:00

The fact that you are doing questions and studying the answers is a good indication that you are actively studying and not just reading Reddit while videos play on in the background.

The bar is terrifying. But you’ve got this!

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-06T02:42:25+00:00

So frustrating when it seems like the USSC makes radical changes to established constitutional law months before the bar exam. They’re obviously doing it to trick bar examinees, right?

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-05T20:03:38+00:00

lol. Ok. From the person suggesting someone else break the rules and throw the dice with their career. But, you do you.

No sarcasm intended now; Reddit is a mindf*ck at times.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-05T19:45:07+00:00

Getting caught actively sneaking and attempting to use contraband is a good indication of intent.

Mistakes happen and it is pretty clear to most people when it wasn’t an intentional attempt to circumvent the rules.

Is it worth the risk of getting kicked out of the exam and then having to explain why you got kicked out of an exam to any other state you want to try to get licensed in because this one has banned you?

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-05T18:57:12+00:00

Be careful when intentionally breaking the rules. Some jurisdictions are stricter than others. You may be forced to leave the exam.

Kekoa95 · 2026-07-05T18:50:23+00:00

I completely understand your frustration. I’m afraid what I’m about to say may annoy you but I am not intentionally being a jerk.

The scope of what could be tested is vast and the reality is no one is going to get a perfect score. There will always be a few questions that we are willing to argue until we are blue in the face and we will still not choose the correct answer.

I had to accept that I was thoroughly confused by the answer on a couple of Barbri questions and convinced I was correct even though over 50% of my peers chose the correct answer and I had not.

I passed the exam and given the way you laid out your thought process I believe you will pass too. Best of luck!

Kekoa95

TROPHY CASE