• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Law School Toolbox®

All the tools you need for law school success

  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Start Law School Right
  • Job Help
  • Law School 101
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About

What’s Your Excuse? Start Taking Practice Exams

April 4, 2014 By Lee Burgess Leave a Comment

studying-hard-545923-m“I haven’t finished my outline yet, so I can’t do any practice exams.”

“ I have an outline, but I don’t know the law well enough to do a practice exam.”

“ I don’t have time to do practice exams because I have a moot court argument/paper/legal writing assignment coming up.”

These are just some of the common excuses I hear from law students around this time in the semester about starting practice exams. Everyone knows they need to do it, but no one wants to.

Let’s take these excuses one-by-one and let me do my best to convince you that the time is now to work on practice exams.

I haven’t finished my outline yet, so I can’t do any practice exams.

Well, hopefully, you have at least part of your outline done at this point in the semester. Sure, you may not be able to take a full exam (all three hours or how ever long your exam is), but you should have outlined enough law to write out some sort of exam answer. If you haven’t outlined enough law yet, set aside some time (say, four hours) to get a chunk down on paper. Now — look at that — you have enough outlining done to do some practice.

I have an outline, but I don’t know the law well enough to do a practice exam.

Once, I actually walked out of a simulated practice exam in law school because I was determined that I didn’t know the law well enough. Well, that wasn’t my best move. What I should have done is sat there and tried to work it out — spent time with the hypothetical to try and figure it out. Is it frustrating to fight with the material? Yes! Does that mean you shouldn’t do it? No! The first hypo or practice exam that you do can be challenging and frustrating. It can make you feel stupid and that you don’t know the material. (FYI, you are not stupid, but you may not know the material). The thing is, fact patterns can actually help you learn material. Because they can force you to ask yourself important questions like, “What is this fact trying to tell me?” or “Does this fact have any impact on the legal analysis here?” All very important questions.

Here is another secret. No matter how much studying you do, when most of us sit down to take our first practice exam, it will be less than stellar. So just be ready for that. It is part of the process. It doesn’t mean you are going to fail your exam. Better you have confusion about the exam now rather than four weeks from now on exam day.

I don’t have time to do practice exams because I have a moot court argument/paper/legal writing assignment coming up.

Here is a newsflash: law school is terribly busy. Everyone is busy. You have a lot of demands on your time. Beyond your in-class exams you likely have moot court, papers or another legal writing assignment. However, you cannot let these assignments take over your life. Many students prefer working on assignments such as these because they are less abstract than “studying for exams.” But unfortunately your exams still need to be studied for and you must make time to do practice exams for all the reasons stated above.

Thus, I recommend that you spend time thoughtfully thinking about how much time you are spending on the moot court argument/paper/legal writing assignment and make sure you are balancing that work with your study time.

The bottom line: You do not want to be starting to do practice exams during the final days before exam day. No excuses, the time is now.

— – —

Want more tips on exam prep and time management? Sign up for our free mailing list today.

And check out these helpful posts:

  • Do You Need to Write Out Practice Exams?
  • Where Can You Find Sample Law School Essay Exams?
  • Why Practice Writing Your Own Law School Exam Questions?
  • What Am I Telling My Students? Practice! 

Image by twinkledee via freeimages


 

Looking for some help to do your best in law school? Find out about our law school tutoring options.


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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

If you find law school tough, you are not alone! The Law School Toolbox team is here to help you through it. Check out our helpful free content, podcasts, courses and one-on-one tutoring. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a line if you have any questions. We also invite you to join our weekly mailing list, for advice right to your inbox.

Recent Posts

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 394: Start Law School Right — Getting Started 101

Welcome to the Law School Toolbox podcast for our special series on starting off on the right foot in law school! In this episode, we're discussing … Read More about Podcast Episode 394: Start Law School Right — Getting Started 101

Planning 2L Year To Maximize Your Law School Experience And Avoid Burnout

Planning 2L Year To Maximize Your Law School Experience And Avoid Burnout

Planning your 2L year can feel overwhelming, especially after 1L year where all your classes were arranged for you. You may have been told that you … Read More about Planning 2L Year To Maximize Your Law School Experience And Avoid Burnout

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 393: The Legal Hiring Landscape in the Current Economy (w/Sadie Jones)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we have ex-BigLaw recruiter Sadie Jones on the podcast to discuss how to interpret news and … Read More about Podcast Episode 393: The Legal Hiring Landscape in the Current Economy (w/Sadie Jones)

What’s on My Law School Bucket List

What’s on My Law School Bucket List

I can hardly believe it, but my first year of law school is coming to a close. With the end of 1L, I’ve been reflecting on both how far I’ve come and … Read More about What’s on My Law School Bucket List

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 392: Listen and Learn — Recording Statutes (Real Property)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, as part of our "Listen and Learn" series, we're talking about the purpose of recording … Read More about Podcast Episode 392: Listen and Learn — Recording Statutes (Real Property)

Want Better Law School Grades?

Sign Up for Our Exam Tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Job Help
  • About
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds

Copyright 2023 Law School Toolbox®™