top 2% at competitive T1 taking questions/giving advice Forum

[beaniew]

shoot

[yinz]

What kind of gun do gunners use?

[beaniew]

the most annoying type imaginable

[dakatz]

How would you say you managed to finish in the top 2% of your class? Any particular advice or methods?

[beaniew]

really only a 2 or 3 gunners in my large section, but they really suck

[beaniew]

I am sure this has been said before. But outline from day one and know what to outline. This is tough as a 1L, you will feel very overwhelmed at first. Try to fight past that. Don't spend to much time preparing for class, think about the exam from day one. I briefed all year long, but my briefs went from one page (absurdly long) to about 4 lines. On an exam you really only drop one or two lines from even the most seminal cases.

Know how to write a law school exam - most people don't understand how to do this.

[beaniew]

integrate supplements from day one. I don't recommend E and E - they are way too dumbed down. If you need something as basic as the E and E, you probably aren't competing for top 10 percent.

[yinz]

Know how to write a law school exam - most people don't understand how to do this.

Care to be more specific? For example, in rough terms, how much of your exam followed: IRAC, policy, GtM analysis? What about style? Did you use headers, short sentences, formal or semi-formal language?

How many practice tests did you do and when did you take them?

[beaniew]

Yes. Be very organized. I used headers and subheaders. I always started with an underline conclusion.

Conclusion. Issue. Rule. Application of rule to facts. Counterargument (only if there is one) Policy only if it makes argument stronger. brief conclusion.

But the the issue and rule statements must be correctly worded. Most people have problem actually phrasing the distilled, condensed issue.

[beaniew]

getting to maybe was a waste of time. I thought it was money when I first read it, but I was wrong. Use Delaney's how to write law shcool exams. Leews is helpful if your prof gives straight issue spotters, but it is just common sense in my opinion. I listed to 3 or 4 cds before thinking, duh I already now this shit.

My advice read GTM and listen to LEEWS but don't expect any thing truly groundbreaking.

Focus heavily on delaney's book. It is really the best and the return was obvious for me. It really helped me organize my exams.

[beaniew]

short sentences. Nothing fancy. No big words. You don't get points for style on an exam. Your job is to spot the issues. Frame them appropriately. Show that you know the law on point and how to apply it.

Policy exams are obviously a whole nother baby

[beaniew]

read every test on file for your professor. Issue spot every one and outline answer to each. Work three timed practice exams for each class first semester until you get the hang of writing answer. Second semester I did not work a single timed exam to completeness but i did outline many exam questions and I thought about all of them.

[yinz]

Focus heavily on delaney's book. It is really the best and the return was obvious for me. It really helped me organize my exams.

How To Do Your Best On Law School Exams or Learning Legal Reasoning or both?

[beaniew]

don't waste the time on legal reasoning. Only get how to do your best on law school exams.

[megaTTTron]

What's a competitive T1?

[beaniew]

all those where people start to worry about getting good jobs. Think T20-50.

[Grad09]

Solid, thanks for taking questions.

If I understand correctly, you recommend outlining from day one specifically focusing on the exam. Most 1Ls don't get this right away.

What did you look for to outline during class? What would you write? What would you NOT write? Did the professor say anything you didn't write?

How did you do notes and outlining? Did you have notes done before class or during? Was your final outline composed of your notes, or did you rewrite/restructure your info?

Can you give a rough sketch of what your daily routine was like?

Thanks x1000000000 for the insight

[howcani111]

What's a competitive T1?

gmu

[RudeDudewithAttitude]

integrate supplements from day one. I don't recommend E and E - they are way too dumbed down. If you need something as basic as the E and E, you probably aren't competing for top 10 percent.

Sadly, this is likely true.

[megaTTTron]

all those where people start to worry about getting good jobs. Think T20-50.

Word. Your advice is credited btw.

[howcani111]

what supplements did you use?

also, what mistakes do you think people make that 1LS should not?

[rando]

integrate supplements from day one. I don't recommend E and E - they are way too dumbed down. If you need something as basic as the E and E, you probably aren't competing for top 10 percent.

Sadly, this is likely true.

But certainly not because they are too dumbed down. E&E's just take too long to get through the drivel. There is plenty of gold to be found, it is just buried.

Not to incite an argument but the above assessment of E&E's and competing for top 10% is probably the most pretentious thing I've read on TLS today. i.e. very pretentious.

[beaniew]

@grad09

My daily routine was up by 6:30. Eat breakfast. Commute to school. Get to school by 8. Read for class and outline. Go to class at 10. lunch at 12. More class until 2. Get home at 3:30. Nap, eat, go for run. Back to work by 5. Read/outline until 8. dinner 8 to 9. Read til 10. Hang out with SO until 11. Bed. Repeat.

Outline and read all day saturday taking breaks every 2 to 3 hours. Long dinner break. Run errands on sunday and do luandry. DO reading from 5 pm to 9 pm.

I keep busy.

[beaniew]

@grad09. I typed everything the prof said in class because I am super neurotic.

Then when I outlined. I copied and pasted my notes from one subject into my outline. Then I deleted all the rubbish that I didn't need and summarized the rest untill it was highly condensed. Then I integrated by outline with the supplments.

Generally

Issue
Condensed notes
2 to 4 sentence brief of case on point
summary of policy argument

Issue 2
repeat above

[beaniew]

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