As oppose to laying out the legal doctrine in a particular field of law or study, a. Reintroducing closed book exams at law school by cathy. Tips for success on openbook exams law school success. For example, when i was a firstyear law student, all of my exams were closed book. Part two of lees series explores how to prepare for an openbook exam and argues that your approach should be surprisingly similar to preparing for a closedbook exam. Most law school classes only have one exam, so you dont get the chance to practice before game time. How to prepare for a closed book exam top law schools. Open book is going to rely a lot less on actually knowing things perfectly and a lot more on analysis. Getting to maybe is a great book to read prior to attending law school. I know, i am strange, but i thought it seemed more fair that everyone. Heres how to prepare for a closed book law school exam.
Openbook proponents point out that in law practice, the exams are all. Therefore, exam time in law school requires me to be super organized or it just. Ive only had open book exams, but talking to people at lower ranked schools that had. Why i never got higher than a b in law school above. Learn how to effectively complete case briefs, manage your time effectively, and ace those notorious final.
They may seem like a silly primary school teaching tool, but nothing works. Barry friedman is professor of law at nyu school of law and john goldberg is professor of law at harvard law school. The university of kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital. How to succeed on a closed book law school exam jd advising. When it comes to studying for a closed book exam, the most important thing is to. In almost every law school, you are graded on a strict curve. How to do your best on law school exams shows you, stepbystep, how to practice and excel at the two core lawexam tasks. In fact, more and more law schools are swapping to closed book exams every year, and i think most universities will start making the change. A closedbook exam is seen as old school and more rigorous. Study aids come in range of topics and from a number of different publishers, allowing students to find particular works that meet their needs and compliment their study style. A casebook is a type of law books used primarily by students in law schools. Tips for studying for a closed book law school exam. Reintroducing closed book exams at law school by cathy sherry over the past three decades, law schools, along with others, have consistently moved away from closed. The law faculty adopted the policy in april 2007 that all law school exams other than takehome exams be taken in designated rooms under procedures established by the deans and.
I had all closed book exams in law school until i was a 2l and i loved them. Go through your outline page by page, making a separate list of all legal issues and. How to study for an open book testexam in law school quora. Ill study for the exam like i would for a closedbook exam. There may be exam questions and answers on file there.
I know, i am strange, but i thought it seemed more fair that everyone had to memorize the material for. How to get an edge over other law students law school study tips duration. Students seem to be partial to open book exams, perhaps because they. Other 23 paperback 58 paperbacksoftware 1 vitalsource ebookepub 688 vitalsource ebookpdf. Panel 3 podcast this program is designed to be useful to students interested in improving their examwriting techniques. Exam taking skills, outlines, and advice for law students. One of the most frequently debated issues concerning law school exams is open book or closed book.
You cannot bring in an englishforeign law dictionary unless the exam is a restricted open book exam and. Law school exam tutor extraordinaire lee faller burgess of amicus tutoring. However, one will not likely have time to read this book while actually in law school. Just remember that all of your exams up until law school were probably closed book, and you did fine on those. An upperclassman explained to me how to do well on law school exams at the beginning of my 1l year and its worked for me. Examinations are anonymous, and selfidentification of any kind is not. Law school exams are more difficult than college level exams. Theres a lot of pressure, and not everyone can handle it. Do not speak with any person other than the faculty member who is administering this exam until you have turned in.
But professor suzanne darrow kleinhaus recent book, mastering the law school exam, is a very valuable contribution that can help students to get on the legal frequencies required for the. Listed below are the previous examinations given in this course that are available at this site together with memos commenting on what might have been said in answer to the essay. All the information and support required for exams is available on this page. Learn why, and how to prepare for a law school exam. Ask your professor if they can share a previous exam or exam question with the class. Take an outline that you have done for one of your law school classes, such as contracts. Academics overview program listing 90second lectures academic calendar college of arts and sciences school of business administration school of education and health sciences school. Studies have shown that the single most important thing you can do to raise your grade is to take practice exams.
Law school spring 2000 general instructions this is a closed book exam. Law school exit exam archives ethiopian legal brief. Study aids and past exams emory university school of law. Popular law school books showing 150 of 2,209 getting to maybe. Wondering how to study for closedbook law school exams. Last years law school exit exam papers public laws by abrham yohannes on november 18, 2011 45 comments last year, ethiopian law school students have for the first time taken. Answer summary two model answers for q1, one model answer for q2, two model answers for q3, two model. To pick apart why exactly law school exams are such a rare and terrifying beast, lets first look at what makes up a typical law school exam as. In this article, we break down the details of the law school curve and analyze why the dreaded curve causes so many law. Unless a question expressly asks for california law, it should be answered according to legal theories and principles of general application.
With so many law students taking their exams online at home this time, the. Study tips for closed book con law exam as the title says, does anyone have any study tips on how to best approach a closed book con law exam. Depending on your law school, you may have many or few closedbook exams. Why so many law students perform poorly on exams and what.
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