The Do’s and Don’ts Of Bar Exam Etiquette

The Do’s and Don’ts Of Bar Exam Etiquette

The easing of coronavirus restrictions and increase in vaccinations is good news when it comes to the bar exam.  While previous administrations of the bar exam have been administered remotely, upcoming administrations will likely take place in person. With upcoming in-person bar exams taking place, we figured now is a good time to review some reminders for taking an in-person exam. After all, it has been some time since we were all in one space together! Here are JD Advising’s reminders for bar exam etiquette.

The Do’s and Don’ts Of Bar Exam Etiquette

Try Not To Talk About Exam Material Beforehand

Everyone is nervous prior to the bar exam. The last thing other applicants want to hear before the exam is another applicant’s thoughts on strict liability. Why? These types of conversations only seek to increase anxiety, stress, and annoyance. Why some applicants feel the need to ask others about legal concepts immediately before the exam will remain a mystery. If you think you’re one of these students, do your best to keep to yourself. Besides, what good is discussing substance going to do anyone right before the test? If you don’t know something before test day, chances are it’s not going to click five minutes before you walk in to take the exam.

Try Not To Talk About Exam Material Afterwards

While this is probably going to fall on deaf ears, hear us out. We know that almost every student discusses the exam in some way after exams have been turned in. Sometimes students feel the need to debrief on that question they weren’t expecting or talk about the question they feel like they aced.  However, consider this. It’s almost guaranteed that someone will have answered differently than you, argued a fact differently, or interpreted a question differently. For someone who may have answered a question differently, discussions about how others performed or approached a question can cause anxiety, frustration, and feelings of hopelessness. This is true not only in-person but also on-line forums where applicants can share thoughts with each other.

 Be Courteous

There’s no denying that rolling out of bed, putting on sweatpants, and opening your laptop is awesome. Remote learning certainly had its benefits! Taking the bar exam without other people around can be a luxury depending on your preferences. However, now that in-person exams are making a come-back, there’s some common courtesy that also needs to be adhered to. For example, things that may have seemed like no big deal during remote exams can be incredibly annoying. Knee tapping, pen clicking, heavy breathing, and arriving late can all be disturbing to other test-takers. So, remember these types of things the next time you take an in-person bar exam. Trust us, the other test-takers will thank you!

• Looking to Pass the Uniform Bar Exam?

  Free or discounted resources

  • A five-star UBE course (for as low as $1399.99!) that provides you with the best instruction, outlines, and questions. Preview our course for free here!
  • Our new Free Bar Exam Resource Center, which includes our most popular free guides, posts, webinars, and more!
  • Free popular bar exam guides (on the MBE, MEE, how to pass the bar exam, and what to do if you failed the bar exam) written by bar exam experts!
  • A free Early Bar Prep Course for law students

  Other resources

  Our most POPULAR and highly rated bar exam resources are:

  • Our On Demand and Premium Bar Exam Courses
  • Bar Exam Private Tutoring by bar exam experts
  • MBE One-Sheets and MEE One-Sheets—rated five stars! Our customers love these supplements!
  • Real MBE questions—the best practice questions available!

  We also have several additional MBE, MEE, and MPT products available.