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Jul. 26th, 2007 10:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vicarz The exam site was the Timonium fairgrounds, which also seem to have a horse race track. We went to the "exhibition hall," a large plain building with a plain concrete floor where we sat at folding tables with folding chairs, 2 to a table at opposite ends facing each other. Each table and seat had a number corresponding to numbers we were sent in the mail weeks before. The setup was as plain as could be, but the temperature was fine, unlike so many horror stories I've heard.
The first day is comprised of 10 25 minute essay questions, and a 90 minute written case-study / assignment performance test. The first half of the first day I was so happy I could hardly stay in my seat. I knew everything, with one minor exception (reckless endangerment charges?) on the MD sections. It was an absolute cakewalk...I was regretting the amount I studied. I was so happy I couldn't wait to hide in a patch behind my car and a tree to shadow box during the lunch break.
The second half of the first day wasn't quite as good. To my dismay and shock, there was ... for the first time in history ... no family law section. To my utter dismay, there was no commercial paper question. I didn't get my lock. However, there was a bizarre MPT on jurisdictional issues for a Tribal Court based on a tribal-council supported commercial transaction between a private land owner in fee simple but land-locked Indian reservation lands involving mineral rights vs. overlapping jurisdiction in Federal District court!? Egads man, wtf was that? I think I hit the core points of the issue and case law, but it was bizarre. The look of panic on everyone else's faces is why I was still confident. The multi-state is my strength, but I was convinced that day I built myself a buffer in case something goes horribly wrong the next day. I left the exam late, intentionally avoiding the crowd. I drove back to my hotel and smelled...pepper. Lots and lots of pepper. I remember an ex doing some errands off of McCormick ... I can't remember what for, but I remember the smell. The exit for my hotel was on or by McCormick Road...yes that McCormick. The next day when I left the hotel the air outside still smelled like pepper. It's a really good smell, but odd in masse.
The 2nd day was the multistate, and was easier than I expected. Before the exam I talked with the girl at my table, and said she was fearful because she forgot to make bulleted sub-headings on the question, not just heading statements. I realized I made the same mistake myself. I shut that out of my mind - no time to dwell. The multistate exam is 100 multiple choice questions in 3 hours, twice. I had some hard questions at the start of the exam, but that was about it. I finished the first half with out 30 minutes to spare and bolted out early to make lunch and recovery longer. I've practiced a lot of these questions, and don't find that reviewing my answers helps me any - my first shot is usually my best. I had parked in the shade, so I just opened up my car and chilled. Unfortunately, when everyone else came out, a group of kids sat under the trees by my car as well. I tried to ignore them, but they were talking about questions on the test. Listening to them, I realized a) they had trouble on the same questions I did, and b) their answers and logic sounded better than what I marked on my exam. Oops. Only 3 of 100 - I didn't let it get to me, but it was amusing. I tried to jump rope to clear my head (one of the benefits of age is a diminishing amount of shame or giving a rat's caboose what anyone thinks of you) and the jumprope broke.
So much mental energy spent on logistics. All these kids would get up to pee during the exam...why would you plan so poorly as to have to perform a bodily function during a timed test? I timed every bite of food, everything to drink, every stretch before the exam, had clothes to cover every scenario from 0-100 Celsius.
2nd half of the second day was just blowing through the questions - not always knowing the answer, but being able to narrow most down to 2 good choices. I kept waiting for the hard part. It seems the PMBR questions and advanced barbri questions were harder to read, follow, and used finer distinctions than these questions - or I failed to recognize the issues and bombed horribly. I didn't suffer much fatigue, and finished the 2nd 3 hour session in about 2 hours and change. I was so far ahead on the last 20 I tried to slow down. I wasn't the only one though, about 20% of the place cleared out very early in the 2nd half. I had heard that usually the 2nd half was hard on purpose, to lower scores based on idiots who ate large lunches and fatigue. It wasn't the case this time. I finished and left - no one to slap high fives with or say good or bad things. Just got in my car and drove the long drive home. Didn't feel relieved, not really happy, not really sad. Numb perhaps.
Unlike most bar takers, I am confident that I passed. You won't hear that from many people, and I have no way to know if that is true or not...hell being confident is usually just a sign that you failed to recognize the issues you were supposed to address, but I'm used to testing and doing well. I won't know until November 2.
What I don't know is how I feel now. I reported to work , but have discovered my brain is still bye-bye. I can't stand listening to my coworkers whine and bicker right now. I just want to...I don't know what. Relax. Work out. Shop. No food sounds filling right now. I don't know what I want, but that's not important. I know what I am going to do - simple things. Today I hit the gym, weights and upper body, on the way home. Tonight I hit Chronos. There is a chance I'll be in a cheap white wife-beater with the magic marker words "no talky."
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Date: 2007-07-26 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 02:46 pm (UTC)I have this funny thing I do after accomplishing something...I tend to crash rather than celebrate. Not sure why. I just need a bit to recover - good advice you give, but I'm going to reacclimate to this place first. I have plenty of time to recover.
Asia yes! Maybe this weekend sometime? Next?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 03:21 pm (UTC)Will you at least party when you've passed? There has to be a moment when you can feel finished and happy, hasn't there?
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Date: 2007-07-26 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 03:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 03:33 pm (UTC)Good god...we've talked about it so long...to actually do it!? Will it feel like having first-time sex at the prom? No? Didn't think so...
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Date: 2007-07-26 03:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 03:32 pm (UTC)I do the same...I think it is the letdown after all that hard work, and then suddenly there's...nothing.
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Date: 2007-07-26 03:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 04:49 pm (UTC)The night my bar exam concluded, I drove home, stopping by the comic book shop on the way, and then took a long bath (strangely not enjoying it that much).
The next day, I woke up bright and early, and did the pre-purchase walk-through for the condo I now own. I closed on that Friday.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 09:05 pm (UTC)