Writing out hypotheticals is a great way to study during the course of the semester. Becoming familiar with the structure of essay questions and how to respond will go a long way in helping you prepare for exams.
By now, you know that your professors expect an exam answer that is a well-reasoned and well-organized, and should contain an articulate analysis of the relevant rules of law with respect to the facts. The best way to do get adequate preparation is by writing out and practicing from prior exams – this is why many professors have copies of their old exams on the Library website. You should begin writing sample answers as soon as you have covered enough law to analyze a factual situation.
When asked if it is too soon to start working through hypothicals, remember:
1. Begin working with practice questions as soon as you have covered a topic.
2. Start simple and build to the complex. Begin with single issue problems and work your way to increasingly more complex problems until you have covered every principle that has been covered in your course.
3. Vary the type of essay that you answer when practicing. Be sure to work with both short essays and long, complex fact patterns with multiple issues and parties. Each presents a different challenge in issue spotting and organization.
4. Use exam questions to let you see the relationships between concepts and how topics come together. Hypotheticals can help by showing you the connections in the law.
5. Develop your reading skills as carefully as your writing skills. Pay attention to the exam directions. The only way to know exactly how your professor expects you to address a question comes from experience in reading your professor’s exams.
No comments:
Post a Comment