Law Students

*Lest one day I decide to go back for more (e.g., L.L.M., etc.)

With great relief, I am pleased to announce that I am DONE with the LAST law school exam. It was hard waiting the day of the exam to arrive, but the exam itself was even harder than expected.

Two weeks prior to the exam, rumors were circulating that the exam will consists of questions that we had discussed in class. I did not take the rumor as seriously as most people did. A little paranoid voice in my head screamed — “But what if the professor changed his/her mind? Then I would be screwed over if I do not know the rest of the stuff.” As a result of my paranoia, I had a hard time studying for the exam because there are so many potential topics that the exam could cover.

Fast forward to the day of the exam. My gut feeling tells me that the professor will probably test on certain topics in the assigned readings (but not discussed in class) — an unlikely scenario, if you listened to all the rumors and tips floating around law school, but nonetheless a possible scenario. I made extra handouts and printed out the statutes of things I think could appear on the exam.

The rumors were wrong. The exam was hard and 75% of the questions were not topics we had discussed in class. Had I not ignored the rumors, I would have for sure failed the exam. I am not saying that I aced the exams (there were some sub-questions which stumped me), but I do not think I failed it (at least I finished it).

Points to take away:
1. Take rumors lightly.
2. Err on the side of caution, especially if it is an open book exam.
3. If you must cry because you think you failed the exam, wait until you finish the exam, turned it in, and left the room. Crying will not stop the time and you will get zero points for unwritten answers.
4. If you are unsure of the answer the professor is looking for, then do your best to make an argument why the answer you have chosen is the best answer. If the facts are unclear, say so. Explain why a change in facts could change the “best” answer. This demonstrates to the professor that you are aware of the limitations of the rule and that you understood the complexity of the issue.
5. If you do not know the rule (and the professor asked that you keep the answer short), then do follow the instruction and keep the answer short. Work on the other questions to which you do know the answer.