Exclusive Interview with Brianna Hill—Who Went into Labor During the Bar Exam (and Passed!)

Exclusive Interview with Brianna Hill—Who Went into Labor During the Bar Exam (and Passed!)

Brianna Hill is a bar exam celebrity of sorts! She took the bar exam while in labor, had her baby on day 1 of the bar exam, completed day 2 from the hospital, AND passed the bar exam! Her story appeared on the Today Show, CNN, the New York Times, and multiple other news outlets.

Brianna has great tips on staying calm, focused, and doing one’s best on the bar exam! She recently shared her excellent bar exam advice with JD Advising. You can read her answers in our exclusive interview here.

Exclusive Interview with Brianna Hill—Who Went into Labor During the Bar Exam (and Passed!)

Could you please give us an overview of what happened during your bar exam? 

I sat down to take the test at 11 and I felt my water break at 11:30. I finished the MPT and got up from my computer and realized that my water really had broken. I called my husband and midwife, who assured me I had more time, so I decided to take the MEE portion. After I finished the first day, we went to the hospital where my son was born at 10:10 pm. Then the next morning, the hospital staff had set up an empty room for me to take the MBE alone without any machines in it. I took the first section, my husband brought the baby to me so I could feed him, and then I finished the second section!

What was the morning of the bar exam like for you? 

The first morning I was super anxious, so I got up, got dressed in regular clothes and put on makeup (big believer in dress well test well). But I was also confident that I had put in the work to be successful. The second morning I only had 1.5 hours of sleep the night before and was running on straight adrenaline. I knew I was just going to have to rely on my hard work from the previous months because I had very little thinking capacity. I also was in a “I don’t give a you know what” mood because I knew how insane it was to do what I was doing. But I think that helped me just let go and rely on my preparation.

How did you stay focused on the bar exam when you were in labor? 

What they say about practicing in your testing conditions is real! I had preterm labor so I spent the last portion of bar studying with contractions. I wasn’t 100% focused on the actual day because I could not believe this was happening, but I at least was not distracted by the physical sensations because I had done it before.

Being nine months pregnant is likely not the most comfortable of circumstances under which to take the bar exam. Do you have any tips for examinees to stay comfortable? 

I just recommend finding a good chair you can focus in and making sure you eat/drink enough before so that way your body isn’t distracting you either.

How did you balance studying for the bar exam with everything else you had going on? 

I gave myself a lot of grace and I like to think I would have done the same had I not been pregnant. I took naps, worked out, cooked food, did all the things I could that I love. I knew I would be much more effective at studying if I let myself be a human with different needs on different days.

What tips do you have for examinees on staying calm during the bar exam? 

Trust yourself! Studying for the bar is grueling and sometimes it doesn’t feel like you are making much progress. But if you stay the course and put in the work, you can trust that you are ready.

A lot of examinees will be taking an online bar exam in February. Do you have any advice for them? 

The remote administration is new and can be confusing sometimes. Don’t be afraid to contact the bar examiners and ask clarifying questions about protocols. And just know that this has been a long, hard year and you are more than whatever the test says.