1.  The NY Bar is a competitive exam, i.e., in so many words the examiners have decided how many people will pass (more or less) and the idea is to climb over all the others to get to the top.  So, give them what they want by forgetting all the other folks in the room and making it solely You vs. Exam.  Hit the issues, explain them sufficiently, and move on.  I'm surprised they didn't forbid cellphones, etc. - they assume everyone's guilty of cheating and treat them all accordingly.
   
2.  In furtherance of #1 and exploiting all the insecurity already in the air, the examiners always lard the first question of the essay portion with (or build it around) Something Obscure You Didn't Study.  Suretyship, Tax, deep-in-the-weeds Wills, Powers of Attorney, Agency.  You know - the stuff the bar review spent 15 minutes on.  Their idea is to start the first minute of the first day with something to freak out the mentally unprepared and knock everyone out of their mental preparation.  This is in service of #1, by trying to trigger the takers' freakish levels of competitiveness back into control, rather than their rationality.
   
3.  When someone leaves the room sobbing - ignore it.  Earplugs help.  You can feel badly for them or gossip about it later.  Remember, #1 above.  They didn't.
   
4.  Same as #3 if the exam-taker next to you at the table passes out.  Earplugs help.  You vs. Exam.  And, if you try to "help" them - you run the risk of getting tossed from the exam yourself.  Remember Torts:  there is no duty to rescue, and the voluntary rescuer assumes the risk of injury (and liability) from participating in the rescue.  The rescuer might have an action against the original tortfeasor, but would likely have no damages - so why sue - because no one has an enforceable proprietary or contractual right in staying in the Bar Exam room after violating the "no helping" rule.
   

5.  Use bathroom before starting.  Eat good breakfast.  Moderate the amount of coffee consumed. Go to bed by 10 the night before.  Get a good nights' sleep every night between now and exam.  Not that anyone would, but avoid alcohol and substances with similar effects.  
   
6.  A friend told me the best money that friend has ever spent was having a therapeutic full-body massage the night before the exam.  The friend related that post-massage his voice went down a full octave (such that his then-girlfriend barely recognized his voice over the phone) and he felt like the proverbial wet noodle going into the exam.  The relaxation did him well.
   
7.  It's now a week out.  If you don't know it already, it's not likely you will.  Devote some time to covering topics not already learned, but spend 90 percent of your practice time on taking practice tests.
   
8.  It's now a week out.  The one thing you (and your sanity) need most is time away from Studying for the Bar Exam.  Take a day and go to the museum, the park, the beach, whatever.  Spend no time thinking about the Bar Exam - exclude it from your mind.  Be good to yourself because it will pay you back in spades.
   
9.  The Bar Exam is Not Life - it is an experience.  (Like a kidney stone) it, too, will pass.  And, if you don't - why do you think they give it twice a year?  There are a lot of judges out there about whom fellow lawyers say:  "I sat next to him the first time he took the bar exam."  Remember that.
   

We had a great time, but looking back I'm shocked that we decided to rough it before the biggest test of our lives. We got totally wasted afterwards and it's one of our happiest memories of time spent with those three friends.

that bag of allowed items sounds about right, and that was 20 odd years ago.

When I took the bar in Dallas, we also took it in a big room with a ton of people, and were limited by that ziploc bag rule.  That was particularly enjoyable for the ladies who had feminine products in their bags.

My tips for test days:

1. Remember that, in most states, the passage rate is at least 70%.  Look around the room and tell yourself that you only have to do better than 30% of the people there.  You'll see enough morons to make yourself feel better!
   
2. Forget what happened in the morning session when you go into the afternoon session, and forget about Day 1 when you go to Day 2.  Absolutely, positively, under no circumstances, should you discuss questions from the test with other people!
   
3. For the MBE, don't freak out when you read the question, instantly know the answer, and then fail to see anything close to your answer among the choices.  That happens to everyone.
   
4. Relax!

Second, as one of my barbri instructors said, "It's a marathon, not a sprint".  Carbo-loading is about the worst thing you can do.  Instead, go out for a steak the night before.  My dad took me to Smith and Wollensky's, and, since he's an artist who wouldn't know a tort from a torte, we talked about other things.

Of course, we had plenty to talk about, as my mother had passed away exactly four weeks before the exam (not unexpectedly, but still...).  People were generally shocked that I was even going to still take the test and not push off until February, but it was actually a great motivator.  As I said at the time, she'd come back just to kill me if I didn't pass the damn thing.

1.  I loved having an erasable pen.  I don't think I actually used the eraser, but it's nice psychologically.  

2.  If you can, get a room in the hotel where the exam is being given, or as close as possible.  You can have all your books spread out over the room, and look over them at lunch. Plus you don't have deal with family and friends during the exam days.

3.  Wear a nicotine patch if you smoke.

4.  The MPT is your friend!

5.  Eat well and get plenty of sleep.

6.  Good luck!