If only someone had told me...

The first time I took the CalBar, I think I vibrated for the entire two months I studied with nerves. I didn't know what to expect in terms of parking, food, would I even be able to focus for 3 entire days? Who's advice should I follow? Should I not study at all the Monday before the test? Should I not study anything during the evenings of the test? Augh! So here is some stuff that I've found works for me, and some odds and ends of information that I *really* wish someone had told me.

1) You can take a pillow (not in the pillowcase) in to the exam with you - might be helpful in case your arse starts to get numb. I always bring one, just in case.

2) Wear lots of layers - they like to keep the testing room freezing like a morgue. If you wear a hooded sweatshirt, you can't put the hood on your head. If you do, your proctor will slide a note in front of you, interrupting your writing, telling you to 'REMOVE YOUR HOOD IMMEDIATELY'. Trust me, it will happen. So don't wear anything on your head. But you can strip down if you get too hot, so I'd err on the side of wearing too much, because I'm miserable if I'm too cold and can't think properly because I'm shivering.

3) Keep your earplugs in when you leave the test site. Here's why: last summer, I walked out and heard everyone talking about this 'exception' that I'd never even heard of and hadn't used on one of the essays. You don't need to go through that sort of trauma. Just leave in your earplugs to help drone out any thing like that, because there's NO sense in freaking out - it's done, and you need to relax during the lunch break so you can come in to the afternoon session fresh and focused.

4) If you take a lunch and eat it in your car, keep the windows rolled up, because I can guarantee that there will be people also eating lunch in their cars right next to yours, dissecting the exam, piece by piece. Talk about a way to ruin one's appetite. So just leave the windows rolled up, listen to your ipod, or go find someplace quiet to eat.

5) Don't drink too much during lunch - or drink it all at the beginning of the lunch break. You don't want to just get started on the afternoon session and have to go pee - it just breaks your concentration.

6) During lunch breaks, they lock the doors and don't let you back in until about 15-20 minutes before the next session starts. This is important because this inevitably includes the area where the bathrooms are. If you are sweet, the bouncer-proctors will let you in to run in to the bathroom, but then you have to immediately run back outside.

7) Don't eat anything too heavy for lunch. I ate a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, with a granola bar. The peanut butter helps carry me through the afternoon, and the sandwich didn't make me want to pass out like eating a pasta salad would.

8) Take a hard candy or something small that you can fit in your pocket. This is useful because I noticed that during the MBE, right around questions #40 and #140, I start to lose focus - so I go to the bathroom, splash a little water on my face, and while I'm in the bathroom stall, quickly unwrap the candy and slip it into my mouth. I'd be too nervous about time & the proctors catching me to consume anything else more substantial.

9) People tell you not to study the night before or the nights of the exam. I did. It's not serious studying, but it's looking over a few things, like MBE tips or looking over short outlines for my more problematic areas. It helped me relax because I couldn't just sit there - I had to feel like I was doing something productive.

10) Eat breakfast every morning. I ate oatmeal and a banana for breakfast every morning, and I didn't get hungry. And if you do, use it to your advantage - at least you're not falling asleep because you ate too much!

11) Be prepared to have to get fingerprinted and give a handwriting sample. It sucks, because you don't want to have to write any more than absolutely necessary, but it's required.

12) For each test session, you have to write some information (your exam number, etc) on a big envelope into which you slide your answers. DON'T WRITE ON THIS BEFORE THEY TELL YOU TO. If you do and a proctor sees you, that can be grounds for kicking you out of the exam. Stupid, yes, but just play the game.

13) About 15 minutes before the exam starts, the main proctor will read a bunch of instructions that most people just zone out to. They also tell you when to write your exam number and other information, though, so I would suggest paying attention and only going to the bathroom if you have to.

14) Unless you're seated next to someone you know, I wouldn't strike up a conversation. Invariably, the person will either be a complete know-it-all and leave you feeling less than confident, or they will be completely freaking out, and you don't want to deal with anyone else's nervous energy. Also there will inevitably be the guy who wants to talk about what you think will show up on the essays and the PT's...this guy won't be able to 'take a hint', so just ignore him. And, well, if you are that guy, just don't.

15) The proctors: there are what seems like hundreds of them. They wander in between the rows, in front and behind you, while you are taking the test. What's worse is that the floor is inevitably squeaky, so you can hear them comin' and goin'. It's really obnoxious. But now you know, so do everything you can to just zone them out.

16) You will hear people sliding their chairs in and out during the entire test. Because they clump so many people together in one big, fat room, and put everyone in those cheap metal folding chairs, there is soooo much squeaking. So if for no other reason than that, bring earplugs. And if you're at Ontario, beware that you're so close to the airport that you'll hear airplanes taking off - only it will sort of sound like thunder.