Flashcards or not? Forum

[loriago]

I just found out that all my 1L exams are closed book...except Civil Procedure which still doesn't make sense. I have most of my outlines up to date and I brief some of my cases or consult quimbee.

I read on this forum, that the best way to prepare for closed book exams, is to make flashcards, create a concise version of your outline and memorize it and practice with old exams. To prepare for the exams in December, I'm thinking of making a short outline I can memorize, create flashcards and start practicing past exam questions after Thanksgiving break.

I have a few questions:
1. For those that made flashcards, did you write it on index cards or use the Anki app?
2. What goes on a flashcard? Black letter law? Brief facts and holding of cases?
3. What goes on a short outline for memorization?
4. Any memorization tips or advice? for example mnemonics
5. All but one of my professors are either new or visiting professors so they have no past exams to practice with. What are my options in this case?

[b290]

I just found out that all my 1L exams are closed book...except Civil Procedure which still doesn't make sense. I have most of my outlines up to date and I brief some of my cases or consult quimbee.

I read on this forum, that the best way to prepare for closed book exams, is to make flashcards, create a concise version of your outline and memorize it and practice with old exams. To prepare for the exams in December, I'm thinking of making a short outline I can memorize, create flashcards and start practicing past exam questions after Thanksgiving break.

I have a few questions:
1. For those that made flashcards, did you write it on index cards or use the Anki app?
2. What goes on a flashcard? Black letter law? Brief facts and holding of cases?
3. What goes on a short outline for memorization?
4. Any memorization tips or advice? for example mnemonics
5. All but one of my professors are either new or visiting professors so they have no past exams to practice with. What are my options in this case?

1. I wrote on index cards myself. It was time consuming, but I got to put in the best way I'd remember. I started slightly earlier to make them.

2. Yes. You'll need your BLL for your arguments, and your cases for your backup. If you don't know why you're citing them, you're in trouble for the exam. Definitely know your cases and their holdings, since that's what. The facts really only come into play if your exam scenario is markedly similar/different. They also come into play if you're citing minority opinions. Unless you're a fast typer, you may not have time for all that.

3. I personally hated outlines, so I made them into flashcards. But for memorization, you'll need BLL, cases, holding, and important exceptions - at minimum. It needs to be concise because you'll need to know it like the "back of your hand".

4. Mnemonics helped with the rules. For cases, I found it easier of thinking how screwed up the party (i.e. your client) was. Somebody (either the party or the government) messed up so bad, that it's preserved for all time in our casebooks. For example, Palsgraf wouldn't have happened if a railroad employee didn't help an impatient passenger onto the train. However, helping a passenger onto a train doesn't normally lead to injury-causing explosions (i.e. it's not foreseeable - no proximate causation), so we cannot say that the employee breached his duty (to act reasonably under the circumstances). In this case we have an idiot (with explosives) and spectacular results (explosion at a train station). Memorable.

5. If they're new professors, examine some old exams from other (more established) professors. They're going to copy style, and maybe even content, with some changes.

My $.02