In law school, like in a game, there will often seem to be no justice. The smartest and hardest working students will often not get the highest test scores. Rather, the highest scores will go to those who prepare the Correct way and write your exams on Correct road. However, in a way, that it is Justice.
Plan to do whatever it takes (within the broad limits of legality and ethics) to do well on your exams. When you start practicing law, you will have to aggressively represent your client’s interests, so you might as well start now with your own interests. Some of the advice in this book, like putting tabs on outlines, taking dozens of practice tests, or wearing earplugs during a test, may seem like overkill. But if measures like these seem excessive to you, you have to wonder why you spend three or four years, as much as six percent of your life, in law school. Years from now, she won’t remember if she spent an extra 30 minutes on a scheme to get it right. But you will remember, and your transcript and his career will remember, that you got an “A” in that course. And maybe that you did Law Review.
Fear – the great motivator
It’s natural to experience a little fear in law school. Particularly in the first year, law school is an elaborate hazing ritual. Many law students don’t know what to expect, either from their exams or from their classmates.
A little fear is a healthy motivator, but too much fear is unhealthy. Do not panic, neither before an exam nor during it. If you only know the basic rules of the law for a given course, you You can pass the final exam of that course. Naturally, if you want to do more than just pass, you’ll need to bring some special skills to the exam. But don’t let yourself suffer from irrational worries about failing an exam; if you have studied even minimally, you will pass it.
How do you overcome panic? Being fully prepared when you take your exams and being confident in your preparation. When you know the law inside out and have taken numerous practice tests, you will have this confidence.
Don’t get caught up in the mind games your classmates will inevitably play with each other. Just remember that exams are the great equalizer. On test day, it won’t matter who asked the most questions during class, who owns the most hornbooks, who knows the most trivial details about cases, who spent the most hours in the library, or who talked the most with their professors. during the class. business hours. All that will matter is who writes the best review.
Have confidence in yourself and your preparatory techniques. Don’t worry about how others prepare, and unless they’re in your study group, don’t worry about what they know. When you take a test, use your own strategy and stick to it.
Get ready for a workout
Final exams are an endurance test. Usually you will have an exam period of a week or two. During that time, you will study almost every waking hour. After taking an exam, you may need to go straight home and start studying for the next one. The people who do best during this period are those who try the hardest and have the most to give. Being physically fit can give you a huge advantage.
To be in this condition, you have to exercise. Exercise reduces stress and helps you fall asleep at night. Try to exercise at least daily, particularly during exam periods. I lived in Venice, California the summer I graduated from law school and studied for one of the toughest bar exams in the country. He studied every morning, went for a bike ride on the beach in the afternoon, and took a bar review course every night. Nearly three decades later, all I remember from that summer is the bike rides. Those sweet afternoon walks helped keep me sane during a very difficult period, and I credit that part of my routine, as well as my other study skills and test-writing skills, for helping me pass the bar in my first attempt. I suggest you find a routine like this that works for you when studying for tests.
Research has shown that it is more important to get a good night’s sleep the two to three nights before an exam than the night before the exam. Also, if you’re having trouble sleeping the night before an exam, the big adrenaline rush you experience while taking the exam will make up for your drowsiness. If you can’t sleep the night before an exam, remember these facts and do not enter your exam predisposed to do poorly due to a “lack” of sleep. If you expect to type your exams (instead of typing them), you may experience some cramping or pain in your hand muscles during an exam. If this bothers you or slows you down, you should make sure your hand muscles are in reasonable condition before the exams. If you handwrite your outlines, checklists, and practice tests, your muscles will probably be fit from use and you won’t have any problems. If you do most of your work on a computer, take your exam on a computer or make an effort to spend several hours a day writing to condition your hands.
Don’t go through the motions
Let’s imagine the worst case scenario for a moment: you have an exam coming up, you’re worried about it, and you haven’t really thought about how to study for it. So you start reading your class notes randomly. Then he flips through his casebook, trying to remember what he can about the cases he has read. Hours pass. Suddenly, you realize that you can’t remember something you just read in your class notes a few hours ago. You have learned some random rules, but you have only remembered some of them. You felt momentarily productive while studying, and you may have forgotten your panic for a while, but you accomplished virtually nothing.
When you’re worried about an exam, focus your nervous energy and prioritize your efforts. Ask yourself what is the most productive and effective thing you can do, and do it. Approach your exams in an orderly fashion, with a well-thought-out game plan for each one. And if you find yourself doing busy work just to get something done, stop and start doing something productive.