In one of my recent coaching calls, I had a powerful conversation with a bar exam retaker. We were discussing the emotional fatigue she was feeling during multiple-choice practice. And let me tell you, emotional fatigue is a real challenge in bar prep—it’s not just about physical exhaustion; it’s the mental battle that wears you down.
She shared how, in the beginning, she would use the process of elimination to answer multiple-choice questions. But over time, she found it exhausting. By the time she got to the second half of her practice exams, she was drained. She realized it wasn’t just the test itself that was tiring her out—it was the mental back-and-forth, the constant questioning of herself, and the effort it took to “eliminate” wrong answers.
I told her that what was happening was more than just fatigue—it was the emotional fight she was engaging in during the exam. This is something I see all the time with bar takers: it’s not the questions that exhaust you, it’s the doubt, the second-guessing, and the internal dialogue that saps your energy.
So I gave her a mantra to focus on:
“Go with your gut. Stay in the flow. Pick an answer and move on.”
It’s simple, but powerful. When you keep repeating this mantra during the exam, you stop allowing space for those negative, draining thoughts to creep in. Instead of fighting yourself, you stay in control.
She put this into practice, and the results were immediate. Her timing improved—she was shaving off minutes on each section, finishing earlier than she ever had before. Not only was she saving time, but she was also keeping her energy up, staying mentally sharp throughout the exam. The fatigue she had felt before? It was drastically reduced.
What I love most about this story is how something as simple as a mantra can change everything. Emotional fatigue during the bar exam isn’t inevitable. It can be managed. You don’t have to battle yourself during each question. You just need to trust yourself, stick to your mantra, and keep moving forward.
If you’re struggling with fatigue in your bar prep, ask yourself:
What kind of mental battle are you engaging in?
And how can you shift that?
Maybe it’s time to adopt a mantra of your own, something to remind yourself to stay focused and keep moving. Trust me, it’ll make all the difference.
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