What to do when you know you did terribly on an exam? Forum

notcool · Post by **notcool** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:01 pm

I know I did very terribly on today's final. Guaranteed C (which is the lowest grade he gives). It's entirely my fault I did so badly, because I just didn't study nearly enough. I don't know why...I was just lacking all motivation to study for this one. I could tell from my classmates' reactions that they thought it was a lot better than I did, which is why I know I'll be at the very bottom of the curve. I barely even answered one of the questions because I just didn't know what to say. And all the others were complete bullshit and I didn't write nearly enough. There's not a single question that I'm confident was actually a "good" answer (whereas most people who take these tests are at least really confident that they nailed ONE of their answers).

Okay so sorry about the woe is me stuff, but I'm wondering what to do at this point. My school is decent enough but grades are still quite important here when it comes to getting jobs. Obviously I'll wait till I get all my grades back before jumping the gun here (I think I did okay on my last final, and I still have one more to go), but if (when) I get a C on this one, is it even worth it to continue with school? I know it's only first semester, but you only have two semesters of grades anyway before OCI... If you can't get a job with below median grades (which I will have), it seems pointless.

dingbat · Post by **dingbat** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:04 pm

Suck it up, buttercup

Ludo! · Post by **Ludo!** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:08 pm

It's pretty normal to feel this way after exams. You might have done fine. Wait til grades come out before you decide. But be prepared if you're below median to drop

rad lulz · Post by **rad lulz** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:09 pm

Do you want me to tell you to kill yourself or jump in front of a train or something? Work harder next semester, herp derpington

Maximized · Post by **Maximized** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:10 pm

Not much you can do about it. There's really no reason not to at least finish 1L and see what happens - I don't think you'd get reimbursed for the second half of the year you didn't attend. Just make sure you beast the rest of it so your overall grade is still alright. As for what to say if an outlier low grade is on your transcript, I got nothing. Nut up and don't let it affect your sharpness for what's left to come.

mr.hands · Post by **mr.hands** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:25 pm

Don't jump to the whole "dropping out" thing. Even if you got a C, which is probably not certain, you just need 1 killer grade or 2 really good ones to get you back

Also, what school are you at? (that's actually a relevant inquiry for this discussion, if you're not comfortable saying which, give some range (lower T14, T20, T25, T50, etc.))

gobuffs10 · Post by **gobuffs10** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:38 pm

notcool wrote:I know I did very terribly on today's final. Guaranteed C (which is the lowest grade he gives). It's entirely my fault I did so badly, because I just didn't study nearly enough. I don't know why...I was just lacking all motivation to study for this one. I could tell from my classmates' reactions that they thought it was a lot better than I did, which is why I know I'll be at the very bottom of the curve. I barely even answered one of the questions because I just didn't know what to say. And all the others were complete bullshit and I didn't write nearly enough. There's not a single question that I'm confident was actually a "good" answer (whereas most people who take these tests are at least really confident that they nailed ONE of their answers).

Okay so sorry about the woe is me stuff, but I'm wondering what to do at this point. My school is decent enough but grades are still quite important here when it comes to getting jobs. Obviously I'll wait till I get all my grades back before jumping the gun here (I think I did okay on my last final, and I still have one more to go), but if (when) I get a C on this one, is it even worth it to continue with school? I know it's only first semester, but you only have two semesters of grades anyway before OCI... If you can't get a job with below median grades (which I will have), it seems pointless.

I felt this way the other day. You never know what will happen until you get the grade back. We can both be pretty certain we did poorly, yeah. Maybe we did. Or, maybe some of the kids who thought it went well didn't do so hot. Maybe this is your one low grade. There's also another semester of 1L year. What the hell are you going to do if you quit? You'll still have the debt, and you'll never know what could have worked out had you stayed.

It's a big game, and it's not worth killing yourself over. Yeah, you may have made it harder than it would've been to get that job you want. Oh well. There's no guarantee you'd get it anyway. Learn from what you did wrong, from the shitty feelings that come with it, and next semester remind yourself that you don't want to feel that way again.

pifhib2 · Post by **pifhib2** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:43 pm

Don't sweat it.

2nd semester 1L I left k and conlaw feeling fine. Thought the finals were straightforward and I spotted enough issues to hit median. C+ in both.

I left civpro feeling physically ill. I had trouble sleeping for days. I didn't get close to the suggested answer length on any question and my peers talked about how easy they found it. B.

Don't listen to your classmates. Seriously, DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUR CLASSMATES. Their perception of their own performance is bullshit. If you question your answers because you spotted ambiguities or got swamped with issues, you're way ahead of some chucklehead that spots one issue, answers briefly, and thinks he's god's gift to 1L.

Don't think about your performance, just chill, knock out the rest of them, and enjoy your break.

gobuffs10 · Post by **gobuffs10** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:47 pm

pifhib2 wrote:Don't sweat it.

2nd semester 1L I left k and conlaw feeling fine. Thought the finals were straightforward and I spotted enough issues to hit median. C+ in both.

I left civpro feeling physically ill. I had trouble sleeping for days. I didn't get close to the suggested answer length on any question and my peers talked about how easy they found it. B.

Don't listen to your classmates. Seriously, DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUR CLASSMATES. Their perception of their own performance is bullshit. If you question your answers because you spotted ambiguities or got swamped with issues, you're way ahead of some chucklehead that spots one issue, answers briefly, and thinks he's god's gift to 1L.

Don't think about your performance, just chill, knock out the rest of them, and enjoy your break.

I like you.

09042014 · Post by **09042014** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:58 pm

You cannot trust your first semester test instincts. Since the test is mostly about issue spotting, if a prof puts in 100 issues, and there isn't enough time and even the best student only gets to cover 80. That student may feel like they missed so much. Because they saw all the issues, and they didn't get to them, they feel like they fucked up.

A below median kid may only see 55 issues. And have time to cover them all. He thinks he did well, because he doesn't even know what he missed.

Or you could be a kid who saw 55, and only got to 45 and get a C.

The point is you cannot tell without at least some experience, and most law students can never tell how they do, even during 3L

2) Nobody in your class is going to say LOL I'M INCOMPETENT. Don't listen to what they say at all. You shouldn't discuss it at all. No good comes from it.

3) whether you got an A or a C, the best course of action is to masturbate, have 3 drinks, watch tv/play video games, get up early tomorrow and gun hard.

4) If you get a C at a non T14, and don't make up with it with a ton of A+s, drop out.

gobuffs10 · Post by **gobuffs10** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:46 am

Desert Fox wrote:
4) If you get a C at a non T14, and don't make up with it with a ton of A+s, drop out.

Gulp.

alicrimson · Post by **alicrimson** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:27 am

notcool wrote:I know I did very terribly on today's final. Guaranteed C (which is the lowest grade he gives). It's entirely my fault I did so badly, because I just didn't study nearly enough. I don't know why...I was just lacking all motivation to study for this one. I could tell from my classmates' reactions that they thought it was a lot better than I did, which is why I know I'll be at the very bottom of the curve. I barely even answered one of the questions because I just didn't know what to say. And all the others were complete bullshit and I didn't write nearly enough. There's not a single question that I'm confident was actually a "good" answer (whereas most people who take these tests are at least really confident that they nailed ONE of their answers).

Okay so sorry about the woe is me stuff, but I'm wondering what to do at this point. My school is decent enough but grades are still quite important here when it comes to getting jobs. Obviously I'll wait till I get all my grades back before jumping the gun here (I think I did okay on my last final, and I still have one more to go), but if (when) I get a C on this one, is it even worth it to continue with school? I know it's only first semester, but you only have two semesters of grades anyway before OCI... If you can't get a job with below median grades (which I will have), it seems pointless.

I'd relax. I know this is easier said than done (people tell me all the time and I don't listen either), but you have to just wait and see. I know how you're feeling right now. For reference, after my first semester (and second and in one class this year...) I thought I tanked every single exam. I even cried and whined to the bf/anyone that would put up with my nonsense. Grades came out and things were fine.

You said you didn't study, this is a problem. If you're going to stay in law school, you're going to have to study. If you write a fair amount for each question and really know the material/know how to take law school exams, the test will be very difficult, but you'll likely do well. Take another semester and work at it this time. Go talk to profs. You just have to relax. People get one C all the time. I'm sure it isn't fun, but (if you got one) never get one again.

Lasers · Post by **Lasers** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:42 am

depends on how accurate your premonitions are.

i remember i felt i did poorly in contacts last year and i actually did end up doing poorly, receiving my lowest 1L grade by far. my next exam was conlaw, and i had to not dwell on the fact i made stupid mistakes during the previous exam. it's all about mentally overcoming that sense of self-pity and doing something about it. if you get a low grade, shoot for the A on your next exam to balance it out.

as for me, i cali'd con law and things evened out. just work hard and let the chips fall where they may. then reassess.

BeachandRun23 · Post by **BeachandRun23** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:04 am

Alot of times students walk out of the exam feeling like they had no answers to the question. It was so hard so they were just writing whatever made sense trying to work though it. Thats usually a better answer then the guy that spots 3 issues, thinks they're easy as can be and walks out feeling like hes nailed it.

THE EXAM WILL ALWAYS BE FILLED WITH UNCERTAINTY. Very rarely is there one (or even 2 correct) answers. Very rarely is the answer straight forward. Theres always ambiguities and uncertainties (unless its multiple choice, I guess).

1L year I was sure I bombed my property final. Was expecting a B or B-. Got an A even though I bombed the rule against perpetuities section. All the other stuff I was worrying about was fine.

The hardest tests are the one where you think there is just like 2-3 issues with a clear winner and loser. Thats usually been my lowest grades.

nmcdgt · Post by **nmcdgt** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:24 am

Like everyone said, just wait until you get the grades. Throughout both semesters of my 1L year, the exams I thought I did best on ended up being my lowest grades, and there were at least two exams I had no idea what I was doing and was certain I bombed that I got A's on. The reason it's so impossible to tell with a curve is because you may end up with an impossibly hard exam where even A exams weren't great, a super easy exam where everyone thought they walked out with an A (i.e. an extremely tight curve), or countless other possibilities. Rock out your other exams, and even if you just get a slightly below median grade and do well in your other classes you'll be fine.

ETA: Throughout my entire 1L year, there were only probably 2 exams where I properly predicted my grade

TTRansfer · Post by **TTRansfer** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:30 am

The OP probably aced this exam. The exams I thought I failed, I got As and A+s on. The ones I thought I killed I got B+s on.

So it goes.

ltp93 · Post by **ltp93** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:01 pm

Reading this topic has kind of made me feel less like crap. I left two exams feeling like I just left issues on the table. My classmates will talk about certain issues that they spotted, and I think to myself, "Uh oh, didn't see that one."

redgreenpaper · Post by **redgreenpaper** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 4:59 pm

i know what you're feeling right now bro, depression and shit. im doing badly on a lot of my undergrad midterms right now because i have absolutely 0 motivation to study. i just want winter break to begin and start playing black ops 2 and playing with a new phone that im buying. if you are really depressed just watch a funny movie or youtube some WKUK or comedians you like and forget about it. its not the end of the world.

mattviphky · Post by **mattviphky** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:09 pm

use it as motivation

thescienceguy · Post by **thescienceguy** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:28 pm

Similar question: 3L here. Walked out of an exam yesterday feeling pretty devastated. I thought that I'd be able to wing it because it was an open book exam, so the only prep I did was just spending about 10 hours reading someone's outline (and I only went to class 40-50% of the time). I usually write a good 10-15 pages for a three hour test, but this time I only wrote 3 pages because I blanked out and just couldn't spot any issues. I'm trying to remember if I've ever felt so terrible about an exam and then ended up doing ok, but I can't remember. Also, the fact that I wrote 2 pages when everyone else wrote 7+ pretty much means I'm screwed right?

At this point Is there anything I can do now short of going to the dean of students and just begging him to let me drop it and take a W on my transcript? What happens if I actually fail a class? Is my firm going to rescind its offer? Am I going to have a really hard time lateraling?

sparty99 · Post by **sparty99** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:32 pm

thescienceguy wrote:Similar question: 3L here. Walked out of an exam yesterday feeling pretty devastated. I thought that I'd be able to wing it because it was an open book exam, so the only prep I did was just spending about 10 hours reading someone's outline (and I only went to class 40-50% of the time). I usually write a good 10-15 pages for a three hour test, but this time I only wrote 3 pages because I blanked out and just couldn't spot any issues. I'm trying to remember if I've ever felt so terrible about an exam and then ended up doing ok, but I can't remember. Also, the fact that I wrote 2 pages when everyone else wrote 7+ pretty much means I'm screwed right?

At this point Is there anything I can do now short of going to the dean of students and just begging him to let me drop it and take a W on my transcript? What happens if I actually fail a class? Is my firm going to rescind its offer? Am I going to have a really hard time lateraling?

Shutup dude.

Ludo! · Post by **Ludo!** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:35 pm

thescienceguy wrote:Similar question: 3L here. Walked out of an exam yesterday feeling pretty devastated. I thought that I'd be able to wing it because it was an open book exam, so the only prep I did was just spending about 10 hours reading someone's outline (and I only went to class 40-50% of the time). I usually write a good 10-15 pages for a three hour test, but this time I only wrote 3 pages because I blanked out and just couldn't spot any issues. I'm trying to remember if I've ever felt so terrible about an exam and then ended up doing ok, but I can't remember. Also, the fact that I wrote 2 pages when everyone else wrote 7+ pretty much means I'm screwed right?

At this point Is there anything I can do now short of going to the dean of students and just begging him to let me drop it and take a W on my transcript? What happens if I actually fail a class? Is my firm going to rescind its offer? Am I going to have a really hard time lateraling?

You're a 3l dude. You went to class 40-50% more than I did for any class, you studied for 10 hours more than I did for any exam. You'll be fine

thescienceguy · Post by **thescienceguy** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:42 pm

Ludovico Technique wrote:
thescienceguy wrote:Similar question: 3L here. Walked out of an exam yesterday feeling pretty devastated. I thought that I'd be able to wing it because it was an open book exam, so the only prep I did was just spending about 10 hours reading someone's outline (and I only went to class 40-50% of the time). I usually write a good 10-15 pages for a three hour test, but this time I only wrote 3 pages because I blanked out and just couldn't spot any issues. I'm trying to remember if I've ever felt so terrible about an exam and then ended up doing ok, but I can't remember. Also, the fact that I wrote 2 pages when everyone else wrote 7+ pretty much means I'm screwed right?

At this point Is there anything I can do now short of going to the dean of students and just begging him to let me drop it and take a W on my transcript? What happens if I actually fail a class? Is my firm going to rescind its offer? Am I going to have a really hard time lateraling?
You're a 3l dude. You went to class 40-50% more than I did for any class, you studied for 10 hours more than I did for any exam. You'll be fine

Thanks man. I really don't want to fail, but I guess I should just wait and see what I get before talking to the administration.

BullShitWithBravado · Post by **BullShitWithBravado** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:33 pm

If you have other exams left, forget about the exam you think you did poorly wrong and study your ass off for your other exams so that you can walk in on test day feeling confident. Next, go celebrate the fact that you're done with finals and take time to enjoy your winter break until grades come out. When grades come out, don't feel bad if you didn't do well in that class. You know what you did wrong and just need to prepare adequately next time.

LegalThree · Post by **LegalThree** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:00 pm

Great job everyone! Looking forward to next semester. I've got a great collection of outlines, here are just a few:

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