People who say they did well after an exam.... Forum

[corporatelaw87]

Is it normally the case they do the worst? Obviously sometimes people have a good gauge of how they did. But, do people who say they think they did well and thought the test was easy normally miss many issues?

[random5483]

I'd avoid paying attention to what people say. Most of your fellow students have never taken law school finals before. They likely have no idea how they did. Many will incorrectly think they failed while others will incorrectly believe they aced their finals. Granted, some students might correctly predict their performance, but for most of us will likely remain uncertain.

For instance, a student who takes an easy final might feel really good about it. But chances are every other student did it well as well. On the other hand a student who ran out of time on a difficult final might feel like they failed it; however, every other student may have had similar issues. At the end of the day the tests are curved. You never know how you did till you get your results.

[burtonrideclub]

with around 300-400 kids in each law school class, how the hell could people know with any certainty who got what grades, how many people said they did well compared to what happened etc. At best, what are you looking for here? Reassurance from one person who said they know someone who did as well as they thought? Or a couple of people with friends who did the opposite?

Go study, worry about your own grades and not your classmates. If you are asking about yourself, you will find out soon enough.

[fathergoose]

Is it normally the case they do the worst? Obviously sometimes people have a good gauge of how they did. But, do people who say they think they did well and thought the test was easy normally miss many issues?

There is absolutely no way to generalize. I'm a firm believer in that if you think you nailed it, you didn't. Unless you are Learned Hand himself with OWH helping you write your exam answers, you should have some serious doubts about your answer. It's graded on strict curve so to be confident after an exam you are basically saying that not only did you know this stuff backwards and forwards, but you are certain you knew it better than 90% of your classmates.

Maybe some people can be that way, but I'd be more afraid of the really quiet hardworking students who looked stressed and anxious walking out than the guy talking about how well he did.

[Gamecubesupreme]

If you managed to spot 10+ issues for a essay that only has a 30 minute allotted time, you probably did well.

Other than that, there's no way to know.

[Aqualibrium]

You can never really tell how you did on an exam. I've had quite a few pleasant surprises, and quite a few disappointments. Generally though, the harder an exam is the better. At least that's been my experience. I worry when I feel an exam is too easy.

There are times when you just know you killed an exam though. I remember for 1L contracts I came out and told my buddy that if I didn't get an A in the class, I would buy him lunch for a week...I got an A, missed the book award by 5 points.

[Miniver]

No, it's not normally the case that they do the worst, nor is it the case that they do the best, nor are there any other generalizations that you can apply here in any way. Have fun.

[solidsnake]

depends on how calibrated you are. first semester probably no way of accurately predicting performance. by second semester i was much more in tune with how i felt after vs how i did.

[Cavalier]

Quit worrying about it. Some people will say they did well because they analyzed a ton of issues, applied the law in a sophisticated manner, and simply think they wrote a better exam than their peers did. Other people will think they did well because they are completely unaware that they missed major issues. After a semester or two of grades you'll have a better sense of how you did after an exam, but for now, no one really knows.

[BriaTharen]

I've seen more than one person walk out of an exam thinking they killed it, only to have one of their friends ask them how they handled a particular issue that the confident person didn't see.

I really don't think there is any way for a 1L to really know or have a good sense of how they did. I just avoid thinking about it, and don't listen to the people that want to talk about how well they think they did.

[helfer snooterbagon]

I've always thought I have done well. My professors have often disagreed.

[beach_terror]

Wait until grades come out, who cares at this point. If you feel like shit because you knew your analysis sucked and you misapplied the law, then maybe you didn't do great. If you feel like shit because you analyzed as much as possible and the facts were overly contradictory then maybe you did okay.

[fathergoose]

I've always thought I have done well. My professors have often disagreed.

haha

[nleefer]

You can never really tell how you did on an exam. I've had quite a few pleasant surprises, and quite a few disappointments. Generally though, the harder an exam is the better. At least that's been my experience. I worry when I feel an exam is too easy.

There are times when you just know you killed an exam though. I remember for 1L contracts I came out and told my buddy that if I didn't get an A in the class, I would buy him lunch for a week...I got an A, missed the book award by 5 points.

This happened to me too. I felt pretty ambivalent walking out of most of my exams last year, but after Crim first semester I felt like I answered the question perfectly. Turned out I got the highest grade.

[sophie316]

I've never been able to tell. I was convinced I'd FAILED one class and felt pretty ok about another and I got the same grade in both. I felt awesome about one and pretty bad about another and the one I felt awesome about was my lowest grade in law school. You can really never tell because at the end of the day, it's all relative.

[Renzo]

I've always thought I have done well. My professors have often disagreed.

Not quite always for me. Once I was well aware I had bombed--and the professor agreed.

[macattaq]

Yes and no. Where I've felt overall confident that I did well, but still recognized that I missed issues or didn't talk about things in enough detail, that's where I've done my best. Where I've felt confident but not had any post-mortem recognition, then I've usually not done so well. Where I've felt like I bombed, I've come in at median.

[Kobe_Teeth]

I think as 1L's who have never taken LS exams before, anyone who doesn't hedge their bets in announcing how they did is likely overconfident. My line has always been "I feel I did well enough that I don't have to jump out of a window." Anyone saying they did great or that they "rocked it" are probably overconfident.

[Aqualibrium]

Welp. I just failed an exam. And I can say that with confidence because I am a 2L. Hello no offer

[missinglink]

I think as 1L's who have never taken LS exams before, anyone who doesn't hedge their bets in announcing how they did is likely overconfident. My line has always been "I feel I did well enough that I don't have to jump out of a window." Anyone saying they did great or that they "rocked it" are probably overconfident.

I shrug when people ask me how I did. I say anywhere from an C to an A and I would not be any bit surprised.

[manofjustice]

Yes and no. Where I've felt overall confident that I did well, but still recognized that I missed issues or didn't talk about things in enough detail, that's where I've done my best. Where I've felt confident but not had any post-mortem recognition, then I've usually not done so well. Where I've felt like I bombed, I've come in at median.

[gobuffs10]

Is it normally the case they do the worst? Obviously sometimes people have a good gauge of how they did. But, do people who say they think they did well and thought the test was easy normally miss many issues?

It's normally the case that they're douchebags. I've only experienced this post-midterm thus far, but if that was any indication, finals will be hell. They aren't grading the exam, so they have no clue, and they probably just want to make themselves feel better by making sure you didn't see that issue they noticed.

[AVBucks4239]

The absolute worst thing you can do after an exam is talk with anybody about the exam. If you have aspie friends that assuredly won't shut the fuck up about it, once you're done with the exam, put your headphones on, go home, drink a few beers, play Mario Kart, and chill.

[09042014]

The absolute worst thing you can do after an exam is talk with anybody about the exam. If you have aspie friends that assuredly won't shut the fuck up about it, once you're done with the exam, put your headphones on, go home, drink a few beers, play Mario Kart, and chill.

Yep. Honestly, I'd put that shit in the honor code if I were a school.

[manofjustice]

I read somewhere that your very first impression is most accurate. But only inasmuch as it draws upon your subconscious, which is best at weighing multiple factors. (Your consciously-thinking self is good at following rules and going step-by-step.) But "how will Professor x think I did on a law school issue spotter or policy question" is definitely a "weighting multiple factors" question best suited for the subconscious.

But you have to catch your subconscious first impression before your consciously-thinking self takes over and starts bullshitting.

I think a great way to do that is: how did you feel when you clicked "submit?" Any reservations? If, at the moment you finished, someone said "you can cancel your score and take the test again next week--answer in five seconds" how easily would you say "no"?

But as soon as you look around the room or start talking to people, bullshit takes over. Forget it and move on to the next exam.

My take...