An Overlooked Part of Bar Exam Preparation? The Chair

When you think about preparing for the bar exam, what comes to mind?

Probably things like memorizing blackletter law, completing thousands of multiple-choice questions, practicing essays and performance tests, and reviewing outlines until you can recite the elements of adverse possession or the hearsay exceptions from memory.

All of those things are essential. But there's another part of bar exam preparation that almost nobody talks about.

The chair. Yes, the chair.

Over two days, you'll spend more than twelve hours sitting in one seat. That chair becomes your workspace, your home base, and your constant companion as you work through one of the most demanding professional exams you'll ever take.

Yet most examinees don't know what that chair looks like until they walk into the testing room on exam morning.

That may sound trivial. It isn't.

One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to reduce uncertainty. The fewer surprises you encounter on exam day, the more mental energy you can devote to answering questions instead of adjusting to your surroundings.

We spend months preparing for the substance of the exam. We should also spend a little time preparing for the experience of taking it.

Three Rooms. Three Chairs.

During a recent visit to one bar exam testing site, I discovered that examinees could be assigned to one of three different testing rooms, each with its own seating arrangement.

One room had a traditional classroom chair with a mesh back and no armrests.

Another featured table-attached swinging lecture hall chairs with no armrests.

A third used rolling swivel chairs with nonadjustable armrests.

Will one chair help you score higher than another?

Of course not.

But simply knowing what to expect can make the testing environment feel more familiar before you ever sit down to begin the exam.

Familiarity Reduces Anxiety

This isn't really about the chair. It's about eliminating one more unknown.

If your jurisdiction or law school offers an opportunity to visit the testing site before exam day, take advantage of it.

✅ Walk the route from the parking lot.

✅ Find the restrooms.

✅ Locate your testing room.

✅ Notice where the clocks are.

✅ See how the desks are arranged.

And, yes, take a look at the chairs.

None of these things will earn you a single point on the bar exam. But they can help reduce the feeling that you're walking into a completely unfamiliar environment.

The bar exam will test your legal knowledge. It shouldn't also test your ability to adapt to unexpected surroundings.

Don't just prepare for the exam questions. Prepare for the exam experience.