I watched the movie High Fidelity just the other week (yes, it’s a 2000 movie, but that’s relatively updated considering that I haven’t watched E.T. yet). Among the things I noticed is the characters’ penchant for blurting out Top 5s. Then I remembered having written a Top 5 (on BP 22), so I thought of doing that for the fast-approaching bar exams (September 2006). Here are my Top 5 tips on the day of the Bar Exams:

1. Bring a jacket, sweatshirt or anything that will keep you warm. The aircon in La Salle Taft (the bar exams venue) is damn cold, plus you’re nervous so it’s going to be colder. Worse, when you don’t have a clue upon reading the first few questions, you’ll really freeze to death. On second thought, I guess I’m not helping – just bring a jacket and forget the rest of this paragraph (by the way, remember your Building assignment and make sure you know which entrance is nearest that Building).

2. Bring extra pens. During our time, one examinee got so tense, she broke at least two pens. It’s better having the extra pen without needing it, than having only one pen when you need the extra one.

3. Bring a bottle of water (or Gatorade or Powerade; a power drink like Lipovitan or Red Bull is optional), but don’t drink too much. The few minutes you need to take a pee could have been used to answer one or two questions.

4. Unless you have BarOps, bring lunch (preferrably something you can eat while reading, and some power bar for snacks). If you plan to go out for lunch, just consider these: (a) you have to wrestle with the jampacked crowed surrounding LaSalle in order to get out; (b) in all probability, the restaurants are also crowded; and (c) you’re wasting time and energy.

5. At the end of the day, forget your answers. Don’t figure out if your answers are right or wrong; it’s out of your hands. There are three more Sundays to go, so focus on the next coverage.

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