Studying while stuffing down anxious emotions is taking away from your ability to fully grasp the material.
Anxiety associated with studying for the bar leads to procrastination. Why would you ever be eager to do something that makes you *feel* bad?
It is imperative that negative emotions around the bar exam be handled.
Three culprits lead to bar exam anxiety. I have 3 corresponding solutions to address those culprits. These solutions are repeatedly used with success inside my Bar Exam Mentoring programs. And today I will share them with you, along with a little rundown on how to get the best results.
Finally, I’m announcing our Decrease Anxiety, Raise your Score workshop taking place in January. In this workshop, we will explore, in real-time, what you need to do specifically for your situation in order to get better. This is not a sit-down and listen-to workshop. You will be following along on your own worksheet answering the questions as they pertain to you so that at the end you have a workable plan to implement for immediate results. Click the link for more information and to register.
What others had to say about the Decrease Anxiety, Raise your Score workshop:
“It was positive to hear a different perspective on how to look at the bar exam. I appreciated the exercise at the end. It was a good exercise to look within myself. I am excited to keep my new perspective on the bar exam.
—Celia
It helped me to know that other people feel how I feel. Like I’m not alone in this.
—Ashley
Now some of you may look a gift-horse in the mouth and question why I would give away these high-value answers to bar exam applicants’ biggest problem, bar exam anxiety. It’s simple, despite the fact that you can get my whole bundle of mentoring tools in the Conqueror’s Mindset Bundle that I sell on my website, the fact is that personalizing the information, and being absolutely sure the tool you’re using matches the symptom you have, often requires live eyes of a mindset expert, such as myself, on your personal problems.
That’s why bar takers find such value in being a part of my programs and why the mindset bundle is sold at only a fraction of the value of its true worth. Clients inside my program get the diagnosis and the cure, in much less time with drastically less heartache. They are able to simply get direction and use their energy wisely in implementing the solution (instead of endless googling, and trial & error). Nevertheless, if you are hesitant about getting into a mentoring program, the Conqueror’s Mindset Bundle is a good introductory start to shifting your mindset for success on the bar exam.
Without further ado, here are the 3 culprits that cause bar exam anxiety and the corresponding solutions that will cut said anxiety by 50%.
Culprit #1
Fear of the future
Many people think they are afraid of failing. If you’ve already failed the bar exam I can assure you that is not what you are afraid of. You already know (and are living) the outcome of failing. There’s no unknown here. The true unknown is what your life will be like if you do pass. This fear is often unconscious (you don’t even know it is there) and surfaces through self-sabotage on the bar exam. So if you’ve ever suspected you are sabotaging yourself on the bar, this may be the reason why.
What, in particular, you are afraid of in your future varies from person to person and will require a personal conversation. You can visit my website for opportunities to have a personal conversation where I can help you reveal what your personal motives for self-sabotage are, and how you can heal them.
Culprit #2
Insecurity
This one is deeper as most people don’t connect their beliefs about life to their performance on the bar but here’s the thing…
People who are afraid of getting the wrong answer, who second-guess themselves, and who beat themselves up emotionally when they see they missed some points are deathly afraid of “messing up”. There is an unconscious fear that they will suffer mortal harm if they don’t answer correctly. (no one said the culprits of bar exam anxiety are rational or logical, but they are there) These people with this mortal fear have come up with all kinds of methods to goad them into “doing better”, not “getting it wrong”, and avoiding the life-threatening consequences that would result if they got it wrong. But these methods are not working. They are not getting you the results you desire. To know what to do instead, keep reading.
Culprit #3
Lack of Data
A lot of bar applicants, especially the ones plagued with Culprits 1 & 2 above, staunchly refuse to gather data about how they are doing on their studies. They push off practice questions, do practice questions but refuse to grade them or review what was wrong, they don’t turn in the practice essays to be graded, and even miss tutoring sessions.
They are afraid to see where they have gone wrong and even more frightened at the lack of resources or (realistic) strategies to correct the areas where their weak areas. So they opt for studying in a vacuum. Endlessly reading, watching, copying, and buying more supplements, with no feedback on how they are actually progressing. This lack of knowledge breeds anxiety 1000x faster than any other factor on your bar exam. Knowledge truly is power.
So now that you know the main culprits behind bar exam anxiety, let’s explore the tools you can use to cut down your anxiety by 50%.
Solution #1 I prescribe my Life Architect activity and Future Life meditation. Don’t worry you don’t have to purchase the Conqueror’s Mindset Bundle in order to help yourself in this way. Simply future pace yourself by imagining what your pleasing lawyer life will look like. Then use the mindset technique of your choice (visualizing, vision boards, affirmation, written visualization, mind movie, etc) to increase your acceptance of this future life.
That’s really all it takes to address this fear and remove this source of anxiety. For busy Bar takers who don’t have a lot of discretionary time, the Conqueror’s Mindset Bundle makes it easy to follow through on these steps.
Solution #2 The answer to insecurity is security. Lawyer-types feel secure when we have a plan and work the plan, but in the world of the bar exam, the only plan you can have is to expect the unexpected. That’s why it’s critical to have a worldview that helps you believe that “no matter what happens, I will be okay”.
This is the crucial piece to feeling safe and secure, vs anxious and afraid while studying for and taking the bar exam. In my workshop happening later this month, I will walk you through the steps I use to help my bar mentees leave fear behind and feel secure for their bar exam. Remember, you must believe that no matter what I will be okay.
Solution #3 Get the data. If you’re one of the bar takers plagued with Culprits 1 & 2 above I know this simple-sounding advice is easier said than done. I understand the intricate web of fears that keep you back from testing yourself and seeing where you stand and also freeze you from grading your answers and using that feedback to better yourself.
I can almost hear that nasty voice saying “there you see, wasting time again” “you’re never going to get this right” “this is time you could’ve spent with your family” “how many times are we going to have to study this”. I get it. But those nasty voices are keeping you from doing the 1 thing that would help you leave the bar exam in the past. That’s why getting emotional peace around the bar exam is critical.
Join me in my live workshop to get my personal help decreasing your anxiety so you can raise your score.