How to Make Notes for a Law Exam
In law school, whether you pass a course doesn’t depend on how eloquently you answered a professor’s questions during class, rather it's the exams that count. Law exams comprises of a hypothetical legal problem that you have to resolve. Whether you act as the lawyer counseling the party involved or the judge resolving the case, doesn’t matter. Your professor assesses two things when grading your exam: issue spotting and analysis. Issue spotting involves picking out the legal problems. Analysis consists of applying the rule of law to the facts of the case. Thus, making notes can prepare you for your law exam.
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Instructions
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Obtain an old law exam. You can acquire one at the law library or in a casebook for hypotheticals. Exams are also available through commercial study guides and online examinations.
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Decide the type of outline you want to use with your notes. Making notes for the law exam involves preparing an outline for the entire course. You, however, have to decide the outline that works for you. Your choices include: a rigid organization, visual outline with charts or re-writing essay outlines.
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Prepare the outline. Write your outline to achieve two things: a thorough understanding of the subject and aid in issue spotting and analysis.
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Create a checklist for the outline. Read the outline. Write the information on a separate page. Limit the checklist to a page. Include only the major categories covered in the course.
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Use your outline. You can check your outline against the old exam. Take the old exam like you would with the upcoming exam. You want to ensure that the outline prepares you for your upcoming exam.
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Tips & Warnings
You can outline your answer during the law exam too. Write down the major facts of the case into elements. The way you outline your law exam answer, however, depends on the type of law course you’re taking. For instance, contracts law may require you to outline your answer chronologically.
Use shorthand when making notes for your law exam. Since you’re not handing the material to the professor, you can use shorthand that you can understand. You may, for instance, use the initials VC for valid contract.
How you use the outline depends on the type of law exam you have. In an open book law exam, place the checklist on top of your outline or the inside of your book. You have to memorize the checklist when you have closed book law exam.
Write for your audience. Ask your professor questions before the exam about what factors into his grading. For example, your professor may place more weight on policy argument instead of the rules of law. Knowing your audience -- the professor -- helps when making law exam notes.
References
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