Taking Control over Exam Study

We have just passed the halfway point in our semester.  Up until now, most students have been focused on daily survival and have not thought much about their exams.  Now is the time for them to allot time for exam study as well as for daily class preparation.

Why become a two-task law student?  Most semesters are 14-15 weeks long.  To try to learn that amount of material closer to the end of the semester is a daunting task.  By spreading exam study over a longer period, students gain several advantages:

1. Deeper understanding of the material – how it works rather than just rote memory
2. Greater retention – multiple reviews create long-term memory
3. More practice question time – monitoring what one really knows and can apply
4. More exam-taking experience – practice questions allow exam strategies to become auto-pilot rather than uncomfortable

There are several things that law students can do to take control over their exam study.  First, they can compile their current knowledge about each course exam.  That knowledge may come from the syllabus, the professor's comments in class, or other sources. 

Categories of information might include: question formats, open- or closed-book, length of the exam, any topics excluded from the exam, a practice database provided by the professor, or suggested supplements.  After indicating what they already know, they can determine what additional information they want to find out over the remainder of the semester.

Here is an example format that could be used for each course:

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT MY EXAMS	WHAT I NEED TO FIND OUT
Course #1: Torts At least 3 long fact-pattern essay questions At least 25 multiple-choice questions Partially open book Prof recommends CALI lessons Practice essay questions on prof's course website	Prof will tell us more about any material not on the exam two weeks beforehand No information yet on what partially open book means

Second, students can compile the list of topics and subtopics that require study for the exam.  For courses in which they have the entire semester's syllabus, the list can be completed through the end of the semester.  For courses in which they get the syllabus in chunks, the list can be completed through the current chunk and expanded in future weeks.

By completing this step, students are less likely to underestimate the amount of information that will be on the exam.  By breaking the topics into subtopics, students can focus on learning small chunks when they have time instead of waiting to find huge blocks of time (as in "It will take me all weekend to learn negligence.")

Here is an example format that could be used for each course:

Course: ____Torts________ TOPICS AND SUBTOPICS ON EXAM

TOPIC	SUBTOPICS
INTENTIONAL TORTS	Intent Intentional Tort of Battery Intentional Tort of Assault Intentional Tort of False Imprisonment Intentional Tort of Trespass to Land Intentional Tort of Trespass to Chattels Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Defenses

By looking carefully at their weekly schedules, they can often carve out pockets of time for exam review that they thought did not exist. 

• Is their reading and briefing taking less time now for a particular course because they are more efficient?
• Are they sleeping in on the weekends when they could capture 1 or 2 hours of exam review time?
• Do they waste blocks of time on digital distractions such as email, Twitter, FaceBook, etc.?
• Can they spend 1 hour instead of 2 hours at the gym? 
• Could they study until 7 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday night rather than knocking off at 3 p.m.?

By making a schedule of those captured times, students are more likely to follow through on their exam review:

DAY OF THE WEEK	EXAM REVIEW TIME AVAILABLE
Monday Tuesday Wednesday   Thursday Friday Saturday   Sunday	8:30 – 9:30 a.m. 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 8:30 – 10:00 p.m. 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. None

Students gain more control when they garner information about their exams, list exactly what to study, and capture wasted time from their schedules for exam review.  As they begin to see progress – even in small steps on their topic/subtopic list – they can gain confidence.  As they highlight their progress on exam subtopics and keep to their time commitments for review, they will feel more positive about the upcoming end of classes and exam period. (Amy Jarmon)

Taking Control:	1. Information
2. Content	3. Time