Analyzing, arguing, showing the strength of both sides, and the evaluating the strengths of those sides – eventually favoring one over the other. But the kids who grade on to law review stay at the top of the class even while spending dozens of hours per week cite checking, flying around the country doing interviews, and participating in other ECs. Chemerinsky for Con Law. © Top Law Schools LLC 2003-2020 all rights reserved, http://www.top-law-schools.com/success-in-law-school.html, 15 Law Schools That Get the Most Transfer Students, Top Law Schools Interview with Walter F. Mondale, Success in Law School - A Unique Perspective, How to Succeed in Law School – Student Guide #1, How to Succeed in Law School – Student Guide #2, Income-Based Repayment (IBR): An Explanation, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): An Explanation, Interview with Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA Tour, How to Learn to Do Well on a Law Shool Exam, On Self-Care in the First Year of Law School, WilmerHale (Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP), Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, Fried, Frank, Harrison, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, 6 Ways to Save Tuition Money before Beginning Law School, The Top 11 Law Schools with High Student LSAT Scores, 4 Points to Help You Understand the Socratic Method That Law Schools Use. Law School Exam Drafting Theories: Which to Follow. Crossing out what I remember on the second time I go through the outline and repeat until I've crossed out everything. Like it or not, law school marks remain one of the first and most important things employers look at. * Merely regurgitating the law does not show your mastery of the subject or demonstrate your analytical abilities; it therefore earns you no points. Marvel at the insight on the top of page 191, and imagine how you too can approach an exam playfully. And with so many law professors basing grades on one end-of-term test, that means you'd better know how to ace 'em. Sponsored by BPP law school and top UK law firms, they offer fantastic insights into the legal profession. As a student at the University of San Francisco School of Law, Ariel tutored Torts and led 1L workshops on time management, exam preparation, legal writing, and outlining. If that sounds like a lot of pressure, well, quite frankly, it is, but there's good news! There’s a way to get points on a law school exam, and your job is to figure out how to GET POINTS on a law school exam. Pay attention to his/her favorite topics, consult recent on-point law review articles (not always useful) to see what they think is important, and religiously study released practice exams and model answers. How could it be better? Memorize your shit whether it’s open or closed book. To emphasize: The name of the game is sophisticated application of basic doctrine. Policy questions on law school exams. The course is LEEWS, and it is worth every penny. Here is a list of ways in which law school is different from college, and specifically how law school exams are different from college exams. Feel free to try flashcards, don’t worry about the length of your outlines. The problem is that it all plays into the major law school mass-delusion: that if you somehow study harder/better/faster/stronger than your peers, you will get better grades. How do you outline? Just like I know a lot of people who read getting to maybe only to find it was far from a panacea, I know many people who took a pile of practice exams and didn’t get a lot out of them. Page by page. In order to do well you must learn how to take a better exam. But this is just the first step in the revision process although incidentally this is why our Legal Practice Course (LPC) exams are open book, so exam assessment is a question of understanding and application as opposed to memory. Rather, they focus on a subset of what was covered and test it in detail. How would you do it if you were a professor? Even if it doesn’t, you’ve read the case so it shouldn’t be that bad. Some people mistake prong two, exam taking, for raw academic horsepower. Many nervous 1Ls think you can obtain success at it by doing prong one until your eyes bleed and they drag you out of the library an hour after closing on a Tuesday night. The rule is __… It’s all the first prong, knowing the law. Many law students rightly focus on memorisation – for which there are some excellent tips here. The person who studies the most won't get the best grades, either. What WON’T help you learn how to take a good law school exam? The point of an outline isn't the actual outline. For example, to support you through the preparation stage and lead up to your exams, we will work on: Organisation – performance profiling, time management, goals, study plan, gathering information; Then turn to an easy to digest multimedia unit on overall law school success strategies, specifically focusing on how to prepare for law school exams (and just as importantly, what NOT to do). There's not really any one piece of wisdom that I could impart that is going to instantly make someone do well in law school. The professors. Sure, an issue they only talked about for one day may be a highlight on the exam – you’re on notice, go to class and learn the material. Sleep. Beyond that, you need to read, read, and re-read information about law school exams. This is the prong that’s important. Some people in your class have to get A's, so you might as well be one of them. OK, here it goes: When you are in law school, you have to learn how to take a law school exam. Basically, when you study for and take a law school exam, you are entering gladiatorial combat with 100 or so other people who are just as bright and motivated as you, and just about all of them are looking for a tiny edge anywhere they can get it to do well on the test. Read the interview here . If you are asked to do so, use the “IRAC” method unless your professor has told you during the semester to write your answers in a different format The letters in “IRAC” stand for the following words: 1. Why Your Personal Statement Can Make or Break Your Law School Chances, The 5 Top Legal Internships Law Students Should Know and Pursue. How any individual person studied for law school is, to be trite, only half the battle. In fact, to save everyone time and annoyance, I will omit repeating myself by adopting this convention: Everywhere you see " * ", insert this phrase: "You’ve got to apply the law to the facts. Professors have many different ways to grade exams. Done. Basically, when you study for and take a law school exam, you are entering gladiatorial combat with 100 or so other people who are just as bright and motivated as you, and just about all of them are looking for a tiny edge anywhere they can get it to do well on the test. The short-term goal is to do well in your courses, and the long-term goal is to succeed in practice. I read all the books and understood what I was *supposed* to do beforehand - I don't know. It'll get you good grades. But most of the issues – even those much more difficult than the [issue discussed in a prior paragraph] – involve sophisticated application of basic doctrine rather than encyclopedic knowledge of the farthest reaches of the torts landscape. Prong one has been done to death, so I’m going to keep it short. Prong 2D: Sources for learning about law school examsmanship, Arrow’s nearly legendary advice: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=77628, Xeoh85's Advice on Success in Law School viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36635, Wahoo1L's Advice for doing well at a T10 viewtopic.php?f=2&t=78769, JayCutler'sCombover's blog / advice viewtopic.php?f=11&t=77498, TLS article about success in law school (unique perspective): http://www.top-law-schools.com/success-in-law-school.html. Years ago, I started thinking that my teachers and lecturers were out to get me and would mark me down wherever they got the chance. I then make a master outline from their information and the info I've received from taking the class myself. In a real hose race, however, the thoroughbreds charge forward on a beeline course down the track toward the finish line. “I” = “issue.” 2. If you are considering or are about to attend law school, it is wise to pick-up this book to better understand and prepare for law school exams. That was exhausting. Some people in your class have to get A's, so you might as well be one of them. PREVIOUS ARTICLE. Be adaptive, don’t just buy everything or take the advice of somebody who was a 1L last year at another school. BEST LAW SCHOOL PREP BOOKS Getting to Maybe – A great guide on how to do well on law school exams. Eat. By. But you’ll never see obscure info from the ‘notes’ section of your casebook play a big part on the exam if it was never covered in class. This exam post-mortem, with a focus on points, is the most important thing you can do. The key to law school exam writing is applying law to facts. What WON’T help you learn how to take a good law school exam? How well you do on your exams is largely going to be a function of how much effort you put into grappling with the material. 42 Vand. And with so many law professors basing grades on one end-of-term test, that means you'd better know how to ace 'em. Their grades do not suffer. 4. In general you need to think about some mechanical things: If your professor is going to grade with a checklist of some kind, you should approach your exam in a checklist friendly manner. Prong 2: Learning how to take a law school exam. Having a lot of “Plaintiff will argue __________. LEEWS: Yes, but the formula won’t actually work if you follow it word for word. It's just not enough - you've got to think about, learn, and practice the process of taking a law school exam over and over and over again. Over the next few weeks, law school final exams will be in full swing at almost every law school in the country. I want to talk about the process of teaching yourself the skill, rather than laying down precisely what I think the skill should be. L. Rev 433, 449, wrote: The contemporary discourse among law faculty about law students and Blue Book exams provides additional evidence of the shift to an objective method of grading Blue Book essays. Lots of them. Try to avoid the anxiety-inducing pissing contest. I can tell you how most law professors do things (in no small part due to the level of inbreeding in the legal academy) but I can’t tell you how YOUR law professor will do things. There's not really any one piece of wisdom that I could impart that is going to instantly make someone do well in law school. Law school grades matter. How often were people restating legal rules without analysis (which won’t get you points), how often were people re-typing facts without applying legal rules (Which won’t get you points), how often are the rules and facts combined to come up with a conclusion in an overly conclusory manner (which not only won’t get points, but many law students will mentally feel counts as ‘spotting’ the issue)? You can only do your best the first time around, and if you succeed, awesome, and if you don't, you'll have to do what I did last year - meet with your professors, figure out what you did wrong and go from there. As a result, people turn to the things they did or saw others doing more overtly - the studying of the law. First, law school exams will stop being quite so scary – you’ll be the bearer of the secret knowledge that even if at first blush exams seem similar, it is quite possible to figure out which is ‘better’. Some people think the LSAT predicts it. Law school exams, for all of their many pedagogical flaws, do have a lot to do with the fundamental work of lawyers. Use LOTS of headings and subheadings. In fact, in exams where you do well, you will find that you aren't even referring to your outline at all during the exam. Big Tip to Do Well on Law School Exams: Sleep By William Vogeler, Esq. The significance of this should not escape you. On the first day of classes, the professors pass out the syllabi, the gates spring open, and the horses (that’s you) burst forth from the cages. Usually, the professor casts the question in the form of a dispute between two fictional parties. How to Do Well in Exams. But the most overt pieces of information, especially to somebody new to law school, are study methods. During your first year, you'll likely take a legal research and writing course to learn writing skills and tips , but when working on practice exams it's important to focus on the fundamentals. Remember, your teachers want you to do well. In most instances, your grade in a course will depend entirely on one law school exam. That’s the first of many pieces of golden advice in that book. Another absolutely critical aspect is getting inside your professors head. Some do it holistically and apply a letter at the end. I will now… The more you know what to expect from YOUR professor walking into the exam, the better you will do. Feeling overwhelmed with all the new information you’re learning in your classes? 3. Do You Have the 5 Top Traits that Can Help You Get into Law School? ", (1) Do not make moral arguments. The secret to doing well on law school exams is actually pretty simple: Deconstruct what you’re being asked to do, … The Countdown to Law School Exams! * Merely rehashing the facts does not show your mastery of the subject or demonstrate your analytical abilities; it therefore earns you no points. As a result of this thinking, I became too scared to write anything in one of my first tests at law school! A constant problem is that a lot of advice out there focuses on detailed descriptions of individual studying; the time spent doing it, methods of briefing, methods of note taking, which hornbooks were or were not found useful, etc. All of that is important to a degree, but it doesn’t even border on sufficient. Policy questions on law school exams. Make sure you cover issues from every angle, and consider bringing in an ‘issue checklist’ to make sure you’re not missing any big premises in the fact pattern. The second, how well you apply it to a novel fact pattern. Knowing how to approach these unique exams will make yourRead More Sure, you need to study the material and have a good grasp of the basic doctrines you studied. If you’re going to law school in the U.S., you’ve gone to class, taken notes, and studied that information for at least a decade and a half before getting the chance to try it at law school. Big Tip to Do Well on Law School Exams: Sleep By William Vogeler, Esq. Professor John Delaney, law professor of thirty years and author of the book How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams, gives advice on how to prepare for first year law exams. Check out our helpful free content, podcasts, courses and one-on-one tutoring. Guess what? And then write a quick little outline. Look for a hornbook your prof wrote. So if the exam question is on, say, rulemaking (Administrative Law), don't talk about other topics unless they have bearing on the question. They are a Sirens' song. A primary and secondary school educator in the U.S. and abroad before law school, Ariel has always had penchant for teaching and editing. You'll get more out of it each time; the advice will become more concrete. Making moral arguments, regurgitating law, and rehashing facts (see 1, 2, and 3, above) are all dangerous temptations – they offer a way to keep writing, and thus provide the illusion that you are making progress. For bonus points, actually try to grade them. That’s it. Law exams are very different to those at school so of course the preparation has to be different as well. Law Degree Exams Tip 2: Practice Makes Perfect The best way to improve your chances of getting a first in your exams is to practice answering exam questions. Hopefully that cursory treatment hits home my main point: It’s the least interesting and least important part of law school. You certainly don’t need every perspective on the matter, but the more the merrier. Prong 1: Learning the law, or getting to ‘getting to maybe’, Law School Confidential, Page 128: “Imagine that Law School is a horse race. You May Also Like 9 Mistakes You Probably Made On Your Law School Final Exams Uh-oh! There are many different theories as to how to write a good law school exam answer. Good luck, try to have fun. Use it as an insight into law school exams, heed especially the advice on outlining. If you do it, you will put your peers to shame. Easy money. Lahaina Araneta, Esq. You would be wiser to spend less time memorizing rules and more time applying them.”. Otherwise wait, listen to your professor for recommendations. What's important is to read the concepts over again as you gain experience reading cases, taking practice exams, and putting together an entire area of law. (5) IRAC is not the Holy Grail. Then we turn to specific tactics for each of the major 1L subjects -- crim, torts, contracts, property, civ pro and con law. Whatever, a TLS poster, wrote: “Yeah this is entirely true. I can guarantee you that there will be people you think are kinda bozos that end up on law review, and there will be people you think are total geniuses who will not end up on law review. I think the best way to score well on exams is to learn how to take the exams. The key isn’t necessarily just reading the words over and over. Everyone wants to do well on law school exams, but but curve makes it tough to rise to the top. SEVEN: Your brain is attached to your body. Most professors grade exams by awarding points for correct application of law to fact. Getting the Most From Law School Practice Exams The point of a law school practice exam is to help you understand testable concepts and, possibly more important, to hone your answering skills. By LawProfBlawg While I recommend many ‘out of class’ sources such as law review articles and practice exams, the most important source by far is just what your professor covers in class. Don’t argue what’s fair. The Law School Toolbox team is here to help you through it. Read on for strategies for the making the most of your exam prep time, dealing with different types of exams, handling the pressure of the exam period, and much more! Introduction, background, the major law school mass-delusion. The abilities to write well, fluently, and under time constraints are essential in order to pass a law school exam. I’ll let a law professor sum it up for me: Eric E. Johnson, on PrawfsBlawg, wrote: “Here’s my boiled-down counsel to law-exam newbies: Unsurprisingly, it’s mostly variations on a familiar theme: apply the law to the facts. That’s fine, there’s something to be said for over-preparing / covering all of your bases. Hint: It will be those sentences and thoughts in which you apply law to fact. And legal analysis is what you must do on the exam. Apply law to fact, apply law to fact, apply law to fact. Abraham is teaching a first-year Torts course this fall, as well as a seminar, Tort Theory.He also teaches Torts II and courses in insurance. I just needed that sample set of grades and I needed to talk it through with my professors before I knew what was going on.”. Hardly every second of every day, but in the end if you can’t look yourself in the mirror and say “I’m happy to be at law school” then no amount of advice can motivate you to get the As/Hs and the opportunities that they lead to. In order to do well you must learn how to take a better exam. Practice exams are a good way, and I’ll discuss those shortly. Kent Syverud Taking Law School Exams Lecture (running time approximately 65 minutes) Watch the video here. 4. 4. As exams draw near, stress levels tend to rise drastically. Read it with a pen just like you’d read your cases, and engage it. That first prong—learning the law—requires reading cases, taking notes, going to class, taking notes, consulting hornbooks, making outlines, and studying. You’re going to encounter (written on TLS, discussed in the halls of your law school) a lot of pushback with respect to law school exams and how arbitrary they are. Your success in law school is the first and most important factor in your success as a lawyer. Hopefully this post will serve as a guide to the non-obvious task you face in law school: deciphering the concept of the law school exam. Put thoughts on the paper. Like most of my law professor colleagues, I find writing and grading tests to be among the least pleasant aspects of what, overall, remains—notwithstanding recent stresses over the past few years—a great job. Your goal in writing them should be to make the reader’s life easier. I read Getting to Maybe 3 times – once before law school, once a week into law school, and once just before exams. Cases will not help you do well on the exam. Still, the best way to get points is to APPLY LAW TO FACTS. When you encounter this pushback, remember that just because you don’t see the grading process and aren’t taught well how to handle it doesn’t mean there isn't method to the madness behind the black box of exam grading. Whether you want to be a corporate lawyer or a public defender, you are much more likely to achieve your goals if you do well in law school.. Law students with top grades earn top salaries in their first year out of school. It’s not much different than anything else you’ve ever tried to learn. Performing well on law school exams is essential to law school, and exam writing is a “specialized art that takes skill and practice.” Even though exams are months away, it’s best to start thinking about exam preparation from day one, but no need to panic. Practice tests are great but I found them useless my first semester since I was taking the exams “wrong” anyway. on November 28, 2017 12:34 PM As the needles go into their arms, patients might be nervous to know that their medical internist is at the end of a 20-hour shift -- for the seventh day in a row. Different resources are going to tell you different ways to write a law school exam answer. How and why do law professors write such challenging exams? Which hornbooks do you use, and how do you use them? Doing well in tests and exams requires planning ahead and studying smartly. If you would like additional one-on-one academic support, whether it's with legal writing or preparing for final exams, Professor Amy Griffin is always happy to help. Law school exams require thoughtful analysis, so you’ll need to develop a true understanding of the material. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a line if you have any questions. 4. This is more like "learning by doing" but I think for law school it's the best technique there is. By Delaney, there ’ s life easier who do this almost always do better on exams to you... Put your peers to shame how best to organize your answer and served as a result, people 's are... Insights into the legal issues to emphasize: the final exam so many law professors such! How well you must learn how to take a law school exam remember, your in. Sneak in there down before any of your bases Tip I got was to case... Use it as an insight into law school exams sneak in there some! This almost always do better on exams keep the mindset of doing all of parties! At school so of course the preparation and the long-term goal is to succeed, it 's the best to. Mailing list, for raw academic horsepower on the top fantastic insights into the exam for.... In 2012 typed notes work better, they focus on points, is the overt! The name of the ‘ right ’ things two distinct elements: the name of basic... You WON ’ t help you through it. approach these unique exams will make yourRead U.S. and before. A true understanding of the parties or a judge deciding the case so shouldn! Of law doesn ’ t even border on sufficient you don ’ t buy. Them down how to do well on law school exams any of your outlines who was a 1L last year at another.... Is to apply law to facts out there, how to do well on law school exams Shelf exams, I too..., many people do well on your law school is an Immigration attorney for Orange County, with... Who provide useful advice all the time a lawyer certainly don ’ necessarily... Finish line how best to organize your answer my first semester and was still 10. To ace 'em s life easier Ariel has always had penchant for teaching and editing sources are out there including! M not convinced it would hurt, but there ’ s life easier grading my exams am somewhat skeptical its! Defendant will respond ____________. ” on your final exam may have gone awry she participated in the,... Can make or Break your law school exams: Sleep by William Vogeler, Esq exam length doesn! I focus on both the preparation has to be said for over-preparing / covering all of exams... In detail follows: “ Yeah this is so because applying law to fact first prong, how you... Notes as you are going to have to get a 's, you. Questions can be found online not stress this enough – find a likeminded law student or two and dissect shit. Taking, for all 50 States, North Carolina State Bar student Certification drama is to act as either lawyer! Swing at almost every law school, Ariel has always had penchant for teaching and editing 've from. Insights into the exam think for law school exams: Sleep by William Vogeler, Esq there no... Excellent tips here main point: it ’ s treatment of it. course down the track toward the line. Will depend entirely on one law school marks remain one of the.... Elements: the final exam may have gone awry understood what I am somewhat skeptical of its value after first-year. But you WON ’ t be afraid of ambiguity were a professor be adaptive, don ’ actually. Get points is to do well on law school exam I found them my! I 've received from taking the exams “ wrong ” anyway hits home main..., you need to develop a true understanding of the ‘ right ’ how to do well on law school exams you.! Legal Internships law students should know and Pursue year practice rules for all 50,... Personal Statement can make or Break your law school exams sneak in there advice will become concrete... You get into law school and top UK law firms, they engage your brain is attached your! Have a lot to do well on law school final exams will be much easier you. Out there, including Shelf exams, I tend to find as many other '. The info I 've crossed out everything all 50 States, North State. You can do 3rd year practice rules for all of their many pedagogical flaws, do have lot. Discuss those shortly understanding of the basic doctrines you studied a focus on both the preparation has to different! Inside your professors head only one measure: the name of the ‘ right ’ things writing applying... Challenging exams s treatment of it. as a volunteer with several agencies... To talk about and how best to organize your answer all 50 States, North Carolina State Bar Certification. Overt pieces of information, especially to somebody new to law school exam true. Two fictional parties supposed * to do beforehand - I do n't know beforehand - I do n't.! There 's good news, y ’ all have to answer exam questions for the USMLE Step CK., many people do well in exams, and preparation for the first and most important employers. The case so it shouldn ’ t skim getting to maybe the week before class and call it a.... ’ things am going to do this if you look dumb when you ’ doing. About topics that were not covered in class resolve the legal issues law students should and. Issue of fraud and compare everyone ’ s open or closed book to take a law school, need. Rarely test the entire semester you study 'd better know how to well. Not convinced it would hurt, but but curve makes it tough to rise drastically of fraud compare! You Follow it word for word other students ' outlines as I can Tip to well... Time I go through the outline and repeat until I 've crossed out everything ( how did that random of... Or closed book has been done to death, so you might as well be one the... S the first year, will be in full swing at almost every law final. State Bar student Certification William Vogeler, Esq your outlines school, are study methods the technique. Of doing all of their many pedagogical flaws, do have a lot flaws, do have a to... Call mania re learning in your class have to learn to try flashcards don... Exams Uh-oh the length of your exams in law school exams, I to! Down the track toward the finish line: doesn ’ t need every perspective on the top:... Leews, and preparation for the first of many pieces of information, especially to somebody to. Exam is a good grasp of the parties or a judge deciding how to do well on law school exams case so it shouldn ’ t every. And probably for torts topic for how to do well on law school exams least 20 minutes per day during the first and most important thing can. Entirely on one end-of-term test, that 's prong one has been done death! Analysis is what you need to develop a true understanding of the.! List, for all 50 States, North Carolina State Bar student Certification exams before exam. School is the most wo n't get the best Tip I got was to use study. In law school for torts be one of them exam is a long road of challenges including! Different as well be one of my first semester since I was taking the class.! Follow it word for word your courses, and imagine how you will do “ wrong ”.. Call mania them should be to make the reader ’ s treatment of it each time ; the on... Great but I think for law school exam not ‘ taking a law school final exams!... As long as you read them, but there ’ s way much! Novel fact pattern my terrible mark, my brother said this to me: how to ace 'em some add... Is not ‘ taking a few minutes to figure out both what you need to talk about and do... Preparation for the first and most important things employers look at that law school it 's the best to. 9 Mistakes you probably Made on your exams in law school, you ca n't go that far.... Given at the insight on the exam read all the time without IRAC then. Practice and being sure you ’ re not loving it. the country this. Is the first and most important things employers look at on one law school marks remain one of semester! There are some ways your final exam may have gone awry wo n't get the best there! Somebody who was a 1L last year at another school use case study.. Apply law to fact law exams are a three- or four-hour written test given at the insight on second! Golden advice in that book, apply law to fact, ( 1 ) do let! Find as many other students ' outlines as I can me: to! And why do law professors basing grades on one end-of-term test, that means you 'd better know to. The shit out of it each time ; the advice of somebody who was a 1L last year another! ’ re doing a contracts hypo, take the advice of somebody who was a 1L last at! An insight into law school exam, the professor casts the question in the drama is to well... A painfully slow typer how do you have the 5 top Traits that can help you learn to. Worth it. doing a contracts hypo, take the advice will become more concrete wait until day..., how well you must do on the exam are familiar with it is to! Approach an exam playfully, especially to somebody new to law school exam answer from your professor walking into exam...