Preparing for Law School Exams

Finals are fast approaching. You’ve gone to class, taken notes, and maybe even completed all of the assigned reading. Now comes the time to prove to your professors you know the required information. Sounds easy enough right? Well, in case you do have some anxiety about preparing for finals – here are some helpful tips.

Before the exam:

• Use your time wisely. Sure procrastination is fun now, but during finals free time is rare and it’s better to take your time studying instead of cramming for everything the night before. Plan your exam calendar accordingly and make sure you have enough time to study for each of your exams.
• Review past exams. This will help you grow accustomed to your professor’s exam writing style and allow you to practice your issue spotting skills for the subject. This also allows you to compare your practice answer with the model answer or your study partners’ answers. If you have the time, it is also helpful to practice taking these exams under the same time constraints and conditions as your real exam.
• Review your class notes and outlines. Professors teach what they will test. This means you likely have the information you need for your exam in your notes and the outline you’ve hopefully been preparing all semester. Review these heavily, start memorizing, and condense information into a short outline or checklist you can easily remember when you are sitting in your exam.
• Treat open book exams like closed book exams. You might have a book with you when you are taking the exam, but by studying like it is a closed book exam you won’t waste time looking up information you should already know.
• Take care of yourself. Make sure you are getting plenty of rest and eating properly. No one takes their best exam when they are overtired, hungry, or sick.

During the exam:

• Read the exam directions. No one wants to be penalized for something simple like going over a page or word limit.
  
• Make sure you read the question more than once. Read the question several times. This will help you spot issues, learn the facts, and understand the call of the question. The more comfortable you are with the question, the better the answer you can write.
• Before you write, plan your answer. Seems simple enough, but students often fail to do this. Professors like organized answers. It’s hard to do that if you start writing immediately. Take a few minutes to outline your answer. Who knows – you might even spot an issue you missed when you were reading the question.
• Answer the question that is asked. The professor expects you to answer the question they asked, not the question you wanted them to ask.
• IRAC. Identify the issue. State the rule. Make your analysis clear and thorough. State your conclusion and why you’ve come to that conclusion. You need to write clearly so the professor knows you learned the materials. Also, by following this formula, you are able to show your work – something else professors want.
• Anticipate counterarguments. Answer them. There are two sides to every story. Anticipating and addressing counterarguments shows the professor you’ve considered the alternatives to your chosen argument.
• Use your allotted time wisely. Keep track of the time. If a professor has a suggested time limit for a question, try to follow it. You’ve studied hard, so take your time and prove to the professor you’ve learned the material.

After the exam:

• Don’t talk to anyone about the exam. You are done with the exam. Walk away and stop thinking about it.
• Take some time for down time. Your brain functions best when you are well rested. So take the night off and start studying for your next exam in the morning. Your body and your brain will thank you.

Good luck with exams!