How many words (on average) do you write for exam answer? Forum

[postitnotes]

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[apper123]

If it makes people feel better, every single "model answer" that I've looked at on the American University past exams website is LESS than 10k words (I'd save average length is between 6000 and 7000).

People writing model answers are also probably pretty brilliant and/or a professor, so they know exactly what is going on, can hit every major relevant point and no exploration is necessary. They've done this a thousand times, so it's easier. Your average 1L probably doesn't have much experience "writing like a lawyer," so the whole brevity and conciseness (is this even a word?) of the profession isn't there... thus your more verbose answers.

[CE2JD]

If it makes people feel better, every single "model answer" that I've looked at on the American University past exams website is LESS than 10k words (I'd save average length is between 6000 and 7000).

Our professor's only model answer last semester was 5k words. I believe he had written it himself so maybe he didn't put too much time into it, but the people who got straight As ended up typing 10k+...evaluate as you will. You are curved against other students, and inevitably this will result. Some people are insane typists.

I'm not disagreeing with you about the 10k+ talisman. I'm just wondering if some of the "model answers" had some of the fluff cut out of them.

Also this:

People writing model answers are also probably pretty brilliant and/or a professor, so they know exactly what is going on, can hit every major relevant point and no exploration is necessary. They've done this a thousand times, so it's easier. Your average 1L probably doesn't have much experience "writing like a lawyer," so the whole brevity and conciseness (is this even a word?) of the profession isn't there... thus your more verbose answers.

[postitnotes]

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[truthypants]

broken_image

[YCrevolution]

For us low word count people, take solace in the fact that 2,700+ words on a 3 hour essay at Mississippi College of Law is a "long answer." [They might not let people type, although it appears that they use exam software.] http://law-career.blogspot.com/2007/02/ ... exams.html

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Fact patterns from my exam were usually 1 to 1.5 pages per question (single-spaced, looks like normal 12-point font), so no 25- or 50- page fact pattern monsters for me.

A model (student) answer for my torts professor ranged from roughly 1,700 to 2,800 words (averaging about 2,250 or so, I'd say) for a 1 to 1.5 page fact pattern (suggested time of 50-70 minutes per question, with the longer fact pattern clocking in more time and words).

A model answer for my contracts professor was roughly three pages double-spaced or 1000-1200 words (or about one minute to explain verbally... my professor said a good answer would be around 1.5 pages single-spaced). Furthermore, my contracts professor specfically warned us against word vomit (or "data dump" as he called it), and I think he had/has a particular (and fairly narrow, all things considered) answer in mind, and once/if you get that answer, you're good to go (and you need to reach a conclusion and your conclusion needs to be right). Provided, being as concise as my contracts professor is difficult, and hence I would suspect most good student answers are a bit longer.

A model (student) answer for my criminal law professor was roughly 2,500 words for a 1.5 hour question. The answer took a shotgun approach, and didn't really delve into any issues except the most major ones.

A model answer for my civil procedure professor is about 1,500 words for a 35 minute question. My civil procedure professor is also a genius who can make every single word matter, so I'm sure you can type a whole lot more than 1,500 words. He did specifically caution: "These comments are much more reticulated than anything that I would expect to see in a student’s exam answer."

[AJaKe]

ahaha I adore courage wolf, considering the amount of competition in some law schools you would think there would be more law school related ones, but no. <3

[caoyun]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

[CE2JD]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

It's 20,000 or bust tomorrow on my CivPro exam.

[thesealocust]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

It's 20,000 or bust tomorrow on my CivPro exam.

I hired a local typing tutor to straddle behind me during civ pro. We've practiced a technique where by he watches my hands, and completes every other key I would have typed. It's not quite hammered out yet, but it should allow me to maintain a steady 175-180 WPM and burst to 250 wpm. We're bringing in the clickiest keyboard he has and a small amplifier/sub/speaker/PA system to hook up to it.

Prepare for the sound of 20 fingers pounding in perfect harmony.

Through a subwoofer.

[YCrevolution]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

It's 20,000 or bust tomorrow on my CivPro exam.

I hired a local typing tutor to straddle behind me during civ pro. We've practiced a technique where by he watches my hands, and completes every other key I would have typed. It's not quite hammered out yet, but it should allow me to maintain a steady 175-180 WPM and burst to 250 wpm. We're bringing in the clickiest keyboard he has and a small amplifier/sub/speaker/PA system to hook up to it.

Prepare for the sound of 20 fingers pounding in perfect harmony.

Through a subwoofer.

I believe I am obligated to report this as an honor code violation. Not that it would help me with the curve if they just simply kicked you out of the school.

[ihatelaw]

has anyone else noticed that the poll typing curve looks an awful lot like the grading bell curve....?

[vanwinkle]

has anyone else noticed that the poll typing curve looks an awful lot like the grading bell curve....?

I thought it resembled a hand with a certain outstretched finger, myself.

[YCrevolution]

has anyone else noticed that the poll typing curve looks an awful lot like the grading bell curve....?

I thought it resembled a hand with a certain outstretched finger, myself.

[sperry]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

3700 on a 2 3/4 hour Torts exam.

We had a policy question and an issue spotter, admittedly I don't think my policy answer was very good, but I wrote 2300 words for the issue spotter and am quite confident I didn't miss anything major, and felt like I addressed a whole lot of minor issues too.


I am getting riduclously worried about this whole process. I can't even imagine how someone would have written 4000 words or something on my Torts issue spotter today. I don't believe that I missed 6 pages worth of issues, yet I"m sure that people wrote that much.

[thesealocust]

I believe I am obligated to report this as an honor code violation. Not that it would help me with the curve if they just simply kicked you out of the school.

I think of it less as an honor 'code' and prefer instead to take a more expansive view. That treats it like an honor 'Thunderdome'.

[CE2JD]

has anyone else noticed that the poll typing curve looks an awful lot like the grading bell curve....?

I thought it resembled a hand with a certain outstretched finger, myself.

best post in this thread

[caoyun]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

3700 on a 2 3/4 hour Torts exam.

We had a policy question and an issue spotter, admittedly I don't think my policy answer was very good, but I wrote 2300 words for the issue spotter and am quite confident I didn't miss anything major, and felt like I addressed a whole lot of minor issues too.


I am getting riduclously worried about this whole process. I can't even imagine how someone would have written 4000 words or something on my Torts issue spotter today. I don't believe that I missed 6 pages worth of issues, yet I"m sure that people wrote that much.

Don't worry too much about it. I'm in a different section than you and our two questions were hybrid issue spotter/policy questions. So you needed to write a lot. It's quite possible that your Torts test really didn't have all that much. Or other people ramble/meander constantly.

Anyway, I've heard sections two and three at Penn have it much easier than section one. So don't worry.

By the way, 2 3/4 hours? What's wrong with a 3 hour test?

[Big Shrimpin]

8k in three hours for torts. Burger King, here I come!

[sperry]

Sigh. Only 10000 words on a 4 hour Torts exam this morning. Fuck. Doc review here I come.

3700 on a 2 3/4 hour Torts exam.

We had a policy question and an issue spotter, admittedly I don't think my policy answer was very good, but I wrote 2300 words for the issue spotter and am quite confident I didn't miss anything major, and felt like I addressed a whole lot of minor issues too.


I am getting riduclously worried about this whole process. I can't even imagine how someone would have written 4000 words or something on my Torts issue spotter today. I don't believe that I missed 6 pages worth of issues, yet I"m sure that people wrote that much.

Don't worry too much about it. I'm in a different section than you and our two questions were hybrid issue spotter/policy questions. So you needed to write a lot. It's quite possible that your Torts test really didn't have all that much. Or other people ramble/meander constantly.

Anyway, I've heard sections two and three at Penn have it much easier than section one. So don't worry.

By the way, 2 3/4 hours? What's wrong with a 3 hour test?

When all you learn for the entire semester is the tort of negligence, I guess there's just not much you can put on the exam.

Our exams haven't been too bad, but Civ Pro is going to be just insanely difficult. 70 Multiple Choice questions and then time pressured issue/ policy questions.

[OperaAttorney]

Civ Pro - All M/C

Torts - 25 M/C and 1 essay question. No word limit. Brain was too fried to check word counter. I'm an editor at heart (clutter pierces my heart ), so I'm sure many of my classmates out-wrote me.

Contracts - 3 hrs 55 mins (including 1 hr 15 mins for "thinking" time) for 5 essay questions. Different word limit (325 - 675) for each question. Remained under limit for each question. Brain was too fried to bother memorizing how many words I had typed for my answers. Besides, I'm a normal human being--not a law school gunner zombie!

[Big Shrimpin]

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[caoyun]

3700 on a 2 3/4 hour Torts exam.

We had a policy question and an issue spotter, admittedly I don't think my policy answer was very good, but I wrote 2300 words for the issue spotter and am quite confident I didn't miss anything major, and felt like I addressed a whole lot of minor issues too.


I am getting riduclously worried about this whole process. I can't even imagine how someone would have written 4000 words or something on my Torts issue spotter today. I don't believe that I missed 6 pages worth of issues, yet I"m sure that people wrote that much.

Don't worry too much about it. I'm in a different section than you and our two questions were hybrid issue spotter/policy questions. So you needed to write a lot. It's quite possible that your Torts test really didn't have all that much. Or other people ramble/meander constantly.

Anyway, I've heard sections two and three at Penn have it much easier than section one. So don't worry.

By the way, 2 3/4 hours? What's wrong with a 3 hour test?

When all you learn for the entire semester is the tort of negligence, I guess there's just not much you can put on the exam.

Our exams haven't been too bad, but Civ Pro is going to be just insanely difficult. 70 Multiple Choice questions and then time pressured issue/ policy questions.

We spent half the semester on intentional torts which barely came up on the exam. We spent two classes on product liability and that was half the test. Granted, our professor barely taught us anything, so I guess it really doesn't matter how much time we spent on a given subject in class, since we all learned it from supplements anyway.

[OperaAttorney]

I am a zombie and it makes me sad.

It's ok. Whenever I encounter a law school gunner zombie, I say to myself, "It's ok if he performs better than you. In 20 years you're less likely to be a stressed-out, unhappily married (or divorced) alcoholic with a heart problem."

[Big Shrimpin]

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