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torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:03 pm
by usuaggie
this midterm is 20% of my final grade. I've seen the top answer from last year's midterm. It was 7 pages long and written like an outline. The kid was blatantly wrong in a lot of places, but the teacher doesn't mark off for incorrect answers. She just has a checklist of words and phrases and when she sees you used it in the right place, you get a plus one or plus two for it.
any advice? i type really fast so I'm planning on just trying to throw everything i can into it that may be even remotely reasonable.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:10 pm
by dakatz
That seems like a horrible way to grade an exam. Not marking off for wrong answers? Just looking for words and phrases? So that professor essentially encourages a blind memory-dump of everything in your brain, rather than an analysis that tests your ability to only consult the relevant law and apply it in a detailed and lawyerly manner. Man, I want to take your exam. Any torts points that you are still iffy on?
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:18 pm
by usuaggie
having a hard time with telling when it is conversion or trespass to chattel. it is like pornography. i know it when i see it, but i cant define either one too clearly.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:19 pm
by usuaggie
and the penalty for wrong answers, in her words, is the time it took us to type the wrong answer.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:22 pm
by kswiss
good luck. (I'm in your class.)
I think that because of how she grades, this test probably won't have much effect on our final grade. It seems like most people will put the same stuff down, so the only thing that really sets people apart is who can type faster. Still, doing really bad or really good can probably still help/hurt us.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:22 pm
by dakatz
usuaggie wrote:having a hard time with telling when it is conversion or trespass to chattel. it is like pornography. i know it when i see it, but i cant define either one too clearly.
Hmm, wish I could help more. In my section on intentional torts, we only did battery, assault, defenses to both, and IIED. But good luck on that test. At least you know what approach to use in order to do well.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:23 pm
by usuaggie
kswiss wrote:good luck. (I'm in your class.)
I think that because of how she grades, this test probably won't have much effect on our final grade. It seems like most people will put the same stuff down, so the only thing that really sets people apart is who can type faster. Still, doing really bad or really good can probably still help/hurt us.
yeah I'm glad I can type fast. I'm guessing you know who I am but I don't know who you are. kinda creepy.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:25 pm
by kswiss
usuaggie wrote:having a hard time with telling when it is conversion or trespass to chattel. it is like pornography. i know it when i see it, but i cant define either one too clearly.
It seems like if something comes up and you're not sure, just mention both. From the PT's it seems like she would give points for mentioning both as long as you state which one you would advise to pursue.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:26 pm
by kswiss
I think I told you in passing on day 1. We went to UG in the same state. I didn't go to the school you hate.
That rhymes.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:47 pm
by goosey
usuaggie wrote:having a hard time with telling when it is conversion or trespass to chattel. it is like pornography. i know it when i see it, but i cant define either one too clearly.
taken out of my outline:
6. Trespass to Chattels and Conversion is the intentional interference with the property of others
o Difference between the two is the seriousness of the interference
o Can start out as TTC but turn into conversion due to the time period or damage caused
TRESSPASS TO CHATTELS
o Without damage to chattel, there is no cause of action
o ∆ liable for the harm caused, but not the entire value of the chattel
CONVERSION
o 1) intentional
2) exercise of dominion or control over a chattel
3) which so seriously interferes with the right of another to control it that
4) the actor may justly be required to pay the other the full value of the chattel.
a. Π has option of retaining chattel + damages caused by harm OR of relinquishing the chattel to the ∆ and recovering its fair market value
o Serious and justness of this requirement determined by:
a. The extent and duration of the actor’s exercise of dominion or control
b. The actor’s intent to assert a right inconsistent with the other’s right of control
c. The actor’s good faith
d. The extent and duration of the resulting interference with the other’s right of control
e. The harm done to the chattel
f. The inconvenience and expense caused to the other
o If one intends to STEAL, it is CONVERSION [ie. If classmate knowingly takes your book because she needs it, she has converted it, even if she only took it for an hour. Intent to appropriate the book for even an hr renders the interference so serious that the π has the right to demand full payment]
o Mistake as to ownership will generally not be a defense
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:49 pm
by Anonymous Loser
dakatz wrote:That seems like a horrible way to the way essentially all law professors grade an exam.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 3:14 pm
by 270910
Check out the content competition (and older) articles on law school exams. It will serve you better than studying the material at this point. Your mission is to have less no fucking clue what to do with a law school exam than your peers. Good luck!
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:08 pm
by usuaggie
disco_barred wrote:Check out the content competition (and older) articles on law school exams. It will serve you better than studying the material at this point. Your mission is to have less no fucking clue what to do with a law school exam than your peers. Good luck!
I edited some of the articles and I read getting to maybe, so I'm hoping I have a mostly accurate idea of what I'm doing
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:27 pm
by spanktheduck
dakatz wrote:That seems like a horrible way to grade an exam. Not marking off for wrong answers? Just looking for words and phrases? So that professor essentially encourages a blind memory-dump of everything in your brain, rather than an analysis that tests your ability to only consult the relevant law and apply it in a detailed and lawyerly manner. Man, I want to take your exam. Any torts points that you are still iffy on?
This seems like standard practice for a law school exam.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:34 pm
by dakatz
spanktheduck wrote:dakatz wrote:That seems like a horrible way to grade an exam. Not marking off for wrong answers? Just looking for words and phrases? So that professor essentially encourages a blind memory-dump of everything in your brain, rather than an analysis that tests your ability to only consult the relevant law and apply it in a detailed and lawyerly manner. Man, I want to take your exam. Any torts points that you are still iffy on?
This seems like standard practice for a law school exam.
Every professor I have, and every piece of material I have read on law school exams speak to the contrary. They all say that a "brain dump" is one of the worst things you can do (which is simply spewing back everything you can remember on a subject, with a disregard for the specifics that you actually need). All my professors said that brain dumps show an inability to differentiate what is relevant/important from what is not.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:42 pm
by spanktheduck
dakatz wrote:spanktheduck wrote:dakatz wrote:That seems like a horrible way to grade an exam. Not marking off for wrong answers? Just looking for words and phrases? So that professor essentially encourages a blind memory-dump of everything in your brain, rather than an analysis that tests your ability to only consult the relevant law and apply it in a detailed and lawyerly manner. Man, I want to take your exam. Any torts points that you are still iffy on?
This seems like standard practice for a law school exam.
Every professor I have, and every piece of material I have read on law school exams speak to the contrary. They all say that a "brain dump" is one of the worst things you can do (which is simply spewing back everything you can remember on a subject, with a disregard for the specifics that you actually need). All my professors said that brain dumps show an inability to differentiate what is relevant/important from what is not.
Brain dump is different than marking off for wrong answers. Brain dump answer do poorly b/c the student wastes a lot of time talking about non-issues or talking about them incorrectly, which prevents them from spending time actually getting points by talking about the important matters. Brain dump exams are also usually hard to follow and are organized poorly
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:44 pm
by dakatz
spanktheduck wrote:dakatz wrote:spanktheduck wrote:dakatz wrote:That seems like a horrible way to grade an exam. Not marking off for wrong answers? Just looking for words and phrases? So that professor essentially encourages a blind memory-dump of everything in your brain, rather than an analysis that tests your ability to only consult the relevant law and apply it in a detailed and lawyerly manner. Man, I want to take your exam. Any torts points that you are still iffy on?
This seems like standard practice for a law school exam.
Every professor I have, and every piece of material I have read on law school exams speak to the contrary. They all say that a "brain dump" is one of the worst things you can do (which is simply spewing back everything you can remember on a subject, with a disregard for the specifics that you actually need). All my professors said that brain dumps show an inability to differentiate what is relevant/important from what is not.
Brain dump is different than marking off for wrong answers. Brain dump answer do poorly b/c the student wastes a lot of time talking about non-issues or talking about them incorrectly, which prevents them from spending time actually getting points by talking about the important matters. Brain dump exams are also usually hard to follow and are organized poorly
Thank you for clarifying. I guess I had a misconception of what brain dump answers are. I figured that professors see the irrelevant stuff, and mark off because of it. But I guess the irrelevant info does the damage in itself solely by wasting your time and interrupting the relevant analysis.
Re: torts midterm in 4 hours, taking questions and advice
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:25 pm
by usuaggie
for future notice, practice tests like to only be 3-4 paragraphs. real torts midterms like to be 2 pages long for an hour of answering.