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Hey guys,

I was wondering how you deal with an exam when you first get it. So I know you should look at the call of the question and give it a quick read, but I'm talking about actually underlining facts and stuff.

Let's say you have a tort exam. Do you underline facts that point to breach with one color, then underline facts that point to products liability in another color? Or do you just underline with a pencil and write notes in the margins?

Any responses would be greatly appreciated, as I'm trying to develop a system.

insd wrote:Hey guys,

I was wondering how you deal with an exam when you first get it. So I know you should look at the call of the question and give it a quick read, but I'm talking about actually underlining facts and stuff.

Let's say you have a tort exam. Do you underline facts that point to breach with one color, then underline facts that point to products liability in another color? Or do you just underline with a pencil and write notes in the margins?

Any responses would be greatly appreciated, as I'm trying to develop a system.

Unless your fact pattern is like four pages, color-coding sounds like a waste of time. I generally underline things that I think could be important or point to an issue that I haven't quite developed yet in my head. The obvious things are obvious. You want to make sure you have a way of reading the fact pattern that will prevent you from overlooking a small fact that points to a subtle issue that other people will likely miss.

ლ(ಠ益ಠლ) wrote: Unless your fact pattern is like four pages, color-coding sounds like a waste of time. I generally underline things that I think could be important or point to an issue that I haven't quite developed yet in my head. The obvious things are obvious. You want to make sure you have a way of reading the fact pattern that will prevent you from overlooking a small fact that points to a subtle issue that other people will likely miss.

Alright, that makes sense. Thanks for the input!

Your question is exactly why you should do practice tests.
You will answer your own question.
If I could go back to school and do it again, I would take advantage of practice tests WAY MORE

You should do as many as you can, start early, and keep going over them with your prof.
You can start early, and just do the parts that you learned.
Just IRAC issues. See if you spot them, learn how to discuss them--with facts--succinctly.


**Think like this: If Law School was all about cars...
You would have classes focused on brakes, gas, steering, the history of windows, seating, engines...
The classes would cover all the info.... oh, you would be a genius...on cars...

But....
The final exam is.... a driving test.


You can know ALL about cars, but not be ready for the test.
So, practice what you need for the test.

2807 wrote:Your question is exactly why you should do practice tests.
You will answer your own question.
If I could go back to school and do it again, I would take advantage of practice tests WAY MORE

You should do as many as you can, start early, and keep going over them with your prof.
You can start early, and just do the parts that you learned.
Just IRAC issues. See if you spot them, learn how to discuss them--with facts--succinctly.


**Think like this: If Law School was all about cars...
You would have classes focused on breaks, gas, steering, the history of windows, seating, engines...
The classes would cover all the info.... oh, you would be a genius...on cars...

But....
The final exam is.... a driving test.


You can know ALL about cars, but not be ready for the test.
So, practice what you need for the test.

Different strokes for different folks. Was gonna take some practice exams starting this week, but thought someone might have a credited system for it. I'll just experiment I guess. Thanks!

.

All exams are different. I would suggest reading the call of the question first. Some exams have factual subterfuge and this can help.

Usually I try to start writing as soon as I can.

..

Thanks for all the answers, guys. I think I'll give the margins approach a try. Thanks again!

..

sublime wrote:Btw, I also rip pages out of my exams if convenient (like if there is a statute in the back, and I want to look at both) - idk if I am supposed to though, or I am going to get a pissed off email from the registrar at some point.

i do this, put a stapler in my bag and just restaple at the end.

..

I usually read the call answer and outline sort of as I'm reading in exam4. Those become my subheadings but sometimes I adjust or add. I got the idea of outlining while you read through the question from someone here and it helped although I'm not exactly a future Valedictorian so your mileage may vary.

BPLawl wrote:I usually read the call answer and outline sort of as I'm reading in exam4. Those become my subheadings but sometimes I adjust or add. I got the idea of outlining while you read through the question from someone here and it helped although I'm not exactly a future Valedictorian so your mileage may vary.

That sounds like a pretty good system. Gonna give that a try.

sublime wrote:Btw, I also rip pages out of my exams if convenient (like if there is a statute in the back, and I want to look at both) - idk if I am supposed to though, or I am going to get a pissed off email from the registrar at some point.

Never thought about this. Guess I'm buying a stapler.