• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bar Exam Toolbox®

Get the tools you need for bar exam success

  • I Failed!
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Writing Help: Essays/PT
    • MBE Help
    • Self-Study Program
    • Options – California
    • Options – UBE
    • Options – FYLSE (Baby Bar)
  • Bar Exam 101
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Login

The Waiting Game: 5 Things to Do While Waiting For Your Bar Exam Results

August 24, 2016 By Keri Bischoff Clapp Leave a Comment

shutterstock_269743

The waiting is the hardest part.

You’ve all heard the song (and I’ll bet the tune is now running through your head). We spend a lot of time waiting—flipping through magazines in the dentist’s waiting room, counting the days until vacation, and standing in line to pass through airport security. Sometimes, we wait with anticipation; other times, we wait with ambivalence because what’s around the corner could be good or bad. Waiting can feel like a jumbled stew of hope and dread brewing in your stomach.

If this sounds familiar as you wait (and wait and wait) for the bar exam results, you aren’t alone. When the test is over but the results aren’t in, what can you do to get through the waiting game?

First, Recognize That Doing Something Helps

You graduated college. You took the LSAT. You finished law school and took the bar exam. Face it: you’re a doer. In a world where some people are content to wait passively, you are far more likely to be in your comfort zone if you are DOING something. You can’t control the test results but you can use this time to enrich your mind, your body, and your relationships while you wait. Take charge and you’ll find some refuge from the worry of waiting; there’s no way to make waiting easy, but there are constructive things you can do to get through the weeks ahead.

See Your City Like a Tourist

Most people don’t visit the places in their hometown that tourists flock to see. Play tourist once a week by exploring what your city has to offer. For local flavor, check out one of the many festivals, pop-up gardens, or outdoor music festivals. These weekend jaunts may be full of delightful surprises and will often fit any budge. You may discover treasures hidden in plain sight and it’s as easy to plan as googling, “what to do in [my city].”

Get Moving–In a New Way

You’ve heard it before: the link between exercise and mood is strong and almost any type of exercise can relieve stress. Exercise releases endorphins, the brain’s feel-good chemicals, so it doesn’t take a genius to see that moving more will make you feel better.

Step out of your comfort zone by trying some physical activity that isn’t in your repertoire; as you concentrate on moving your body in new ways, you may find that you’re distracted from the worry spiral. Yes, a hot fudge sundae or pepperoni pizza may also distract you, but the stress-relieving benefits of exercise can last for hours after you stop moving. Step out of your comfort zone:

  • Try a yoga class. Yoga has helped many people to relax and manage stress and anxiety and there are varieties and studios to fit every personality and budget.
  • Dance your cares away (and save your worries for another day). Try a dance class at your local gym or community center. You may feel silly but laughing at yourself is therapeutic and you may pick up some new moves.
  • Sign up for a fall fun run. Most races raise money for a good cause so this lets you feel good while doing good. Walk if you don’t run or really embrace the “do something new” mantra and start a “Couch to 5K” program. A 5K race is just over 3 miles; walk/run for less than 30 minutes a few times a week and you’ll be ready to cross the finish line with a smile on your face, a medal around your neck, and maybe your belt a little smaller.

Reconnect

Make it a priority to schedule time with your people. As social beings, we need to connect regularly with the people who make up our tribe; you haven’t had a lot of time to socialize in recent months. Reach out. Take the initiative and plan a weekly date for coffee, lunch, dinner, or a movie (or perhaps a yoga class or a walk) with at least one old friend. You’ll enjoy the time and being with your tribe will make you feel stronger and supported.

Rediscover

Remember reading for fun? It’s likely that you haven’t had much time to curl up with a good novel over the last few years and other hobbies may also have fallen by the wayside. Go to your local library or bookstore and dive into one of the best sellers that everyone has been talking about. If television is more your style, catch up on one of the many binge-worthy series with a friend. Drag that camping gear out of the basement. Dust off that how-to-knit book. Rediscovering a hobby can remind you that you were a fully formed person before your law school journey, which can give you peace and perspective.

Get moving in new ways, play tourist, reconnect with your tribe, and rediscover a hobby; as you wait, start doing.

__ _ __

Want more useful advice while you wait for bar results? Sign up for our free mailing list now!

Did you find this post helpful? Check out some other great articles:

  • Waiting for Bar Results? How to Keep the Bar in Perspective
  • 5 Things I Did Differently The Second Time to Pass the Bar Exam
  • I Failed the California Bar Exam! Here’s Some Encouragement to Help
  • How Can Parents Help Their Student Who Failed the Bar 

Photo Credit:  PJ Morley / Shutterstock


Ready to pass the bar exam? Get the support and accountability you need with personalized one-on-one bar exam tutoring or one of our economical courses and workshops. We're here to help!


 

About Keri Bischoff Clapp

Keri Bischoff Clapp is a tutor for Law School Toolbox and Bar Exam Toolbox. Keri’s love for writing led her to journalism school and then directly to law school, which she absolutely loved. Keri was an executive editor and published author of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. After law school, she learned many life and professional lessons by clerking for a woman federal District Court judge in Philadelphia. Keri then joined a large Philadelphia law firm as a litigation associate and later worked as in-house and trial counsel for a U.S. government office.

The next act of Keri’s career brought her into the classroom to teach undergraduates and law school students. Among other courses, she has taught business law, legal research and writing, and bar exam preparation.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let us know you are not a spammer! * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

Want to pass the bar exam? Of course you do! We’re here to help. You’ll find lots of helpful free content at Bar Exam 101, in the Bar Exam Resource Hub, and on the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast. For more hands-on help, take a look at our courses and workshops and bar exam tutoring options. Please get in touch with any questions!

Recent Posts

7 Time Management Tips For Bar Studiers

7 Time Management Tips For Bar Studiers

There isn’t a more intense experience for a lawyer than studying for the bar. While there are no magic ways to make it easy per se, there are ways to … [Read More...] about 7 Time Management Tips For Bar Studiers

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 204: Listen and Learn — Scope of Discovery and the Work-Product Privilege

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today, as part of our "Listen and Learn" series, we're discussing Civil Procedure, and specifically, the … [Read More...] about Podcast Episode 204: Listen and Learn — Scope of Discovery and the Work-Product Privilege

Bar Study Tips for Students with ADHD

Bar Study Tips for Students with ADHD

Mastery of the bar exam material within a tight timeframe is a challenge. Sitting for hours on end, doing the work, and staying focused through it all … [Read More...] about Bar Study Tips for Students with ADHD

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 203: Listen and Learn — Motions for Summary Judgment (Civ Pro)

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today we discuss the procedure for filing a motion for summary judgment, which is how many cases are … [Read More...] about Podcast Episode 203: Listen and Learn — Motions for Summary Judgment (Civ Pro)

Considerations When Taking Bar Exam Advice

Considerations When Taking Bar Exam Advice

We have all sought advice from time to time especially in law school. The bar exam can be somewhat of uncharted territory. When you feel directionless … [Read More...] about Considerations When Taking Bar Exam Advice

Need to Pass the Bar Exam?

Sign up for our free weekly email with useful tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • I Failed!
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Bar Exam 101
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Login
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds
  • Contact

Copyright 2023 Bar Exam Toolbox®™