My Law School Exam Prep Checklist

So it is finally here... that dreaded law school exam prep period.

Classes are winding down, your outlines are fattening up, and the stress begins.

Have no fear! I've gone through this process a few times already, and am ready to share what I found to be the best and most effective study method.

Remember, everyone's study method is different. So if this schedule is too much or too little for you, try to tweak it for what works. The most important thing is thoroughness and consistency.

Without thoroughness, you cannot expect to spot all of the issues on the exam. That's why I place a huge emphasis on reviewing the semester's material. Without consistency you cannot expect to be better. This is why scheduling your important dates is essential.

before I share my checklist, here are some links to my favorite planners that have been essential to keeping me organized and on top of my exam prep.

Lilly Pulitzer Large 2022 Planner

Rileys 2022 Weekly Planner

Anecdote Daily Planner 2022

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THE CHECKLIST:

Get Relevant Dates

• exam dates

• floating exam dates

• last day of class

• review session or class

• last day to talk to the professor

Mark Your Planner!

• schedule your floating exams

• schedule a rest day the DAY BEFORE an exam. do 0 work for that class that day.

Break Down Each Class

• break the class into parts (if it isn't already)

• use those parts to divvy up your outlining into chunks

Assess Each Class

• have I read all of the class materials I missed during the year?

• is my outline up to date?

• when is my review session? have your outline done before this. done should mean marked up with questions to clarify in the review session.

• are there practice exams available for this class? I take the most recent available exams for each class. I take the # of practice exams as credit hours the class is.

• is there anything my professor has suggested I use to prepare or given me? supplement questions? if your professor recommends something - use it! often they base their questions off of that material or even use their questions

Schedule it Out

• immovable deadlines - exam dates; class review sessions; last day of class

• deadlines for each outline to be done - solid date to hold yourself accountable; usually a day or two before the review session

• study schedule - based on what you have to catch up on... the next step is to order this!

Order Your Study Schedule

• catch up on EACH class - schedule time to catch up on all of your readings and missed lectures

• outline for EACH class - in parts! schedule time to outline each part of each class.

• learn the material - in parts! schedule time to learn each section. this could be re reading the material or rewatching the lecture videos.

• take practice exams.... this is so important it has its own step

TAKE! PRACTICE! EXAMS!

Remember when you were studying for the LSAT? The best thing for your score was to take practice exams or practice parts and then see what you got wrong, right? The same goes for law school exams - ESPECIALLY ones from your professor's past classes.

PROS of practice exams:

• practice your issue-spotting skills in the subject

• practice your answering-question skills in the subject

• you learn by doing what you do and do not understand

• if your professor wrote the exam, you can see what kind of questions they ask (ex: if both practice exams you did for them from the last 2 years asked about piercing the corporate veil, its pretty likely you'll have a question like that...)

• professor reuse questions! - this fall I opened an exam and the first question was copy and pasted exactly the same as the professor's 2016 exam, which I had thankfully taken. I knew exactly what she was looking for, how to phrase it, and ended up with an A! all because of one practice exam!

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TL; DR:

1. Schedule your exam dates & rest days before

2. Schedule 2 or 3 practice exams (based on credit hours for that class)

3. Schedule a day to have your outline done (BEFORE the review session)

4. See how far behind you are in each class and schedule when you’ll play catch up

5. Once you’re caught up with reading (ex: where you’d be if you’d stayed on top all year)

   1. Start doing your outline in parts

6. Once your outlines are done

   1. Start reteaching yourself material in parts

7. You’ll start getting to the dates of your practice exams, take them!

   1. If there aren’t sample answers, compare with someone else

   2. ASK THE PROFESSOR about confusion, their way to answer exams Qs is best!

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Wish you all the best of luck during exam season. Stay focused, stay committed, and know that you are your only limitation.