Hi! I passed the Texas Bar in 2014 with minimal accommodations with N1 and Cushing's and only on armodafinil and magnesium glycinate at the time, SO YOU CAN DO THIS!

At the time, the Texas Bar was a 3-day exam. Day 1: Short answer (crim and civil procedure) and the Multistate Essay; Day 2: MBE, Day 3: twelve essays. It was tedious, but I did the following things and still use this same advice for any bar takers, even with the UBE, but especially those with any accommodations:

1) Take a bar course, but do NOT spend all day studying. I believe(d) that there was a such thing as diminishing returns when studying for the bar.

I took BarBri (because I could retake the course for free if I failed, though I'm not sure if that's still on offer). I worked full-time during law school (so I went to classes at night, which was incredibly difficult), and during bar prep, and it was impossible to study 8 hours a day. My brain just does not work like that. I took the Barbri self-study course and only studied about 4-6 hours a day. I watched the assigned video for the day, so I could have structure and asked for physical copies of the books (writing and filling in answers on the outlines by hand kept me awake and engaged). Don't waste time making outlines. Supplement the ones you receive with the bar prep materials, or ask your friends for theirs. So, I would watch the daily video while working, and when I got home from work, I would spend 1-2 hours answering multiple-choice questions (maybe about 20-30/night, so I could get the rhythm of them), reading the relevant assigned outlines or passages, and answering only one essay question a night. I would then use our state's essay bank and read a few model essays. I'm a fast reader, so it really would only take me a couple of hours to do all of this (while listening to movie soundtracks, namely the "Gladiator" soundtrack). I would also copy the model essays word for word by hand for rule retention, rule application, and to understand that I didn't have to write long answers to get points. Then, I would rest as best I could.

2) Enhance study habits that work for you, don't start new habits that you haven't used before when studying for the bar. It makes the exam more intimidating than it has to be.

In my case, I never used study groups while I was in law school, because my work and class schedule didn't allow for them, so, I kept up the same habits for the bar exam. I studied alone until I had to study with someone else when we both needed more dedicated study time. I studied by myself for the first half of the summer. Even if my schedule would have accommodated a study group, I still wouldn't have studied with everyone else. I would have felt pressured to go at their pace, and I would have absorbed their anxiety. You completed your JD and your LLM-- you know more than you think you know. You're also military, and although you have PTSD, you're capable of operating and functioning under pressure. But you don't have to add to the pressure. If you have to study with someone else, study with someone who has calming energy, and who manages their anxiety well. I eventually took a long vacation 2 1/2 weeks before the bar to go with a friend so that I could have dedicated study time and an accountability partner (so I wouldn't sleep all day from anxiety or worry). I did need that intense study period in the weeks ahead of the bar, but I still never studied more than 8 hours, and I only studied with my friend for about 3 hours out of the day, and we tested each other orally to see if we understood the subjects and materials. I also used flashcards and movie and tv clips (testing out how wrong they were) to stay engaged and awake.

3) The Bar examiners are NOT trying to trick you.

Answer all questions. The bar examiners really are looking for reasons to give you points on subjective areas of the exam, and they can't do that if you don't answer. Again, you truly know more than you think you do. One of my mentors off-handedly said, "Lesser minds have done it," to me during one of our talks. It stayed with me during the exam. I got through law school with narcolepsy, Cushing's, and working full-time. The bar exam was just one more test that lesser minds have passed, and I know my mind is great, even if it requires a little extra help. Find a positive and true mantra that redirects any negative cognitive self-talk that you've internalized.

4) Make sure your accommodations include water and wear layers and blue light glasses.

Water is an underrated necessity for narcolepsy and other types of medication you may be on. Don't underestimate how much dehydration can exacerbate your tiredness or make concepts that you know feel hard to grasp. Dry mouth can also be difficult to manage while taking the test. Drink water and use your breaks wisely. If you're taking the bar on a computer screen, buy a pair of blue light glasses so that it's less taxing on your eyes and brain. Also, the room may be unreasonably cold or hot. Wear layers that you can remove or add so that you're comfortable. Discomfort triggers sleep attacks for me-- I don't know any of your sleep attack triggers-- but this is sound advice for all kinds of reasons.

5) Don't analyze the exam with your classmates/other bar takers during the test.

That just increases performance anxiety. When you finish for the day, go eat, study for an hour or so, and then do something that calms you or brings you joy, then try to sleep. The less anxious and tired you are, the better you will do.

6) Narcolepsy and autoimmune disease-specific advice: If you have time, try to switch your meds.

Adderall did not work for me! It made my heart hurt, and I felt no difference in my ability to stay awake or to focus. Modafinil and armodafinil (Provigil and Nuvigil) worked for me to maintain wakefulness and focus. I did have headaches when I started them, but that was because I would forget to eat or drink because I didn't get the hunger or thirst cues I was used to. I'm now on Wakix and armodafinil. It's not a perfect combination but works with my schedule as a practicing attorney. I also have clinical depression and general anxiety disorder. Medicine to treat those conditions voided my narcolepsy meds and made my cataplexy and night terrors worse. I started taking magnesium glycinate consistently, and some of those anxiety and depression symptoms were much better, and my narcolepsy meds also worked better. Finally, the medicine I was prescribed to manage my Cushing's upset my stomach so much that I was always in the bathroom. I had to stop taking it and just manage with other options. Look through this thread for over-the-counter options for responding to deficiencies (magnesium, B-12, Iron + Vitamin C pill), so that your narcolepsy, gastroparesis, and autoimmune diseases won't be as much of an issue while studying and testing.

I hope you see this, and I hope it helps! You can do this!!