Are you looking for some tips on cramming for a law school exam?
Here are twelve steps you can follow to help you from failing a course.
Hi, this is Professor Beau Baez.
Ideally, you should not be waiting to the last moment to prepare for your exams.
But that’s where you are right now, so let’s examine some strategies to help you make it
over the finish line.
Inward, outward, upward!
Today we are going to look inward and make some outward changes to propel you upward.
One, find a good supplement for the course.
Identify the sections of the supplement that your professor covered in class by comparing
it with the professor’s syllabus.
Then read those sections in the supplement.
By the way, there is no magic supplement.
There are some that I prefer, but they might not work for you.
When I was a law student I would go to the bookstore and look at the different supplements,
and then pick one that seemed to make the most sense for me.
Two, find one or two good outlines from others who did well in the course.
But don’t go crazy by getting more than two—you’ll just be wasting your time.
Then go read and review the outlines, and refer to the supplement when something in
the outline doesn’t make sense.
By the way, you may have heard some student say that they crammed for the exam and got
a good grade in the class.
Okay, suppose that’s true.
You are not them and may not be so lucky.
Also, when they tell you that they got a B in the course, you don’t know if that professor
gave out lots of good grades.
Cramming should not become a habit for you.
Three, create a list of major topics that might appear on the exam.
In other words, focus on what is important and avoid the trivial.
You will find these topics by looking at the headings in the course syllabus, student outlines,
and the supplement.
Then review these topics, making sure you understand how they work.
Four, create a mini-outline.
Take what you are learning from the other student outlines, syllabus, and the supplement
and create your own outline.
This will help you identify what is really important,
and help you learn it at the same time.
That's because you learn every time you use a different sense in your body: reading engages
sight while writing engages touch.
Five, revise the material you learned before you go to sleep.
Our brains keep working while we are sleep, so use that to your benefit.
Two hours before going to bed, review and revise the material that you worked on that day
so that your brain can make sense of it for you while you're sleeping.
Six, make a schedule.
Determine how much time you have before the final and make a plan as to how much time
you're going to study.
Break your studying into 25 minute chunks and 5 minute breaks, which I explain in more
detail in another video on the Pomodoro technique.
You need to take breaks, otherwise your mind will wander and you won’t learn as well
as you would otherwise.
Seven, mix up the order of the material.
Our brains need variety, so don’t study concepts sequentially.
Start at the beginning and then move towards the back.
And then jump around a bit to keep your brain engaged with the material.
Eight, put your phone in another room.
And for that matter, anything else that might distract you.
You might find it easier to study away from home, maybe at the school’s library.
For me, if I need to get away from all distractions I go to my public library, as that avoids
me running into anyone I know.
Nine, take a practice exam.
Ideally you will use one that was created by your law professor, but if that’s not
possible find one from another section or one on the Internet.
Try to mimic timed conditions, and once you are done, compare your answer to your notes
and the supplement.
Make sure to review the sections of the supplement where you got confused.
Ten, get some rest.
Your body needs sleep, so don’t pull any all-nighters.
You may think you are learning, but you really aren’t—you are fooling yourself into thinking
you are learning.
Eleven, eat and drink.
You need to eat healthy foods that will keep your brain working at an optimal level.
Also, keep drinking water for the same reason.
Twelve, don’t read cases.
At this point in the semester, focus on the secondary materials that I discussed earlier.
You are in crisis mode, which means focusing
on what is likely to help you not fail the exam.
Cases are primarily there to help you prepare for class, not the final exam.
Now that we've discussed these different strategies, let’s talk about next semester.
Start planning for the final at the beginning of the semester.
Not only will you do better, but you’ll be less stressed out going into the new exam.
New videos every other Wednesday, and hit the subscribe and bell buttons so you can
become a better student and a better lawyer.