OFFICIAL 1L Exam Prep & Motivation Thread (CSWS) Forum

[swimmer11]

It is November 1st, it is the last leg of the race, and it is time to get motivated and bring it home!

Post in here exam strategies, useful tips, if you just need a place to bitch and moan about 1L exams, or anything else pertaining to 1L exams.

“First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.”

~Aristotle

Lets get it done.

[rishabhagny]

CALI lessons for Contracts I - thoughts?

[theaether]

CALI lessons for Contracts I - thoughts?

dunno what K's I covers but the 2-207 lesson was moderately useful

[swimmer11]

CALI lessons for Contracts I - thoughts?

What part of K are you referring to? Remedies, O+A, Consideration?

[LetsGoLAW]

Let's fucking go. Brothers, let's blast this shit out of the water.

[swimmer11]

Your avatar is perfect. I am going to spank this shit out of my exams.

[SportsFan]

For 1 class I only have (IIRC) 3 practice exams available (so this isn't an issue; I'll just wait another ~3 weeks regardless), but I have like 8+ for my others. Is it worth it to start taking them like now, even though my outlines are only like half up to date? Or should I just keep going hard on my outlines for the next 7-10 days and try to get them up to date, then start taking those practice exams?

[swimmer11]

For 1 class I only have (IIRC) 3 practice exams available (so this isn't an issue; I'll just wait another ~3 weeks regardless), but I have like 8+ for my others. Is it worth it to start taking them like now, even though my outlines are only like half up to date? Or should I just keep going hard on my outlines for the next 7-10 days and try to get them up to date, then start taking those practice exams?

I have actually the exact same situation you have with regards to the amount of practice tests. As I am working on my outlines now, which I have almost finished, I work on mini practice hypos I can find, such as a hypo on homicide or a hypo on offer and acceptance. Then, instead of just thinking the answer in my head, I type it out as quick as I can without looking at my outline. This helps me synthesize the material a lot better then if I just make my outline and then retype it over and over again. I also believe that it is beneficial to understand exactly how you are going to phrase a particular rule on an exam, and just to get practice overall spotting issues, writing out the rule, pulling the pertinent facts, etc.

I am going to wait to start practice exams until the week following the presidential election.

Obviously the best way to study is the way that helps you learn the best. This is just what I have found helps me.

[Jsa725]

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[thegrayman]

2L here. Just wanted to give my 2 cents for you all who haven't taken an exam yet. One good thing to do is to try and figure out what type of grader your professor is. For example, my torts professor was all about dumping every possible thing you could think of onto the exam, and her exam was basically a typing race. I knew this beforehand, and it definitely helps to know that going in.

On the other hand, if you know that your professor is more into the analysis and using law that is actually related to the hypo instead of just naming every possible rule that you can think of, you have to approach this sort of an exam in a different way, with more coherent thoughts, and a lot less overall words.

Knowing which camp your professor falls into can be a huge leg up because it will change how you prepare. Good ways are things like looking at model exams if they are out there (for example, if all model answers are 15 pages of rambling, then you know it's going to be a typing race), or if not you can try to reach out to people who had the professor previously. If you can't get the info through those means, sometimes it works to reach out to the professors' research assistants if they have them.

That's the most relevant advice I can think of. Good luck everyone, law school sucks, but subsequent years suck less

[LetsGoLAW]

I'm tired of this shit. Mother fuckers raising their hands lamenting about the policy pitfalls of contributory negligence. Then smugly snickering at me when my professor has my number on UCC 2-207.

I want all T1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, who see law school as a game to be played to band together. We're all in this boat together, so let's get wind in these sails.

I am wrapping up my case reading and putting the final touches on my outlines. My outline includes BLL supplemented by classroom discussion, case reading, teacher preferences, some policy considerations, etc. Then I am making a bare bones outline for test day. I am going to type my outline a billion times and use flashcards to memorize it. I used the GTM fork system to set up my outline.

I am using LEEWS for exam writing. Next week, I will start pounding through E&Es, Q&A hypotheticals, CALI, old exams, etc.

My semester is being extended due to Sandy, so that gives me more time to spank these mother fuckers.

C'mon boys and girls... only a few weeks out of an entire lifetime to make a mark. Let's fuck shit up.

EDIT: Oh, and future interests are a bitch. I used http://www.amazon.com/Possessory-Estate ... 0314183698 to fuck this useless shit up.

[Jsa725]

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[lakerinstl]

Where the hell has the semester gone? This was the fastest semester ever! I'm already in exam prep mode and it feels like we should be in the middle of the semester or something!

--ImageRemoved--

[swimmer11]

This is where I am currently at

1) Finishing up all of my readings for my course, will be done by the end of the weekend.
2) Have already started my outlines before Nov and plan to be done with them by Weds of next week at the latest.
3) Spend the rest of my time doing hypos, practice tests, and talking to the TA and professors about their finals and what they expect from dat A answer.
4) Black the fuck out after my last final
5) Profit.

[mr.hands]

How many hours a day are you guys working throughout November outside of class?

Also, you guys are weeks ahead on reading? It's crazy to think about trying to do that

[LetsGoLAW]

How many hours a day are you guys working throughout November outside of class?

Also, you guys are weeks ahead on reading? It's crazy to think about trying to do that

Obviously, the amount of hours you put it can be worthless if your study habits are not efficient.

Throughout August, September, and October, I put in between 55-60 hours a week, including class. I tried to go out and socialize at a reasonable level.

When I hit the grindstone next week, I want to be putting in 75, 80+ hour work weeks.

Edit: I was looking over my K professor's exams. I swear. Year after year, he uses the exact same topics... just re-words them. Is this typical?

[swimmer11]

How many hours a day are you guys working throughout November outside of class?

Also, you guys are weeks ahead on reading? It's crazy to think about trying to do that

Obviously, the amount of hours you put it can be worthless if your study habits are not efficient.

Throughout August, September, and October, I put in between 55-60 hours a week, including class. I tried to go out and socialize at a reasonable level.

When I hit the grindstone next week, I want to be putting in 75, 80+ hour work weeks.

Edit: I was looking over my K professor's exams. I swear. Year after year, he uses the exact same topics... just re-words them. Is this typical?

My K professor does the same shit. Remedies and more remedies. He always tries to tell us that he is not going to do remedies, and I am always like uh huh.
What are you doing to study to make your time as efficient as possible?

[LazinessPerSe]

Just a word of caution: Don't go overboard and stress out. Pace pace pace.

[ThreeRivers]

Dang, looks like I'm behind. I've just been doing my readings / hasn't been hard at all

Been planning to start my stretch run on Sunday since beggining of semester, still going to do that.

My plan - spend 1-2 days each week doing readings for week, rest of time doing outlines. Figure I can be completely done with outlines by last week of class, then go overboard on practice exams..

Obviously not as extreme as you guys, but I plan on outlining slow / basically just using it as a review

[20130312]

Dang, looks like I'm behind. I've just been doing my readings / hasn't been hard at all

Been planning to start my stretch run on Sunday since beggining of semester, still going to do that.

My plan - spend 1-2 days each week doing readings for week, rest of time doing outlines. Figure I can be completely done with outlines by last week of class, then go overboard on practice exams..

Obviously not as extreme as you guys, but I plan on outlining slow / basically just using it as a review

Slow and steady wins the race. I'm with you, taking my time. Some of the strategies on this site are way overboard.

[swimmer11]

To each his own. I think that this is a perfectly fine strategy. However, I am overly neurotic and would not be comfortable with myself if I was not studying for an excessive amount of time .

[Rawlberto]

You can do a weeks reading on a Monday if you only have one class that day (as I do). Check in at 8 check out at 8.

[minnie7]

.,.,.

[swimmer11]

I have been enjoying one of my last nights drinking, boozing spotify Blue Scholars, and Civ 5/Shogun II. Chill + Epic

[FishOil]

I'm tired of this shit. Mother fuckers raising their hands lamenting about the policy pitfalls of contributory negligence. Then smugly snickering at me when my professor has my number on UCC 2-207.

I want all T1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, who see law school as a game to be played to band together. We're all in this boat together, so let's get wind in these sails.

I am wrapping up my case reading and putting the final touches on my outlines. My outline includes BLL supplemented by classroom discussion, case reading, teacher preferences, some policy considerations, etc. Then I am making a bare bones outline for test day. I am going to type my outline a billion times and use flashcards to memorize it. I used the GTM fork system to set up my outline.

I am using LEEWS for exam writing. Next week, I will start pounding through E&Es, Q&A hypotheticals, CALI, old exams, etc.

My semester is being extended due to Sandy, so that gives me more time to spank these mother fuckers.

C'mon boys and girls... only a few weeks out of an entire lifetime to make a mark. Let's fuck shit up.

EDIT: Oh, and future interests are a bitch. I used http://www.amazon.com/Possessory-Estate ... 0314183698 to fuck this useless shit up.

If I win law school, this will be the only reason.