Law school exams are no joke. If you feel like you’re trying to crack a secret code when you’re reading your law school exam, you’re not alone. Many students struggle with exam preparation and end up having a hard time conveying what they know on the test itself.
Law school exams are supposed to be difficult but with the right strategy, you can make things easier on test day. To help you get started, here are three tips for succeeding on law school exams.
Create a schedule and stick to it
Most schools will post final exam schedules well in advance, so there’s no excuse for not creating a study plan for your semester. As a first step, add to your outline for each class as you go, instead of waiting until the end of the semester to create your outlines. Then, schedule time for reviewing and memorizing your outlines. Memorization is key because you won’t have time to read through your whole outline during the exam itself.
You’ll also want to start taking practice exams as soon as possible to familiarize yourself with how the material will be tested. Build time in your schedule both for taking the practice exam and reviewing your answers. We recommend you grade your answers as if you are a professor. This helps you get into the mind of a grader. Lastly, make sure your exam study schedule still allows you time for healthy meals, physical activity, seeing friends and sleeping. On the day of the exam, physical and mental health can help you perform at your peak.
Answer the question
While some issue spotters may be more open-ended than others, your professor is almost always directing you to analyze particular issues and facts and come to a conclusion. Sometimes, students feel like they can score extra points by bringing in related concepts that aren’t being tested. In most cases, this is a bad idea — not only does it take away time you should devote to the actual issues but it can also indicate to the professor that you don’t have a good understanding of the subject matter. For example, if your civil procedure final is testing personal jurisdiction, don’t dive into subject matter jurisdiction unless it’s also within the scope of the question.
If you struggle with answering the question or identifying the issue, practice more exams. Use your professor’s past exams if possible. This will help you get better at writing a focused answer.
Use your time and space wisely
Law school exams generally cover a broad array of topics. To succeed in your law school exams, you’ll need to allocate the time and space you have to ensure you cover everything. If your professor happens to provide a suggested time for each question, then pay attention! These allotments roughly correspond to the weight that questions will receive during grading. If your professor does not provide timing suggestions or a question is testing multiple subtopics, you’ll need to use your judgment. Approach the question as if you were a real-world attorney solving a real-world issue. If you can dispose of an issue in just a few lines, do so and then use more time to attack the complicated issues. You can always come back to previous questions if you have time.
Space is another valuable resource for law school exams. If your professor gives a word limit, be sure you’ve complied with their instructions. Consider how you can use techniques like headers, abbreviations and other tactics to write concise, well-organized answers.
