People, tell me about typing speed and LS exams Forum

[facile princeps]

This brother can't type to save his life . Alright i'm not that bad but i'm nowhere near where i think i need to be, and the clock is ticking. I have the latest Mavis Beacon CD but i haven't yet given it a spin.

Tell me:

Is typing fast necessary to do well on exams?
What is the minimum typing speed you think one could do well with?
Can anyone convince me that Mavis Beacon will break me out of my bad habits?
Any tips?

Thanks.

[Shammis]

If it's race-horse...then typing speed can literally set the curve. It has been my issue since starting Law School.

[Mr. Jones]

It's not really an issue. First year students like to think it is. Answers should be concise and to the point. Using headings and good organization is going to impact you more. If you can type 60 words a minute or more (remembering that spelling does not count); you'll be okay.

[facile princeps]

It's not really an issue. First year students like to think it is. Answers should be concise and to the point. Using headings and good organization is going to impact you more. If you can type 60 words a minute or more (remembering that spelling does not count); you'll be okay.

Nice. That's not too frightening after all.

[Mce252]

It has been a big deal in some of my exams. A few of my professors that have given timed exams layed out ridiculous fact patterns. Crim, torts, con law were exams for me that required me to type quickly to get a high grade. The professor doesn't expect anyone to finish in those exams so students that can coherently machine gun out the best exam will score the highest.

Then, there are also the exams that come down to the ability to get to the point quickly with strict word limits. I have had a mixture of both.

In my opinion, if two students had the same level of understanding, the one with the higher WPM will come out ranked higher in the class after 1L.

[mr.hands]

It has been a big deal in some of my exams. A few of my professors that have given timed exams layed out ridiculous fact patterns. Crim, torts, con law were exams for me that required me to type quickly to get a high grade. The professor doesn't expect anyone to finish in those exams so students that can coherently machine gun out the best exam will score the highest.

Then, there are also the exams that come down to the ability to get to the point quickly with strict word limits. I have had a mixture of both.

In my opinion, if two students had the same level of understanding, the one with the higher WPM will come out ranked higher in the class after 1L.

Torts is a horse-race. Not so sure about con law. Don't vomit words onto the page.

Write and write and answer the questions. But don't worry about getting 7000 words down

[plenipotentiary]

It helps on law school exams to be able to write fast, but that's not the same thing as being able to type fast. Thinking fast, phrasing fast is a big part of it, too.

[facile princeps]

Thanks. So, is the general consensus that one would be capable of doing well with a typing speed of about 60 WPM?

[jkpolk]

Thanks. So, is the general consensus that one would be capable of doing well with a typing speed of about 60 WPM?

If an exam is 4 hours long and 7500 words is a complete answer, you only need to average 32 words/minute of typing if you type the whole time. Obviously that average speed will increase for how long it takes you to think/outline the answer. If it only takes you 5 minutes to lay everything out because you know the course cold, you wont have to rely on typing speed to get everything out.

[facile princeps]

Thanks. So, is the general consensus that one would be capable of doing well with a typing speed of about 60 WPM?

If an exam is 4 hours long and 7500 words is a complete answer, you only need to average 32 words/minute of typing if you type the whole time. Obviously that average speed will increase for how long it takes you to think/outline the answer. If it only takes you 5 minutes to lay everything out because you know the course cold, you wont have to rely on typing speed to get everything out.

Cool. Thank you.