The Oklahoma Bar Journal April 2026

Y oung L awyers D ivision

February Bar Examinees Fueled by Snacks and Solidarity By Alexandra J. “Allie” Gage

A S ALL IN OUR PROFESSION likely remember, there are few rites of passage more humbling than the bar exam. It is two days of intense focus, carefully calibrated anxiety and the sudden realization that you now have a love-hate rela tionship with No. 2 pencils. This February, 132 aspiring attor neys anxiously sat for the bar exam in Oklahoma. And while they may have arrived armed with cautious optimism, they didn’t walk in alone. Thanks to the OBA Young Lawyers Division, each test taker received a thoughtfully assembled bar exam kit – part survival pack, part stress relief, part silent cheerleader. Inside these kits were the essen tials: sharpened pencils (because mechanical pencils are apparently too rebellious for this moment), sturdy erasers for second thoughts, snacks to combat the 3:17 p.m. energy crash, stress balls for the inevitable “What is a secured transaction, really?” spiral, acet aminophen for the brain-crushing multiple-choice sections and ear plugs to muffle the symphony of synchronized page turning. It may not look glamorous, but it is deeply practical and profoundly kind. The bar exam is a test of knowl edge, yes. But it is also a test of endurance, focus and composure. It asks candidates to summon three years of study and distill

The OBA Young Lawyers Division assembles bar exam survival kits at the bar center for candidates taking the bar exam. This thoughtful act of solidarity is an annual YLD tradition.

74 | APRIL 2026

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL