What to Bring on Exam Day

Getting ready to sit down for your first law school exams? Understandably, you’re probably focusing on revising subject content and making your exam notes right now. But just as important as making sure you’re across the subject content is ensuring you don’t forget to bring anything important with you to the exam venue!

Use the checklist below to help you prepare your bag or backpack with everything you’ll need for exam day.

Exam Day Checklist 💻

1. Your student card. You can’t sit your exam without it! You will need to place your student card on the desk beside you so an invigilator (one of the staff overseeing the exam) can check it. If you’ve lost your student card, make sure to get a new one before exam day.
2. Your phone. You’ll need this for Okta verify, so make sure it’s charged and you’ve downloaded the app! After verification, phones must be put away.
3. Your laptop. This might seem so obvious that it isn’t worth mentioning, but in midst of morning-of-exam stress, anything is possible!
4. Your charging cable. If you have a geriatric laptop that can’t hold more than 20 minutes’ charge, don’t forget to bring your laptop’s charge cable so the machine doesn’t die on you mid-exam. In fact, even if you have a snazzy whizbang laptop that can run for a week on one charge, why take the risk? Bring your charge cable anyway!
5. Earplugs. If you’re likely to be distracted by the sound of forty other people typing away like their life depends on it, make sure to bring a pair of foam or rubber earplugs to help reduce the noise pollution.
6. A watch. The remaining time will usually be projected on the screen or written on the whiteboard in the exam room, but not all seats will have the best view, and there’s always a chance the projector won’t work. It’s not a bad idea to bring your own timepiece just in case–just make sure it’s an analogue or digital watch (not a smartwatch!), as access to any internet-enabled devices is not permitted once you’re in your seat.
7. Printed reference materials. This could include your printed (not electronic!) exam notes, your textbook, your folder of subject materials, etc.
8. Scrap paper to write on. You can make notes on the exam itself (i.e. the booklet containing the hypothetical problem and/or list of essay prompts), but you can’t make notes on your laptop while it is running the software you will be using to type your exam. So if you think you might need space to make notes and/or plan out your answers during reading time, then bring some scrap paper to write on.
9. Pens. See above. Even though you’re typing your exam, you can’t make notes during reading time if you don’t have something to write with!
10. Water. It’s a good idea to stay hydrated during the exam, so bring a water bottle (or two or three) with you.
11. A piece of paper with your room number, login credentials etc, written on it. You can’t refer to your phone or use the internet during the exam, so it’s best if you handwrite important information on a piece of paper that you can refer to once you’re separated from your bag.
12. Adaptable clothing. The Royal Exhibition Building (REB) is the venue for most law exams. This is a cavernous space that can be chilly in the winter and stifling hot in the summer, so make sure you wear/bring clothes that you can easily put on and take off, depending on the season and where you’re actually sitting within the venue. For example, don’t attend a winter exam in a coat you can’t take off, just in case your seat happens to be right under one of the venue’s portable heaters.
13. Miscellany. This could include things like your glasses, hair ties, and lip balm. Remember that you’ll be stuck in your seat for 3.5 hours: what will you need during that time to make the experience more comfortable?