Five Ways to Survive Your First Law School Exams

1. Have a plan. When you plan your time, you can track your progress and keep track of all that you’ve accomplished. It also helps ensure that your studying is balanced and that you’re covering all of your bases before your exam begins. And who doesn’t feel better after crossing things off a to-do list?

2. Exercise. Seriously. During exams you may feel like you don’t have the time to go to the gym, but whether you’re stuck in the library studying or just finished an exam, you will eventually reach a point of emotional and intellectual exhaustion. When that happens, instead of crying, screaming, or bingeing on Netflix for an entire evening, go for a run, take 10 minutes to do yoga, or hit up SoulCycle. You’ll probably feel better afterwards and you’ll definitely sleep better.

3. Get enough sleep. Exams are exhausting and while you may not be able to control the level of exhaustion you feel when studying or taking your exam, you can ensure that you are functional enough to write coherently and use your time productively. Being exhausted can impair your ability to work effectively as much as alcohol, so it’s important to make sure to get enough sleep. You may feel like skimping on sleep will allow you to cram more cases and UCC provisions into your brain, but it will limit your endurance at a time when it is essential that you remain focused and productive for long periods of time.  

4. Indulge in small rewards. You’ll be spending large periods of time in the library during your first set of law school exams, and working seemingly endless hours. While all of that time is important, so is self care, so embrace your inner Tom Haverford and remember to treat yo’ self. You’re working hard, and those small rewards can make it easier to keep going. Whether it’s a bubble bath, a cheeseburger, or 30 minutes of television before you go to sleep, give yourself small rewards along the way, it will help you to feel like all of the hard work is paying off on the days when the exhaustion seems greatest.

5. Trust yourself. When you sit down to take your exam, trust all of the work you’ve put in to prepare. Don’t second guess yourself, and under no circumstances should you question what you wrote on the test after you leave the room. When the exam is over, it’s over, and there’s nothing else you can do about it. So trust that you’ve done everything you can and your hard work will be rewarded, then go celebrate the accomplishment of surviving your first semester of law school and get some rest. It won’t be long before you have to do it all over again.