Exam Preparation Tips

Home   >  Academic Achievement Program   >  Exam Help   >  Exam Preparation Tips

Outlining

• Try to have your outline / initial review of the material done by the start of the exam period.
• Read through your outline, clarifying things that are still confusing.
• For open book exams, spend a bit of time making your outline user-friendly: Tabbing, highlighting, color-coding, cross-referencing to other sections and text book page numbers.

Prepare Worksheets

• Especially for open book exams, many students find issue-spotting worksheets and other types of check lists to be helpful.

Practice Exams

• Many professors have old exams or practice exams on file at the circulation desk of the law library. Check them out and copy them.

Study Groups

• Take practice exams with a study group. Sit together and follow the time guidelines. Then talk about your responses.
• Prior to your first exam, you might find it useful to sit for a full three or four hour practice exam so that you know what to expect from such a long exam. Think about how you are going to manage your time and the order in which you will do the exam components.
• Talk through exam and hypothetical responses in groups. Give the group 15 minutes to read and outline a response to a hypo and then talk about what your analysis would look like. Give each person a turn to tell their proposed response.
• Set time limits and goals for group study sessions. Reserve study rooms at the law library or the undergrad library.
• Talk through your outlines in your study group. Make sure everyone is solid on the main concepts. Answer each other's questions.
• Quiz each other on rules and concepts. Use Flash cards.

Memorize Main Concepts

• Rules in a Flash and/or homemade flash cards.
• Memorize rule statements from your outline.

Administrative Preparation

• Get your blind grading number from the Registrar's office.
• Download the exam files for each of your classes onto Exam Soft.

Take Care of Yourself

• Get enough sleep, take your vitamins, eat well, exercise and generally take the time to take care of yourself. Keep your immune system strong.