Getting through the bar exam

July 10, 2007 12:39 PM

How do I keep my hand from cramping up when writing?

I'm taking the bar exam in two weeks. Obviously I'm anticipating quite a bit of writing since the first day is ten separate essay questions.

Does anyone have any advice on how to do this as physically pain free as possible? Any advice on posture/technique; or pens that i should get.

I've been thinking about doing some training like writing for an hour a day or something. Basically I would just copy down outlines, which hopefully would serve the dual purpose of studying while training.

Anyways any advice is appreciated.

posted by sorindome to Writing & Language (17 answers total)

Use a pen with a large, comfortable grip, and try to hold it as gently as you can.

Feel free to shake out your hands every once in a while to get blood flowing and the muscles relaxed.
posted by odi.et.amo at 12:43 PM on July 10, 2007

1. Practice.

2. Write with your arm, not with your hand. (link)
posted by cardboard at 12:55 PM on July 10, 2007

Are you already having problems with hand cramps, or are you just anticipating problems because it's more writing than you're used to? If it's the latter, then I suggest that you don't waste time worrying about it. If your hand starts aching or gets crampy during the exam, stretch it out, shake it out, stretch out your shoulder and neck, and carry on. I had three days of bar exams last summer, and I was also worried about how I'd manage to do all that writing when I've become so used to typing anything long. Although my hand and shoulder were a little achy by the end of each day, it wasn't so bad that it interfered with my performance or distracted me.
posted by amro at 12:58 PM on July 10, 2007

Stretch your fingers, wrists and arms before & during writing.
posted by gnutron at 1:15 PM on July 10, 2007

Use a good, comfortable pen. I love the Pilot Dr. Grip Center of Gravity.

Practice! Work on writing quickly and legibly. If you're used to typing, you may have a much slower handwriting speed (I know that I do.) Try handwriting out a few practice essays every day, to not only work on building up (or rebuilding) handwriting skills, but also to get into the bar exam style of writing and to review material and to make sure that you can physically write down all of the ideas that you'll want to put down in a limited amount of time. That will be much more useful than just re-copying outlines.
posted by andrewraff at 1:44 PM on July 10, 2007

A lot of people end up with a death grip on their pen/pencil when they're taking an exam, just because they are so intent with concentration. Keep a loose grip when writing - a person should be able to reach over and pull the pen out of your hand with no resistance.
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:52 PM on July 10, 2007

Comfy pen, shaking out your hand etc are good. I used to use a very soft technical pencil when revising as the tip would just break off if I pressed down too hard!

Purely from a psychological point of view I would recommend doing actual question practice though and not just copying down of textbooks as this is as much about the physical act of writing as well as the mental act of dealing with a question and coming up with a structured reply under time pressure...

Good luck!
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:07 PM on July 10, 2007

I took a class where the text so dense that the only way I could process it was by taking notes (by hand) as I went. I found that I grip the pen too tightly, so I end up with fingernail marks in my palm. I finally taped a cotton ball around the barrel of the pen to make it fat and soft. They sell pens with wide comfort-grip barrels that I use for regular writing but I still use my ugly cotton-taped pen if I have to write for a long time.
posted by metahawk at 2:36 PM on July 10, 2007

As a music copyist, I've had problems with hand cramps and yes, practice helps. If you use ballpoint, switch to rollerball for easier ink flow (which requires less pressure, which is easier on your hand). Spend some money on a decent one, even just a Cross. It makes a difference.
posted by cribcage at 3:33 PM on July 10, 2007

RELAX
posted by caddis at 4:44 PM on July 10, 2007

Writing largely hurts my hands less and makes my writing more legible.
posted by GPF at 5:28 PM on July 10, 2007

So nobody's mentioned the way-more-comfy way to hold your pen? Wow.

Barrel of pen goes between index and middle finger, those fingers plus thumb meet to control pen. The great part is that your thumb barely needs to contact the body of the pen AND thus you're really not flexing that muscle 10 zillion times.

I got a history degree---this is how I took volumes of notes w/o dying.

If you can't get it, I'll send you a picture of my wicked-awesome pen holding skillz.
posted by TomMelee at 7:34 PM on July 10, 2007

I write better and can do it longer if I concentrate on the rhythm of my writing: Nice, even, regular downstrokes.
posted by eritain at 7:46 PM on July 10, 2007

What TomMelee said, kind of. As a lefty, I learned to write holding the pencil in a different grip than most people use. When I have a ton of writing to do and can't take a break (aside from a quick shake), the next best thing is to alternate grips on the pen.

Best description I can come up with: rest the pen in the crook between your thumb and index finger. Use your middle finger to press the pen down into the paper, with a finger on each side to stabilize. Looks godawful, but it's much more comfortable.
posted by moira at 9:02 PM on July 10, 2007

(If you do choose to use the grip I described, you may want a band-aid for your fourth finger, just above the nail. I developed a writing callus there when I was doing a lot of writing, but when it disappeared, the area would get sore with any sizable chunk of scribbling.)
posted by moira at 10:25 PM on July 10, 2007

You should be practicing handwriting the essays under timed conditions in any event! Not to strengthen your hand, but to make sure you can cram it all in there by hand in the time allotted.
posted by footnote at 5:49 AM on July 11, 2007

PenAgain. Dumb name, good pen.
posted by click at 10:12 PM on July 11, 2007