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I've been doing hypos... but I want to do some timed, full-length practice exams. Is it fruitful to do so this early?

Mostly, I'm wondering if I know enough of the law for a practice exam to be helpful... since we're only 60% into the course material.

Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

MrKappus wrote:Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

Will do.

I think I'm going to start working through some hypos this week. We turn in our rough draft for memos tomorrow and thus don't have legal writing all week so its going to open up some valuable free time. I feel like most of my classmates are idiots though and haven't even considered doing hypos. +1 TLS for making me a better law student.

MrKappus wrote:Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

Good stuff, thx!

MrKappus wrote:Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

thanks.

MrKappus wrote:Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

Clarification: completely in lieu of full exam responses, or write out an answer to a question, then outline?

I think you mean the former, and it makes sense, but I'm just trying to totally understand your opinion.

GeePee wrote:

MrKappus wrote:Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

Clarification: completely in lieu of full exam responses, or write out an answer to a question, then outline?

I think you mean the former, and it makes sense, but I'm just trying to totally understand your opinion.

The former (!). That said, while I never found I had time issues on 1L exams, if you are worried this could be the case for you (maybe you're an exceptionally methodical/thorough thinker?), then take a couple so you feel like you've got your pacing right. I just got this image of OP starting PT's in October and ending up w/ 6+ fully written exams for each subject (or, 6 exams x 4 hours x 4 classes = 96 hours of PTing), which I would call a not-so-productive use of time in the run-up to finals.

MrKappus wrote:

GeePee wrote:

MrKappus wrote:Sitting down for 4 full hours and writing out an entire exam is not a productive use of your time. Maybe do it once, for feel, but I would advise going through exam problems and creating detailed outlines of your exam answers. This exercise: (1) forces you to be succinct in your thought processes, which will help time mgmt on exam-day, and (2) provides work-product that can be easily reviewed with a professor, upperclassperson, or study-pal. And to answer your question, yes: late Oct's about the time to start PTs. You may not realize it, but I bet you're more than 60% through the course's material. You've been at this for 10+ weeks.

Clarification: completely in lieu of full exam responses, or write out an answer to a question, then outline?

I think you mean the former, and it makes sense, but I'm just trying to totally understand your opinion.

The former (!). That said, while I never found I had time issues on 1L exams, if you are worried this could be the case for you (maybe you're an exceptionally methodical/thorough thinker?), then take a couple so you feel like you've got your pacing right. I just got this image of OP starting PT's in October and ending up w/ 6+ fully written exams for each subject (or, 6 exams x 4 hours x 4 classes = 96 hours of PTing), which I would call a not-so-productive use of time in the run-up to finals.

Great. I've been finishing hypos and assignments in plenty of time, and this makes sense to me. I think I'll try this out.

I work on individual questions, each of which is an hour.

I don't do a full-four hour sweep, but an individual hour question is a good way to wade into it I think.

stocksly33 wrote:I've been doing hypos... but I want to do some timed, full-length practice exams. Is it fruitful to do so this early?

Mostly, I'm wondering if I know enough of the law for a practice exam to be helpful... since we're only 60% into the course material.

Where are you getting these hypos from? Your professor? Your casebook? Your imagination?

I am curious because I am looking for practice material aside from old exams, and I haven't really found a lot of hypos besides those at the end of cases in my casebook. I find these frustrating because they never include answers and we rarely go over them in class.

^ Your school, law review, or other upperclasspeople should have/know of an exam bank. If that fails, you could always just ask the prof directly and see what he/she says.

MrKappus wrote:I just got this image of OP starting PT's in October and ending up w/ 6+ fully written exams for each subject (or, 6 exams x 4 hours x 4 classes = 96 hours of PTing), which I would call a not-so-productive use of time in the run-up to finals.

yeah, thats about what i was planning on doing... didn't add up the hours tho. plus i imagine time will be needed to comb over and re-analyze answers.

Whatisthis wrote:

stocksly33 wrote:I've been doing hypos... but I want to do some timed, full-length practice exams. Is it fruitful to do so this early?

Mostly, I'm wondering if I know enough of the law for a practice exam to be helpful... since we're only 60% into the course material.

Where are you getting these hypos from? Your professor? Your casebook? Your imagination?

I am curious because I am looking for practice material aside from old exams, and I haven't really found a lot of hypos besides those at the end of cases in my casebook. I find these frustrating because they never include answers and we rarely go over them in class.

for hypos...i use e&e and siegel's. crunchtime has hypos too, but their book is a lot of filler (like the e&e)

I've been doing CALI hypos, and some e&e hypos.

about 1/2 hour of E&E hypo's daily. Won't start practice exams until 1 month before my first exam, which is in 2 weeks.

Gosh, where has this semester gone?? I still need to learn how to take an exam

I'm a lowly 1L as well, but I don't think it would be smart to use up some of your practice exams this early in the semester (unless your professor has a ton available).