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I'm afraid I'm outing myself as underprepared, but ...

I'm doing BarBri (IL) and have been keeping on track. However, when I write my essays I have been doing it open book. So far, I've felt like this has really helped me learn the stuff I don't know and clarify it, as well as give me the additional reinforcement of writing out the laws.

Is this a bad idea? Especially as we enter the MEE/IEE essay topics that aren't in the MBE, I'm feeling completely freaked out. If it's a good idea, when do I need to start doing them closed book?

Does anyone have advice on the best approach for this?

I have no actual advice here. But just to let you know, I'm IL too, and I've been doing the same thing. So you're not alone.

rmhco wrote:I'm afraid I'm outing myself as underprepared, but ...

I'm doing BarBri (IL) and have been keeping on track. However, when I write my essays I have been doing it open book. So far, I've felt like this has really helped me learn the stuff I don't know and clarify it, as well as give me the additional reinforcement of writing out the laws.

Is this a bad idea? Especially as we enter the MEE/IEE essay topics that aren't in the MBE, I'm feeling completely freaked out. If it's a good idea, when do I need to start doing them closed book?

Does anyone have advice on the best approach for this?

I did essays open book until very late in the game, so if I were you I wouldn't worry too much.

My reasoning was the same as yours, once I write something, it helps cement it into my brain. The worst thing you can do, IMO, is do a closed book essay, and write something that is wrong and then you get the wrong thing cemented into your brain.

Honestly (and maybe this is just me), on exam day the adrenaline and the rush helped me to recall things that typing it over and over and over again. Not particularly because I had practiced essays closed book, but just because I had typed something over and over and over and so my brain could access it.

TL;DR -- IMO, its better to do the practice essays open book than to guess and be wrong.

rcharter1978 wrote:

rmhco wrote:I'm afraid I'm outing myself as underprepared, but ...

I'm doing BarBri (IL) and have been keeping on track. However, when I write my essays I have been doing it open book. So far, I've felt like this has really helped me learn the stuff I don't know and clarify it, as well as give me the additional reinforcement of writing out the laws.

Is this a bad idea? Especially as we enter the MEE/IEE essay topics that aren't in the MBE, I'm feeling completely freaked out. If it's a good idea, when do I need to start doing them closed book?

Does anyone have advice on the best approach for this?

I did essays open book until very late in the game, so if I were you I wouldn't worry too much.

My reasoning was the same as yours, once I write something, it helps cement it into my brain. The worst thing you can do, IMO, is do a closed book essay, and write something that is wrong and then you get the wrong thing cemented into your brain.

Honestly (and maybe this is just me), on exam day the adrenaline and the rush helped me to recall things that typing it over and over and over again. Not particularly because I had practiced essays closed book, but just because I had typed something over and over and over and so my brain could access it.

TL;DR -- IMO, its better to do the practice essays open book than to guess and be wrong.

Thank you! This is helpful!

justtrying wrote:I have no actual advice here. But just to let you know, I'm IL too, and I've been doing the same thing. So you're not alone.

Excellent, thanks! I choked on Secured Transactions essay yesterday and questioned everything

I'm doing the same thing and giving myself until 7/1 to do open book. Then it's closed book from there on out so I can get used to the feeling of now knowing the law and still producing an answer under time pressure to get SOMETHING down.