Why FIFA Wants Players to Drink More Water, and Why You Should Too

If you've been watching the FIFA World Cup over the past couple of weeks, you've probably noticed something unusual: Mandatory hydration breaks.

Traditionally, soccer (or football, depending on where you are) is a sport with very few interruptions. The clock keeps running, and players are expected to continue competing through long stretches of play. Yet FIFA recently decided that player health and performance justify stopping even the world's biggest sporting event so athletes can rehydrate.

At first glance, hydration breaks may seem like a concern only for professional athletes competing in the summer heat. But there's an important lesson here for bar examinees.

The bar exam may not require you to sprint down a soccer field, but it does require your brain to perform at a high level for hours at a time. And just as hydration affects physical performance, it can also affect cognitive performance.

Photo by Steve A Johnson on Unsplash

Hydration Is a Performance Tool

Research has shown that even mild dehydration can contribute to fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and slower mental processing. In other words, dehydration doesn't simply make you uncomfortable. It can make it harder to think clearly.

That matters on the bar exam.

Over the course of two days, you will read hundreds of pages of material, analyze complex fact patterns, recall legal rules from memory, and make thousands of decisions. The exam is often described as a marathon, and for good reason. Mental endurance is just as important as legal knowledge.

Unfortunately, hydration is often overlooked during bar preparation. Students spend months refining study schedules, memorizing rules, and practicing essays, yet many give little thought to what they will eat or drink on exam day.

Some students intentionally avoid water because they are worried about needing a restroom break. Others rely heavily on coffee or energy drinks without balancing those beverages with adequate water intake. Still others simply forget to drink because they are focused on the task in front of them.

The goal isn't to spend the day chugging water. The goal is to stay properly hydrated so that your body and brain can function efficiently throughout the exam. Think of hydration the same way you think about sleep, nutrition, and exercise. It isn't a substitute for preparation, but it helps create the conditions necessary for peak performance.

Have a Plan Before Exam Day

Just as importantly, don't wait until exam day to think about hydration. Use your final weeks of preparation to establish habits that work for you. Pay attention to how much water you typically drink during a long study session. Notice whether certain beverages leave you feeling energized or jittery. Learn what helps you maintain focus over several hours of sustained mental effort.

Many students devote considerable attention to substantive law and test-taking strategy but never develop an exam-day routine. Yet experienced athletes know that performance is often determined by preparation before the competition begins. The same principle applies to the bar exam. You should know in advance what you plan to eat, what you plan to drink, and how you will manage your energy throughout the day.

Hydration isn't something that can be crammed at the last minute. Just as you wouldn't wait until the morning of the exam to learn the Rule Against Perpetuities, you shouldn't wait until the morning of the exam to figure out what works best for your body.

Know the Rules

There's also a practical consideration that every examinee should keep in mind: Bar exam security rules vary by jurisdiction.

Some jurisdictions permit clear water bottles under specific conditions. Others have restrictions on labels, bottle size, or where the bottle may be placed in the testing room. Still others may have different policies altogether. Before exam day, review your jurisdiction's security policies carefully so there are no surprises when you arrive at the testing center.

The same principle applies to snacks. If your jurisdiction permits them during breaks, don't experiment with something new on exam day. Stick with foods and beverages that you know work well for you. The bar exam isn't the time to discover that a particular drink upsets your stomach or leaves you feeling sluggish an hour later.

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None of this is meant to suggest that hydration alone will improve your score. Drinking water isn't a substitute for learning hearsay exceptions, mastering personal jurisdiction, or practicing performance questions.

But success on the bar exam is often the result of many small decisions made correctly, like proper sleep, consistent study habits, good nutrition, and effective stress management. Hydration belongs on that list.

FIFA recently concluded that even the world's best athletes perform better when they have an opportunity to rehydrate during competition. Bar examinees should take the same lesson to heart.