This is 2 of 10 posts on exams, also known as “The Exam Series,” created by collaborators Amanda Bynum (Professor of Practice, Law | Director, Bar & Academic Success | The University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law); Shane Dizon (Associate Professor of Academic Success | Director, Academic Success Program | Brooklyn Law School); Halle B. Hara (Professor and Director of the Academic Success Program | Capital University Law School); Jacquelyn Rogers (Associate Professor of Law | Academic Success & Bar Preparation | Southwestern Law School); and Sarira A. Sadeghi (The Sam & Ash Director of Academic Achievement | Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University).

In addition to setting up your physical space, you need to be deliberate about selecting the optimal time to take your exams. Simply stated, you want to select the time most likely to contribute to your success. 

• Consider both your existing habits and the science. Are you an early riser who plows through work in the morning? Are you a night owl who works best after 7:00 p.m.? Evaluate your practices to determine the time of day when you have the most energy and focus. Evaluate this against the science that suggests that peak performance typically occurs in the morning. Try practice exams at different times during the day to determine what works best for you. 

• Know and try to mitigate your distractions. Let’s be realistic about the challenges. For many, finding an uninterrupted, continuous block of time to complete the exam will not be easy. To the extent possible, take inventory of the potential interruptions and make plans to mitigate them. For example: 

If you live an apartment with noisy roommates or neighbors, make them aware of your challenge. Although you can’t control anyone else’s behavior, apprising the people around you of your specific situation, including the defined exam times, might help. This is preferable to telling them in the moment to turn down the music or television, when they have no idea that you are taking an exam. 

If you will have children present during your exam time, consider their age.  

Infants and toddlers. Will the children be relying on you to change diapers, or for feeding and general safety? If so, try to enlist help. Being a parent and a law student at the same time is heroic enough during regular times and these times are extraordinary. Now is time to take off that cape and care for yourself by asking for help when you might not otherwise. If you have no options for assistance, consider taking the exam at night when the infant or toddler typically sleeps for longer periods of time. Alternatively, some states have emergency child care services that may be an option. 

Preschool-aged children. Again, if possible, see if someone can watch your children during a timeframe long enough for you to take the exam. If not, never underestimate the power of a good plan. If ever there were a time for a sticker chart and reward system, or just plain bribery, that time is now. Do your homework in advance to create a list of activities the children can do safely without you while you are in an exam. Binge-watching the Disney channel or playing on a tablet during this time, even over the course of several exams, will not do any long-term damage. There is also plenty of advice out there with helpful resources. One example is a recent article from the LA Times, which includes information about a story hour offered by Brooklyn library. https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-03-17/coronavirus-quarantine-school-resources-for-parents-kids-under-5 Create a list of during-exam activities, as well as post-exam reward activities. You’ll be glad you have this planned in advance. Like the bag of tricks you take to entertain a baby in a restaurant, if option A doesn’t work with your preschooler, you can move on to option B.

School-aged and older children. Managing these children during an exam can also be tricky because, although they understand your dilemma, it may take a back seat to having their needs met: be it a fight with a sibling, a major spill, or the dog vomiting on the carpet. Lists are the best way to plan for this age group. For example:  

Make a list of people your children can call or Facetime with their non-urgent requests. Think of the scene from Sleepless in Seattle: the dad, on a date, gets a call from his son. In response he asks, “have you fallen down?” and “has the babysitter been strangled?” Remote control not working? Call Uncle Johnny. Don’t know what to make for lunch? Call your cousin Quinten. Unless there is a true emergency—think fire, injury, sickness, or overflowing toilet, they can rely one someone else.  

Prepare food in advance and list what’s available. Provide options. The last thing you need is a child wandering in and asking, “What’s for lunch?” If your child forgets how to make the microwave mac and cheese, the child can call an extended family member (back to the non-urgent contact list).   

Make a list of activities. Especially during this time, children are bored and missing their friends and activities. During your exam is not an ideal time for you to be addressing these emotions. Think ahead and remind them what’s available in a list. The activity list might include: skateboarding in the driveway, making a good luck sign for you, jumping rope, writing cards to first responders or their friends, movies, shows, and other screen time. Include a contact for this as well. For example, if you are bored and can’t think of anything to do, call Aunt Beth.  

If you are helping your children with home schooling, make a schedule for doing that during non-exam hours. Finally, consider setting a clock or timer for the kids before you head into an exam. That way, they can check it as needed instead of asking, “are you almost finished?” 

Have additional ideas for finding the right time to take your exam during the designated exam window? Provide your (helpful and supportive only) comments below!