How important are test taking abilities as you advance? Forum

[ampm]

1. Are tests in law school comparable to the LSAT in terms of time pressure, complexity of verbage, etc?
2. Is working under time pressure and being able to quickly comprehend large blocks of complex text an important skill to have as a lawyer?

Test taking is half knowledge and half controlling the nerves.

I know these questions sounds pretty obvious but I ask because I want to confirm my suspicions that by studying for the lsat, I'm not only practicing for the lsat itself but that these skills will also be useful later on.

[Gemini]

1. Are tests in law school comparable to the LSAT in terms of time pressure, complexity of verbage, etc?
2. Is working under time pressure and being able to quickly comprehend large blocks of complex text an important skill to have as a lawyer?

1. No
2. Typically, yes.

Also, LSAT was useless. It doesn't prepare you for anything. It just gets you into law school.

[ampm]

1. Are tests in law school comparable to the LSAT in terms of time pressure, complexity of verbage, etc?
2. Is working under time pressure and being able to quickly comprehend large blocks of complex text an important skill to have as a lawyer?

1. No
2. Typically, yes.

Also, LSAT was useless. It doesn't prepare you for anything. It just gets you into law school.

Are you saying that tests in law school are not as singularly decisive as the lsat and that they're more straightforward i.e. if you know the material you're set?

Or do you mean they're harder and time pressure, complexity of verbage plays a greater role?

I'm curious because I want to know much of a factor test taking abilities play in law school exams.

[Icculus]

1. Are tests in law school comparable to the LSAT in terms of time pressure, complexity of verbage, etc?
2. Is working under time pressure and being able to quickly comprehend large blocks of complex text an important skill to have as a lawyer?

1. No
2. Typically, yes.

Also, LSAT was useless. It doesn't prepare you for anything. It just gets you into law school.

Are you saying that tests in law school are not as singularly decisive as the lsat and that they're more straightforward i.e. if you know the material you're set?

Or do you mean they're harder and time pressure, complexity of verbage plays a greater role?

I'm curious because I want to know much of a factor test taking abilities play in law school exams.

1. Tests in law school are more decisive as they will determine your career options. Unlike the LSAT you only get one chance in a class and everyone knows the material as well as everyone else. It is about being able to spot more issues and write about them than other people in the class. The law school curve is nothing like the LSAT curve.

2. Law school test taking skills are important to cultivate because all grades come down to a single final exam.

[Gemini]

^This.

Edited to add law school test taking skills are very different from LSAT test taking skills.

[manofjustice]

Isn't it the case that some people will know the rule, but not know it precisely enough, and misapply it to some issue they do spot? I am prodding the "everyone knows the material equally well" idea.

[wik557]

The material on the LSAT has little/nothing to do with what you will do in law school or afterward. However, serious LSAT prep requires the same kind of extreme cramming and time management skills that law school finals also require. Being good at the LSAT does not mean you'll be good at law school, but if you can't do well on the LSAT you probably won't do well on finals either.