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Wondering how to master law school finals?
Hoping to get better grades?
Here are eight steps you should use on law school finals.
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Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to discuss the eight steps you should follow
when writing an essay for your law school finals.
By using this approach, you won’t be scrambling each time you take an exam,
allowing you to focus your attention of the facts and law.
Time.
Make sure you keep track of time on a timed exam.
If you have three essays and three hours, make sure you don’t use more than one hour
per question.
If you finish a question early, you can use that time for the next essay.
But if you use too much time on a question, then you will end up failing the last question.
When I grade my exams, I know the last question will be easy for me to grade,
because students aren't going to get to the question
or they're not going to spend as much time as they should in answering it.
With good time management this doesn’t have to happen to you.
Call of the Question.
Always start by reading the call of the question.
The call of the question is located at the end of the fact pattern and tells you what
the professor wants you to do.
The reason for reading it first is because it often provides you with clues.
If, for example, the call of the question asks you to discuss whether Joe and Lily have
a valid contract, you can then read the facts with that in mind.
Otherwise, you're going to start reading the facts and start thinking
about issues that aren’t being tested on the exam
Facts.
Next, read the fact pattern.
Think about the issues that are reasonably raised by the facts.
By the way, don’t make up facts that aren’t there.
Only use the facts you are given.
Mark Up.
Read the call of the question again and go through the facts again.
This time, take out your pen, underline key facts and write down the issues implicated
by the facts.
For example, if a fact says: “Joe told Lily that she could have the lamp for $50,” then write
down “offer” next to that fact.
Outline.
Create a short outline, listing each issue, sub-issue, and key fact.
This provides you with the road map you’ll use when writing your answer.
Scientific studies show that students who spend the time pre-writing out perform those who
just start writing.
This is because when you just start writing an answer, you start forgetting the things
that you initially thought about.
For example, you spend 15 minutes discussing the first issue on the exam, and because of
that focused attention you miss a minor issue that you actually thought about 15 minutes earlier.
But even if you don’t miss an issue, you're going to have to go back. Start rereading the facts,
to regain your train of thought.
The key to performing well on an exam is great organization.
For each essay, spend about 20% of your time thinking and prewriting, and then 80% of your
time writing your essay.
For most students, the greatest challenge in implementing this approach is fear.
Let me explain.
You get into the exam room, you're prepared to use this method.
They start the exam. 90 seconds into it, the person next to you starts typing.
Your instinct is: oh my, what am I going to do. I better start typing too
because I'm at a competitive disadvantage.
No, you are not. You have the advantage. They do not.
Resolution.
Make sure that your essay clearly has a resolution for each issue and sub-issue.
In other words, don’t beat around the bush.
A law school exam is not a scholarly endeavor, where you discuss all the pros and all the cons, and
then reach some ambiguous conclusion.
If, for example, you believe that there was a murder, then make sure your essay unambiguously
leads the reader to that conclusion.
IRAC.
Use an organizational writing method, whether its IRAC, BRAC, CREAC, or any of the other variations
you might have been taught.
An exam with a poor structure isn't going to do well, even if the law is correct.
I’ve seen mediocre answers that could have been top answers, if only the student had
employed a better organizational method.
I recommend IRAC because it's simple to use and, when used properly, creates well-reasoned
answers.
If you’re not familiar with IRAC, make sure to watch my episode on IRAC
and the other one on nested IRAC.
Review.
For many exams, you will have some time left over at the end.
Do not, I repeat, do not walk out of the room early.
Use the remaining time to review your answer and make changes, even if they are as simple
as making sentences clearer.
When I proctor exams, I am just always amazed at the number of students that walk out 10, 20,
30 minutes early.
Because law professors often are required to give a limited number of A’s and B’s and C's,
you don’t know how your answer is going to compare to that of your classmate.
A few simple edits at the end of the exam can make the difference in you getting a higher
grade.
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