Endurance and Stamina
As I was finishing writing this today, Rafael Nadal had just won the Australian Open tennis tournament and his 21st Grand Slam trophy. He did so after a five-hour match—and being down two sets to none. That is nothing short of amazing.
So I want to talk a little bit about endurance and stamina today.
Last weekend, I participated in my fifth PeloFondo event. It’s a free GranFondo-style community event for bike riders, focused on long distance mileage. Riders choose their own distances to ride, indoors or outside, which they can complete any time during the two-day weekend.
My previous four PeloFondos ranged from 107 miles to 205 miles. My goal for this PeloFondo was to beat my previous longest distance, which I did. I ended up riding for 211 miles, which equaled about 11 hours and 35 minutes in the bike saddle at a pace of 17.6 mph.
The PeloFondo is pretty much a grueling weekend of physical and mental endurance. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun event, and I’m already looking forward to the next event in April. But if you’ve ever spent any considerable amount of time on a bike, you know the pain isn’t just limited to the legs pedaling the wheels. Your butt aches by sitting in the saddle. And your back and neck can get sore hunching over the handlebars.
As you completed the 200-question BARBRI Simulated Exam last week, and as you continue to prepare for other 100- and 200-question sets of MBE practice in the next couple of weeks leading up to the February bar exam, you will want to think about what you can do now so that you can improve your mental focus and physical stamina during the 12 hours of the bar exam.
Know the law
This sounds self-evident, but make sure you know the law. The more you have to work your brain, the more fatigue you will feel. If you know the law really well, the less work you will have to dig deep into your memory.
Develop and memorize template language for the frequently tested areas in the MEE subjects. And complete as many multiple-choice questions as you can over the next couple of weeks to familiarize yourself with what—and how—concepts can be tested.
Pace yourself
With 100 questions to complete in the 3-hour block, you have approximately 1.8 minutes to answer each MBE question. Don’t go too fast. Don’t go too slow. Find that Goldilocks middle ground.
When doing small sets of practice questions, complete them in sets of 17 or 18, and time yourself at 30 minutes. When doing longer, simulated 100-question sets, consider writing “30 minutes” next to Question 17, “60 minutes” next to Question 33, “90 minutes” next to Question 50, and so on. Give yourself time markers where you should be after each 17 questions. Break that big 100-question exam into smaller 17-question chunks. That way, you know whether you need to speed up or slow down throughout the exam in smaller adjustments (which is less stressful) rather than finding yourself making that decision until the end (which can be more stressful and taxing on the mind and body).
Practice Sets of 100 Questions
Since you will be taking 100 questions in a three-hour block (twice on exam day), you will want to give yourself plenty of practice completing 100 questions in one sitting. As I mentioned in a previous Daily Breakfast Bar, there are several more opportunities to complete 100- and 200-question practice tests in your BARBRI materials. Take advantage of these. And remember, if you’ve taken the remote exam previously, taking four 90-minute sessions of 50 questions with significant breaks in each section is very different than taking 100 questions in two different three-hour blocks.
Take a Break
Generally, on the bar exam, you’re required to lay the paper test packet flat on the table. You’re not permitted lift the test packet at eye level. This means that you’ll likely be hunched over the test packet for long periods of time. Consider taking regular and frequent breaks. You don’t necessarily have to get up and go to the restroom. But you can just spend a few seconds after every handful of questions to just sit up in your sit and stretch your back, neck, and arms.
Eat Properly in the Morning and for Lunch
I’ve already discussed the importance of having a healthy breakfast in the Jan. 26 Daily Breakfast Bar. When it comes to lunch, we’ll be providing boxed lunches from Jimmy John’s in Nashville. The lunches will contain a cookie. You may not want to have that cookie, and you likely may not want to have that cookie and your friend’s cookie, too.
