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Copy and Paste: Your Worst Enemy on a Law School Exam?

April 2, 2012 By Lee Burgess 4 Comments

CautionCopy and pasteAs many of you know (if you have read our website), I am an adjunct law professor at two Bay Area law schools. I love teaching, but I must admit grading papers is not my favorite part of teaching.

What Bad Habits Can Impact Your Law School Grades?

Anyway, when I am grading exams, I always have my eyes out for habits law students pick up that can negatively affect their grades.

One of them is using copy and paste.

Why is Copy and Paste a Problem?

Let’s take an example of a question on torts.

How Should You Handle Multiple Parties?

Typically, an exam question that covers negligence doesn’t have just one potentially negligent party, but multiple parties and each needs its own negligence analysis.

Should you:

  • (a) copy and paste the entire negligence analysis from the first part of the question and just edit it for the second part of the question OR
  • (b) write the new section completely and use “see above” to reference law previously stated?

I hope you answered (b), since (b) is correct.

Why? There are several reasons.

#1: You might forget to edit

I have had students make the very tragic mistake of copying and pasting rules and analysis and then accidentally not editing correctly for the second section. This includes misstating the names of the parties or the facts that are being applied. Is your professor going to get annoyed by this? Yes. Is it going to influence your grade? Yes.

#2: Are these sections really identical?

Why would a professor ever create two sections of an exam that are so identical that you are going to write the same thing twice? It just doesn’t happen.

So if there is a second negligence analysis on the test, I recommend that instead of having the reaction, “Hey! I can copy and paste and get done with this question,” you should ask, “What is different about this analysis than the first analysis?”

#3: Don’t make your professor read extra material

Another reason not to copy and paste? Professors typically don’t want to read more than they have to! If they have read your rules for causation once, why would they want to do it again? It is a waste of their time and yours.

Grading papers is hard enough without making your professor read identical text multiple times in your one essay.

Not Sure What Your Professor Prefers? Ask!

And if you aren’t sure of your professor’s views on such things, go to office hours and ask him or her. Really, your professor wants to help you!

— – —

Want more great advice from Lee? Check out these recent posts:

  • The Key to Law School Exam Success? Think Like Your Professor
  • Why Practice Writing Your Own Law School Exam Questions?
  • Time Management Tip: Think of Law School Like a Law Job

And, if you’re not on the Law School Toolbox mailing list yet, do sign up! Lots of great stuff for you (including tips we don’t put on the website).

Image by sqback via stock.xchng.


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About Lee Burgess

Lee Burgess, Esq. is the co-founder of the Law School Toolbox, a resource for law students that demystifies the law school experience and the Bar Exam Toolbox, a resource for students getting ready for the bar exam. Lee has been adjunct faculty at two bay area law schools teaching classes on law school and bar exam preparation. You can find Lee on Twitter at @leefburgess, @lawschooltools, & @barexamtools.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. EllaElla

    04.02.12

    Won’t make this mistake again! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Lee Burgess

      04.02.12

      Glad it helped!

      Reply
  2. Louise

    04.03.12

    Great piece! I made this mistake on my torts exam last semester and got a C. Won’t do it again!

    Reply
    • Lee Burgess

      04.03.12

      It happens so often! This is one part of writing exams on a computer that I don’t think most people think about. Glad you found it helpful.

      Reply

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