Finals Study Tips for Law Students
It's that time of year! Colleges and universities are wrapping up another fall semester, which means that final exams and presentations are just around the corner for most students. In fact, some universities have already begun the dreaded "finals week." Final exams for every academic discipline are challenging in their own way, but law students face unique challenges in their exams. The lawyers at the Lake of the Ozarks are here to help you face those challenges with these tried and true study tips for law students.
Begin
The most guaranteed way to do well on your exams is - surprise! - to study. Even if you haven't cracked open a book all semester, you'll do better to take advantage of what little time you have left than not to study at all. Getting started is often the hardest part. Once you sit down and begin applying yourself, the rest of the process gets easier and easier. Find what study method works best for you and stick with it. Do you prefer to study in groups or alone? Do you tend to remember more if you study in the morning, in the afternoon, or at night? If you discipline yourself and play to your strengths, you'll be much more well-equipped for you exams.
Practice on Previous Exams
If you can get access to exams given to your class in previous years, they can become valuable study resources. Some schools and/or professors may not grant access to previous tests, but we strongly recommend asking your professor about using them as study aids. You can simply read over the previous tests if you so choose, but we recommend taking them under standard testing conditions. This will allow you to get a feel for what the actual test will be like and establish a baseline for how well you can expect to do on the exam. If you need to study further, you'll know!
Familiarize Yourself with the Grading Methods
If you're a first-semester law student, you may not yet be aware that the grading methods for law classes are drastically different from standard undergraduate courses. When you take an undergraduate exam, you begin with an assumed 100% and points are deducted for every question you answer incorrectly. With law exams, however, you start from scratch. You earn points for every question you answer correctly, and more points are added for further description and explanation.
Take Advantage of All the "Just a Few Minutes" Breaks
Most students want to wait and only study when they have at least an hour to devote to it. While studying when you have sufficient time to thoroughly delve into your cases is certainly beneficial, it's also important to make the most of the random breaks you get throughout the day. Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there... These little breaks can add up to equal one to two hours of potential study time over the course of the day. Not only does taking advantage of these breaks increase the amount of time you spend studying, it also keeps the material at the forefront of your mind throughout the day. Make yourself a set of flashcards to flip through during these little snippets of time - you'll most likely notice a significant improvement in your academic performance.
Prepare Yourself Mentally
As with most things in the world, your attitude plays a huge role in your performance on your law exam. If you expect to do poorly, chances are that you will. If you know you have sufficiently prepared and you expect to perform well, your chances of a higher score will be significantly greater. Take care of your body and your mind as you study - eat as healthily as possible and keep "all-nighters" to a minimum. You could have memorized every aspect of your cases, but none of that will matter if you fall asleep during the exam!
We hope you find these suggestions helpful! All of us at the Law Firm of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. wish you the best of luck on your final exams. If you have questions or would like to speak directly to one of our experienced attorneys at the Lake of the Ozarks, don't hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to meeting you.
We Are Effective Camden County Lawyers for all of your legal needs.
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Disclaimer: No attorney-client relationship is created by publication of this Blog.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C.
Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter & Welch, P.C.
The most guaranteed way to do well on your exams is - surprise! - to study. Even if you haven't cracked open a book all semester, you'll do better to take advantage of what little time you have left than not to study at all. Getting started is often the hardest part. Once you sit down and begin applying yourself, the rest of the process gets easier and easier. Find what study method works best for you and stick with it. Do you prefer to study in groups or alone? Do you tend to remember more if you study in the morning, in the afternoon, or at night? If you discipline yourself and play to your strengths, you'll be much more well-equipped for you exams.
Practice on Previous Exams
If you can get access to exams given to your class in previous years, they can become valuable study resources. Some schools and/or professors may not grant access to previous tests, but we strongly recommend asking your professor about using them as study aids. You can simply read over the previous tests if you so choose, but we recommend taking them under standard testing conditions. This will allow you to get a feel for what the actual test will be like and establish a baseline for how well you can expect to do on the exam. If you need to study further, you'll know!
Familiarize Yourself with the Grading Methods
If you're a first-semester law student, you may not yet be aware that the grading methods for law classes are drastically different from standard undergraduate courses. When you take an undergraduate exam, you begin with an assumed 100% and points are deducted for every question you answer incorrectly. With law exams, however, you start from scratch. You earn points for every question you answer correctly, and more points are added for further description and explanation.
Take Advantage of All the "Just a Few Minutes" Breaks
Most students want to wait and only study when they have at least an hour to devote to it. While studying when you have sufficient time to thoroughly delve into your cases is certainly beneficial, it's also important to make the most of the random breaks you get throughout the day. Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there... These little breaks can add up to equal one to two hours of potential study time over the course of the day. Not only does taking advantage of these breaks increase the amount of time you spend studying, it also keeps the material at the forefront of your mind throughout the day. Make yourself a set of flashcards to flip through during these little snippets of time - you'll most likely notice a significant improvement in your academic performance.
Prepare Yourself Mentally
As with most things in the world, your attitude plays a huge role in your performance on your law exam. If you expect to do poorly, chances are that you will. If you know you have sufficiently prepared and you expect to perform well, your chances of a higher score will be significantly greater. Take care of your body and your mind as you study - eat as healthily as possible and keep "all-nighters" to a minimum. You could have memorized every aspect of your cases, but none of that will matter if you fall asleep during the exam!
We hope you find these suggestions helpful! All of us at the Law Firm of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. wish you the best of luck on your final exams. If you have questions or would like to speak directly to one of our experienced attorneys at the Lake of the Ozarks, don't hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to meeting you.
We Are Effective Camden County Lawyers for all of your legal needs.
We Are There When You Need Us.
Disclaimer: No attorney-client relationship is created by publication of this Blog.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising. When you need a knowledgeable attorney, we invite you to contact us to set up a consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available. We have access to interpreters.
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Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter & Welch, P.C.
85 Court Circle N.W., P.O. Box 559
Camdenton, MO 65020 GET A MAP
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Very informative article and got many ideas. This will be really helpful for me.
ReplyDeleteKeep updating.
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