I figure since law school and, more specifically, studying for the PA + NJ bar exams has been the bane of my existence for the last three years, I should write up a "trip report" of my trials and tribulations of taking these two incredibly difficult and completely tiring / draining / frustrating exams. A little bit of a disclaimer: this will probably wind up being long. As I sit here right now, I have already consumed 5 very large Tanqueray and Tonics with little food, and I'm happily working on my 6th. A bit tipsy, I'm surprised I'm still awake at 3:06a, considering I woke up at 5:55a earlier today. I will attempt, to the best of my ability, to break this up into sections to that it's somewhat easier to digest, but who knows how this drunken stupor will turn out. The Bar Exam Basically, almost every state's bar exam is broken up into two days: the essay day (which is state-law specific), and the 200 question multiple choice day (national law, ie - NOT state specific). Since I am taking two bar exams at once, I have three days of testing. One day is centered on PA's essays, one day for the multiple choice Q's (hereinafter referred to as "MBE Day"), and one day for NJ's essays. Three days in a row, roughly 7 hours per day. Yummy. Monday - The Trip to Valley Forge, PA Since I started on Tuesday, 07/26/05, with the PA essays, I had to drive to Valley Forge on Monday. The day just started off shitty. Since I was taking the PA essays via laptop, I had to buy a USB floppy drive. (Apparently, laptops don't come equipped w/ floppy drives anymore.) As usual, I waited until the day before the exam to get what I needed. I drove to my nearest computer store (CompUSA) and found that they only offered ONE brand of USB FD: a Sony for $53. I asked the kid working there: "$53 for a USB Floppy Drive?" "I know right? It's kind of ridiculous considering they are almost non-existent." "Thanks." "You should try Best Buy." I didn't have time to go to another store, let alone BEST BUY. I needed to get to Valley Forge to look over more PA corporate law. I bought the USB FD and got on the road. Here we go... If you 've never been to Valley Forge, it's a veritable hub in Pennsylvania. The area is covered in expressways, freeways, highways, on ramps and off ramps. It's just a fucking mess. I had printed out directions via MapQuest, and my goal was to get to my hotel and get back and forth to the testing site. I should have known better. I rented a room for two nights at the Motel 6. At $60 a night, I couldn't beat it. Besides, the area was packed w/ bar examinees (1700 applicants reporting to Valley Forge!), and this was just about the only thing I could get into. I was pleasantly surprised - it definitely wasn't as bad as I imagined. The bathroom sparkled (a huge plus) and the air conditioner was on when I walked in the door. There was a nice sized desk for last minute cramming, and it even had a TV w/ cable! I unpacked, studied for about 6 or 7 hours, and called it a night. I popped three Tylenol PMs to ensure a good night's rest - got in bed by 10pm and called my girlfriend. So far, so good. Everything was going as planned, and "legal" confidence level felt high. Tuesday / Day One: PA ESSAYS The morning was a shitty mess. I stumbled out of bed at 6:15a, still a bit hazy thanks to my self-inflicted overdose of Tylenol PMs, and I got in the shower. I slammed a Dr. Pepper for early-morning caffiene, and that brought me to a more accute sense of reality. I packed what I needed for the day: laptop, USB floppy drive, USB mouse, admission ticket, etc, and was on my way out when I decided to clean my glasses. (Note: I didn't want to be bothered w/ contacts while on this trip, so I just planned on taking my glasses.) The right lens popped out. I tried to pop it back in, then the screw fell out. Now, the glasses are completely useless. I don't have time to fumble w/ them, so I head out. You should realize that I don't need glasses to read, I need them to drive. Distance stuff. You get where this is going. To make a long story shorter, I get lost driving to the testing center. MapQuest's ultra-specific directions coupled w/ the morning rush hour congestion and the fact that I can't see sends me on a 40 minute joyride around the area. Just to put this in perspective, you should realize that the Motel 6 is listed as "4" minutes from the VF Convention Center. I guess I missed a turn. I left very early, and luckily, I was able to get there on time, THANK YOU JESUS! I smoked a cigarette w/ some friends and tried to calm down before the test. Big convention center. Multiple rooms, countless number of proctors, an administrator on a loud speaker. 1/2 hour of testing instructions, and then we begin the exam. Since I am sitting w/ about 900 examinees who are typing, and I feel like I'm up against everyone else. I have no idea how much *they* have prepared, and that alone is scary. The morning consisted of a double essay (90 mins) and two regular essays (45 mins each). Even though I was reading and primarily writing my ass off for 3 hours, it felt like 10 minutes. I'm trying to think back to Tuesday morning as I type this, and I just can't. PA Essays are tricky. They are very very specific. For example, there will be a fact pattern followed by four specific questions: an income tax liability question, a question about the validity of Tony's will, etc etc... just very specific. There is little to no "wiggle" room, and it seems like the PA examiners care less if you spot the issue, and more if you know the law. I didn't feel like I stuggled (w/ the law) in the morning session, although time was a slight issue. At this point, I felt like someone hit me in the head w/ a wooden chess piece. Slight headache ... but nothing I'm not used to. Forget the comments about lunch, it was probably the worst turkey club sandwich I ever ate. After bullshitting w/ friends and smoking more cigarettes, I was back in for the afternoon session. The four afternoon essays went alright. They were a little harder and challenging than the morning essays, and I was tripped up on two issues. Other than that, I felt somewhat good. But then again, who knows. Like I said before, I'm taking this same exam w/ 1700 people, and I'd bet a good amount of money that a LOT of them are fuckin nerds. LOL. The plans were for a bunch of us to finish with "Day One" and grab food together. I think it was originally supposed to be a restaurant thing, but I had to bail. I wasn't in the mood to be social: I had a huge headache at this point, and I needed to get back to my room, order food, and take more Tylenol. My "plan" was to eat, get rid of my headache, and look over notecards and outlines to prepare for the following day. That didn't really work out because my headache took 4 hours to dissipate. I studied for about an hour ... MAYBE an hour and a half, but I just needed to recover. PA Essay day was just rough. Mentally and physically draining. I wanted to be in top shape for tomorrow's 200 question fiasco. The medicine? The lights off, food, water, and ESPN! I was able to check out some of the Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event, where GambleAB had a great showing. Way to go, Aaron. This got me back to reality and before I knew it, I was waking up for day two... Wednesday / Day Two: MBE Not much of a morning fiasco. I had to check out of my room in the morning, because at the end of today's test, I had to drive an hour and a half to my NJ hotel for the next day's portion of the exam. With my car packed, another Dr. Pepper down my throat, and completely checked out of the Motel 6, I was refreshed, ready for another day, and found myself outside, again, talking w/ friends before the exam sucking down more cigarettes. I love 'em. Anyway, 100 MBEs are given in the morning, and 100 in the afternoon. When you get to question 50, you're kind of tired. Day 1 is all about writing, while Day 2 is all about reading. It's tough because you gotta stay sharp. Sometimes, the answer will turn on ONE SINGLE WORD (like "intent") that you could have easily missed in the fact pattern - and then there goes the correct answer. Completing the 100th question is a blessing because you get a break and a chance to stretch your legs. While on lunch, people start getting stir crazy. People are laughing louder and talking more ... non-smokers are bumming cigarettes ... there's a tension in the air that's comprised of fear, anxiety, and shock. It's just a crazy experience. I tried to gather my thoughts. This is where I gotta stay focused. Stay sharp. Reassure myself that I know the law. If the question is tricky, find out the trick, because it's not something I didn't read or study. I went back in for the afternoon and finished up. Who knows... we'll see what happens. After the exam, and before flocking to NJ, I went to dinner w/ a few friends. It was a small group, 4 total, and it was a good way to chill out. We each had a beer and lightly talked over some specific Q's from earlier in the day. None of us wanted to talk about the bar exam, but it was impossible not to. Dinner was good, and we were on our way to Dirty Jerz. The last day of testing is another day of essays. The drive took just under 2 hours, when you factor in traffic, which gave me a lot of time to think. I wanted my life back. I miss going out at night. I miss the casino or having an online bankroll. I need another beer. I need to play a SnG. Something. Just something resembling my normal life. The Hotel in Jersey was the Clarion Suites. I made sure the room had 2 double beds because I was rooming w/ one of my law school buddies. We got the room, instantly went out to get a 6-pack we could split, and spent an hour reviewing New Jersey civil procedure. We concluded that the only thing the NJ bar examiners could test us on was personal jurisdiction, so we spent the majority of our hour burning that into our brains. The beers went down beautifully, btw. Thursday / Day Three: NJ ESSAYS I got up at 5:55a. I wanted to be the first one in the shower simply b/c I didn't know what Todd was prepared to do in there. We got breakfast at the hotel lobby (free breakfast buffet, btw!) and headed to the NJ testing site. Here we go again. A word about the NJ essays. If you actually read everything so far, you remember me talking about the PA essays being very specific. NJ essays are the complete opposite. While PA essays ask 2-3 or 4 different areas of law in one question, NJ restricts whole essay to cover one general topic. So, going into the exam knowing I'd have to write 7 essays, I know they each cover: criminal law, contracts, constitutional law, nj civil procedure, torts, evidence, and property. Although it sounds easier, it's not. NJ gives a RIDICULOUSLY issue-laden fact pattern, and every question is simply, "Write a memo discussing all possible claims, suits, and defenses, and the strength of each." Wow. In 45 minutes, you are writing your ass off. Another problem is that NJ doesn't allow you to type the exam unless you were picked in a "laptop lottery." I wasn't picked. So now, I have to write for 7 hours. My hand was falling off. I won't go into details, but the Contracts question was the hardest by far. I had to have bullshitted half off it, but I think I did alright in the others. I hope. Handing in my final essays gave me a feeling I can't describe. A weight has been lifted. That's all I can say. People were estatic outside the testing center at the end of the day - smiles from ear to ear. A good amount of them will pass ... others will be back... but the feeling at that time can't be put into words. At least not by me. The hour and a half ride home was annoying, but I didn't care. I walked into my apartment, hugged and kissed my girlfriend and said, "I'm home. I hope I passed." Miscellaneous Crap These exams are not easy. To lighten the stress level, everyone jokes about failing and how they'll be back in 6 months retaking. It's fucking scary. I don't mind the actual test itself ... I know how to do multiple choice questions and by this point I can write a somewhat-coherant essay, but the idea of having to study (like I did) again is terrifying. Well, at this point, all I can do is sit and wait. Results for PA should be posted by the first or second week of October, and NJ posts in mid-November. I got fingers, toes, legs and arms crossed that I hit the right issues, analyzed how I should, and circled the correct answer, but you never know. It's been a long day, and an even longer week. If you made it this long ... thanks for reading, -- Lou

Source: AeqPoker