I had a meeting with a student yesterday and she was talking to me about how tired she is going into this final week of exam prep.
Thus came my typical question: “How much are you sleeping?” Her response: “The alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m., so I am getting no more than five hours a night.”
For most of us, this just isn’t enough. I personally need much more to be at my best. So if you have to pick between a few more hours of studying and more sleep what do I recommend that you choose? Sleep.
Sleep!
You need your body and mind to be at their best on exam day. Most of us are not at our best when we don’t get enough sleep. Lack of sleep makes it harder to focus and our minds just don’t feel as sharp. This can be very problematic when it comes to exam time.
So what can you do?
For these next few days leading up to the exam, turn off that alarm. Let yourself try to get some extra rest. Or keep the alarm on and turn off the TV earlier and catch some extra hours on the evening side of your sleep cycle. Although finishing those flashcards seems like the most important thing right now, you may want to put them down and try to get some additional shuteye.
Also think about how you can give yourself the best chance at a good night’s sleep, during the exam period.
You know yourself better than anyone. So think about different ways you can help yourself get sleep then. Some ideas:
- Take walks or do some sort of exercise in the evenings. This can help burn off some of the energy you have left over from the exam day.
- If you are staying away from home, take pillows or blankets that will make your bed feel most comfortable.
- Try to brainstorm relaxing things to watch or read before bed during the exam days.
Want more tips? Our friend over at Bar Exam Mind has a bunch more information on sleep and the bar exam.
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If you enjoyed this post, you might want to check out these:
- Bar Study Tips: Food Is Fuel
- Bar Study Tips: Getting Mentally Ready for the Bar Exam
- Bar Study Tips: How to Cope with Stress
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Lee: A good reminder. It is funny, I actually have a post in draft about making sure people try to get lots of sleep while studying for the bar exam. Great minds think alike? Thanks for the link to my blog in the post!
–Matt
That is pretty funny! Sleep is on the mind this time of year (or really, any time of year). At least for great minds like ours! (ha ha).
I really need eight hours! It’s amazing what a huge difference having sufficient sleep makes in my mental functioning, particularly when I’m working a lot.