Writing out exams vs using ExamSoft. Forum

[270910]

Protip: On average, it seems like the short, succinct, well analyzed essays beat out the long-winded "typing contest" ones, I was amazed out how short the model answers were.

Not my experience at all. Which isn't to say you're wrong, just throwing it out there as a point of contrast.

Mine either. I think the model answers might be short because they hit on exactly what the professor wanted and nothing more, but I'd bet you that the bulk of the remaining 'A' exams were on the longer side.

Eg: if an exam has 10 possible points, 5 of which the professor is actually interested in, then an exam that covers exactly those 5 and nothing more will probably be chosen as the model, but longer answers that at least touch on 8-9 issues will hit most of the important points, while shorter answers that touch on 5-6 probably won't hit exactly the 5 the professor wants.

Real life example: Professor releases model answer, written by student #1. It is X words long and received an A. Student #2 wrote an answer that was twice as many words long and received an A+. Some students who had answers between X and 3X words got As, others got A- and and B+s and Bs and maybe even B-s. Some answers shorter than X words still got A- or A grades too.

The point is that the answer professors choose as model is - amusingly - rarely the one that got the most points.

[SwollenMonkey]

This scared and nervous *0L appreciates all your wonderful advice, thus far.
Verdict for me: Learn to type correctly!


*Also, as a 0L, I can't believe I posted something that appears to be useful (judging from the number of responses this thread has).

[random5483]

Most people at my school type out their essays. Most of the model answers I have seen are way too long for me to write by hand while under time pressure. With that said, if you prefer writing by hand, you might manage to succeed; however, if I were to guess, I'd assume that typers on average outperform writers.

Why type?

1. Speed (discussed in detail by others)
2. Organization (you can easily add that perfect addition to your analysis at the beginning of your paper)
3. Neatness (typed words are easier for a professor to read than the best handwritten words....a professor grading 60 or more essays will likely prefer typed exams)


With that said, if you are a horrible typer, you might want to take the exam by hand. However, I would recommend you work on your typing skills and take the exam on the computer once your typing skills are decent. Do not forego a laptop due to price. I had a friend consider doing that and I had to point out the idiocy of avoiding a 500 dollar expense. I mean law school costs most of us in the 100k+ range, a 500 dollar expense that could impact your grade in a competitive environment is definitely worth the investment.


Cliff Notes:

Type if you can. Handwrite if you absolutely must.

[beach_terror]

http://app.typrx.com