Law School Noob: The lowdown on law school entrance exams in the Philippines: In law school entrance exams, having a healthy and positive disposition is just as critical (part 4 of 4)

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The lowdown on law school entrance exams in the Philippines: In law school entrance exams, having a healthy and positive disposition is just as critical (part 4 of 4)

[Previously in the series: Prepping up your mind for the big day]

One of the biggest mistakes takers of law school entrance exams commit is that they tend to put a lower priority to their physical condition as opposed to their mental training. The result? They spend an inordinate amount of time sweating out the details of every samplex they get their hands on while caring less about the stress they put on their bodies.

But this is hardly the right way to go. The fact is that there should be a healthy balance between reviewing for the exam and ensuring that your body is in tiptop shape. One without the other is untenable.

The day before the exam, learn to relax. Forget about cramming; doing so is only going to put strain on your mind and body. Cap the day off by having a long and quality sleep time. There's no better way to take exams this tough than by waking up fresh from a good night's sleep, in which case you are likelier to think more clearly and efficiently than you would otherwise be if you had little to zero sleep. It goes without saying that partying or drinking the night before is not going to help you one bit.

START THE DAY RIGHT

On the day of the exam itself, have a hearty breakfast or lunch; do not leave home on an empty stomach. Bringing food with you during the exam is fine, but this is one of those policies that borders on the ridiculous. Why? Because given the time limit and the overall difficulty of the exam, there simply isn't time to pick up a sandwich, much less finish it without losing precious time in the process.

Don't forget to bring a jacket, too. Most law school entrance exams are held in rooms where the ACs are set on full blast for reasons that perhaps only the assigned proctors can tell.

When everything's over and done with, take a deep breath, let go, and learn to move on. No matter what happens, the important thing is you tried your best.

Remember that you are not defined by how you fared in any exam, much less in a law school entrance exam, so don't be hard on yourself. The waiting period for the releasing of the list of passers is going to be agonizing. But hey, such an agony pales in comparison to the actual agony in law school, so in more ways than one you're still lucky.

Do you have other pointers you wish to add? Chime in the discussion and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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