Setting Up A Successful Exam-Taking Strategy: 3 Tips For Test Preparation

Are you scared? Good! Because if you are, then you are taking final exams seriously.

Today’s post is for the law students. Final exams are coming up in a few days. So at this point, it’s probably too late to give any specific exam tips. So if you have a study plan, stick with it until you finish. What I want to do today is to share something I learned about final exams as I progressed through law school.

In my first semester of law school, I did everything I was supposed to do. I read the cases and briefed them. I spent most weeknights doing the assigned reading and preparing my notes while praying that the professor would not surprise us with a pop quiz in the morning. During the last few weeks of the semester, I tried to condense and organize everything I learned into a single outline for each class. Using my casebook’s table of contents as a skeleton outline, I was able to put together something that looked somewhat organized and comprehensible. A few days and at least twenty practice tests later, I took my final exams knowing that I did the best I could.

When I got my fall grades a few weeks later, I was disappointed with my performance. When I talked to the professors and TAs about my exams, they told me that while my performance was not bad, I just did not spot as many issues as my classmates. I took their evaluations to heart and I promised myself I wouldn’t make the same mistake next semester.

While all was not lost and I still had a chance to redeem myself, I second-guessed everything I was doing. I compensated by buying more study guides and doing more practice exams. I even considered hiring a tutor. Despite my best efforts, it was not enough to bring my GPA and class rank to a competitive level.

My second year was not too memorable. Getting to the top 10% of the class by graduation was possible but it was a reach. Most of the students who got the top grades transferred elsewhere so I thought that would help my chances. But as the year progressed, I was less motivated to do well in class. There seemed to be no point in excelling at least for the purpose of getting a good grade. Again, I tried using new study techniques, but all it did was add to my confusion and stress during finals week.

Fast-forward to my third year, at which point I completely stopped caring about my grades. Even if I got straight A-pluses in all of my classes, it wouldn’t make a meaningful improvement on my class rank. My main goal was just to get the diploma and then get the hell out. So I changed my strategy. I took only the required courses to graduate, converted most of the grades to pass/fail, and scheduled my classes so that I came to school only two days per week. I focused more on extracurricular activities. My stress level reduced exponentially. I had four-day weekends and time to figure out what I was going to do. Strangely enough, I felt like I did better on the exams, but since I was graded on a pass/fail basis, I will never know how I actually did.

Looking back, I think that if I got better grades in the first semester of my 1L year, I probably would have done better in subsequent semesters. Why? For starters, since I figured out how to ace law school exams, I could use the same techniques in future semesters to make studying a lot more predictable and less stressful. Also, the confidence boost would have really helped my energy level.

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So my message to all 1Ls and some 2Ls and 3Ls is that final exams are important. Duh. But the trick is to figure out how to write an A-level exam answer consistently as it will not only help you now but in later exams as well. I realize that every professor has their own little preferences on how they like their exams to be written. Also it seems like almost every model exam answer looks different from the last one. This can get confusing. And once confusion steps in, fear and anxiety soon follow.

So are you scared? Good! Because if you are, then you are taking the exam seriously.

Are you anxious? Even better! Because if you have the energy to be nervous, you have the energy to study. Take a jog around the block and get back to work.

People say that final exams are meaningless, they don’t test anything about real law practice, and everything will be fine in the end. But let’s keep it real. This is what students should be told after they finish their exams and they are crying about their mediocre grades. They should not be hearing this during finals week because they are anxious or scared. By coddling them, you’re not helping them relax or feel better about themselves. In fact, you may be encouraging them to slack off.

So here are my three recommendations for last-minute final exam preparation.

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First, stay focused. It’s easy to claim that one can stay focused by eliminating distractions. But these days, distractions are unavoidable. I think it is better to say that one should stay focused by disregarding distractions. To understand what I mean, imagine a bully is holding your head underwater intending to drown you. While your head is underwater, you are unable to breathe and are struggling to get free. Your lungs are burning, and your mouth desperately wants to take a breath of fresh air. You’re not thinking about parties, the new Star Wars movie, Black Friday, or Kobe Bryant’s retirement. If your cell phone is ringing, you’re not going to answer it or even acknowledge it. The only thing your mind is focused on is how to get out of the water and breathe. That’s the type of focus you’ll need to succeed.

The second thing to do is to contact your professor (or whoever is grading your exams) if you have any questions. I would complain to the dean if your professor does not make himself available at this crucial time. Look, if you are paying the equivalent of a Tesla (in non-dischargeable student loans) to attend law school, you are entitled to answers to your questions, especially during this stressful time.

Finally, presentation and comprehension matter, so CHECK YOU SPELING AND GRAMMER OFTEN on your practice exams.

Good luck. You got this.


Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.