exam-taking tips: outline of presentation

EXAM-TAKING TIPS:Outline of Presentation

I. Job DescriptionI. Job Description

II. II. BeforeBefore You Write You Write

III. III. WhileWhile You Write You Write

IV. Efficient Use Of TimeIV. Efficient Use Of Time

V. Exam PreparationV. Exam Preparation

VI. AfterwardVI. Afterward

Metaphors for Seven Common Exam Errors

Wrapping Paper Wrapping Paper

Cabbage Cabbage

Pinball MachinePinball Machine

Wine Tasting Wine Tasting

Sports Ticker Sports Ticker

Mobius StripMobius Strip

Socket Wrenches Socket Wrenches

SO YOU CAN LISTEN …

POWER POINT SLIDES WILL BE POSTED ON ACADEMIC

ACHIEVEMENT WEBSITE

IMPORTANTBACKGROUND RULE

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

GIVEN BY ONE OF YOUR PROFS RE THAT PROF’S EXAM

OVERRULE MY GENERAL ADVICE

I. JOB DESCRIPTION

(A) Generally

(B) Respond to Prof’s Qs

(C) Issue-Spotting Qs

I. JOB DESCRIPTION(A) Generally

• Common for Undergrad Exam: Show How Much You Know From Course

• NOT the task on Law School Exam


• Common for Undergrad Exam: Show How Much You Know From Course

• NOT the task on Law School Exam

• Clients don’t care how much you know; they want you to address their problems


• NOT to show how much you know

• Use what you know from course to address new legal problems – Problems likely not exactly what you’ve seen– Address using tools from course (cases, statutes,

const. provisions, policy, theory)– Show you know which tools are useful (& which

not) for particular problem

I. JOB DESCRIPTION(B) Respond to Prof’s Qs

•Law Profs = Precursors of Reality TV

•Exam Qs = Challenges –Peculiar Components–Seemingly Random Restrictions–Unrealistic Time Constraints

Contestants, today you will construct a tree house in five

hours for twin 11-year old tomboys using 6 folding chairs, 8 wicker

baskets, 12 boxes of Captain Crunch, 3 rolls of duct tape, and

no metal at all. Good Luck !

Students, today you will have 75 minutes to discuss what the result would be in Rocsalt v. PepperCo if the case took place in the future and involved a Rocket to Mars instead of a Stagecoach. Ignore any tort issues you see and just discuss the contract. Good Luck !


•Most Common Faculty Complaint:• “Students Didn’t Respond to My Q!”•= “You Didn’t Do the Challenge”

– Maybe Didn’t Incorporate Key Component (“Where’s the Turnip?”)

– Maybe Didn’t Follow the Rules or Restrictions

WRAPPING PAPER

• Found on the outside of a box.

WRAPPING PAPER

• Found on the outside of a box.• If the Professor gives you limits on the

scope of the question, stay within the box you are given to work with.

• Purposes of Limits: – Focus Student Answers– Make Q manageable in time allotted

WRAPPING PAPER

• Found on the outside of a box.• If the Professor gives you limits on the

scope of the question, stay within the box you are given to work with.

•Wrapping paper is all too easy to dispose of!


•Follow Instructions/Address Qs Given– Qs can take different forms, so

read carefully– Most common form: Issue-Spotter

(I’ll Address Specifically at Length)– Look for Limitations on Scope of Q

*COMMON LIMITATIONS*

• Apply particular case or rule

• Play particular role

• Use law from particular jurisdiction

• Do not discuss …

• Assume certain facts

EXAMPLE: CRIMINAL LAW

•You are Prosecutor•Under the facts above,

– which characters would you try to charge,

– with what crimes, – how likely are you to convict?

EXAMPLE: CRIMINAL LAW

• You are Prosecutor• Under the facts above,

– which characters would you try to charge, – with what crimes, – how likely are you to convict?

“I SUE DEAD PEOPLE”

I. JOB DESCRIPTION(C) Issue-Spotting Qs

DRAFT OF ANALYSIS SECTION

OF LEGAL MEMO


•Draft of ANALYSIS SECTION–No elaborate Introductions/Conclusions–No separate Fact Section or Questions Presented or Brief Answer•(Treat My Problem as Fact Section)


•DRAFT of Analysis Section– Imperfect sentences OK (for

most Profs)– Getting ideas on paper more

important than style or rhetoric


•Equivalent Law Firm Task: Quick Preliminary Briefing– Best You Can Do in Available Time

– Informal Presentation

– Key Characteristics: Clear, Concise, & Organized

II. BEFORE YOU WRITE

(A) Read Carefully

(B) Identify Most Important Topics

(C) Roughly Organize Your Answer

II. BEFORE YOU WRITE(A) Read Carefully

1) Read/Follow General Instructions

2) Look at “Call of the Question” First

3) Read Text of Q More Than Once

4) If You See a Problem . . .


1) Read/Follow General Instructions

–There for a Reason–E.g. Separate Bluebooks–Sometimes Available in Advance


2) Look at “Call of the Question” First

– Understand Task/Challenge Before Reading Body Of Q

– Avoid “Wrapping Paper”


3) Read Text of Q More Than Once

–Don’t Miss Important Facts/Parallels to Cases

–Student Who Starts Writing 3 Minutes Into Test is Helping Everyone Else



–E.g., Changing Character Names or No Call of the Q

–E.g., “Saturday Night Special” & “Sheet Music”



– OK to send Q to Prof via Proctor

– OK to note problem in answer & state any assumptions you make

II. BEFORE YOU WRITE(B) Identify the Most Important Topics

•Usually too much to discuss thoroughly in time you’ll have

•Need to identify & prioritize topics most worth your time

CABBAGE

• In Fill-the-Grocery-Cart Game, Cabbage takes up lots of space, not worth very much.

CABBAGE

• Takes up lots of space, not worth very much

• To maximize score, focus on issues lawyers will fight about– Hard-to-Resolve Issues yield most points– Reject Undergrad Tendency to Avoid

Unknown; If Result is Unclear, Go For It– Look for Lots of Facts in Problem

CABBAGE• Takes up lots of space, not worth very much • To maximize score, focus on issues lawyers will fight

about

• Cabbage = Issues nobody would contest – Duty in tort case where operating MD harms

patient– Pers. J. in case where D works/lives in state– Spend little time on; if focus on cabbage:

even if everything you say is correct & relevant, you get C

II. BEFORE YOU WRITE(C) Roughly Organize Your Answer

•Clear Organization …– Helps ME Understand Your

Arguments– Helps YOU Keep Track of

What Points You’ve Already Made

PINBALL MACHINE

•When operating a pinball machine, you try to score as many points as possible without worrying about the order in which you hit them.

PINBALL MACHINE

• When operating a pinball machine, you try to score as many points as possible without worrying about the order in which you hit them.

•When writing an exam… – Make your points in a logical order – Make that order visible to the reader


–Brief Outline = List of Major Topics

–Maybe Some Reminder Notes Under Each Topic

–Choose Order in Which You’ll Discuss Them

Sample Outline: Torts• P v. Driver (2)

– Viol of Statute– Prx. Cause?? BIG Q– Contrib Negl (Comparative?)

• P v. Carco (1)– Duty to P– Design Defect (GM case??)

• P v. Hosp. (3)– Res ipsa L BIG Q– Like Allegheny Hosp.

Sample Outline: Property(Adverse Possession)

• Continuous (2)– Statute of Lim = 7– Seasonal Use OK Here? (Howard case) BIG Q – Like Ord Owner? Enough Notice?

• Open/Not: Easy (Exclusive = Same) (If Time)

• Actual (1)– Enough Cultivation (Gardens? Cf. Lutz) BIG Q– Like Ord Owner?

• State of Mind = Ev of Bad Faith (Ok in juris?) (3)


Possible Organizational Schemes•Chronology•Major Causes of Action (by Character)•Elements/Factors from Causes of Action•Decision Trees•Most Complex First


– Starting to Write More Important Than Exact Order

– Don’t spend 30 minutes doing detailed outline of 60 minute Q

– Roughly weight complexity of issues to help allocate time

WINE TASTING

•Wine Tasting = One roughly equal taste of each wine offered

WINE TASTING

• Wine Tasting = One roughly equal taste of each wine offered

•All Issues Are Not Created Equal– Treating all alike is a recipe for C+/B-– “Drink More Deeply” of Complex Issues– “Higher Degree of Difficulty” Merits

More Time; Yields Richer Results

WINE TASTING

• Wine Tasting = One roughly equal taste of each wine offered

• All Issues Are Not Equal•Boss in a Quick Preliminary

Briefing Wants Sense of Relative Complexity of Issues

III. WHILE YOU WRITE

(A) Discuss One Topic at a Time

(B) How to Discuss a Single Topic

III. WHILE YOU WRITE(A) Discuss One Topic at a Time

• Fully cover 1 topic, then go to the next– Same method re subheadings of particular

topic (e.g., elements of tort or Adv. Poss.)

- If you have ideas about subsequent topics while writing, note on side or below

III. WHILE YOU WRITE(A) Discuss One Topic at a Time

• Fully cover one topic, then go to the next

- If using computer, might put outline in first to serve as frame

III. WHILE YOU WRITE(B) How to Discuss a Single Topic

1)IRAC & Its Limits2)Show All Work3)Argue Both Sides4)Use Both Law & Facts5)Building Block Paragraphs


1) IRAC & Its Limits– Current Events Analogy– “Issues” on Exams (v. in briefs or cases)

•“Issue” might be “What Rule Applies?”– “Rules”: Be Concise; Few Points for Merely

Stating– “Conclusion”: Not Very Important; Generally

Not Looking for Particular Result, But Best Use of Arguments

IRAC v.

IRAC

v.

IRC

SPORTS … TICKER …

Cardinal 26, Ducks 20

SPORTS TICKER

• Provides results of sporting events without analysis.

SPORTS TICKER


• On exams, always provide analysis before attempting a conclusion.

CRAC is Dangerous on Exams

Can lead you to over-defend your stated conclusion and ignore complications and counter-arguments.

SPORTS TICKER


• On exams, always provide analysis before attempting a conclusion.

• On an open book exam, virtually no points for stating a rule then an unsupported conclusion (“Conclusory”)


2) Show All Work – Like High School Math– Briefly Make Clear to Me That You Understand Your Arguments and Aren’t Guessing/Fudging

– “Because, because, because, because…”

3) Argue Both Sides

MOBIUS STRIP• A single loop of ribbon or paper with a

half-twist built into it. Its most notable quality is that it has only one side.

MOBIUS STRIP• A single loop of ribbon or paper with a half-twist built into it. Most

notable quality is that it has only one side.

• Look for serious arguments on at least two sides of each significant issue.– One-Sidedness (Very Common 1L Problem) = Not

Doing Half the Problem

– Assume the Arguments are There (20$ Bill)• “On the other hand …”

• Even if asked to be atty for X, address Y’s best arguments

MOBIUS STRIP• A single loop of ribbon or paper with a half-twist built into it.

Most notable quality is that it has only one side.

• Look for serious arguments on at least two sides of each issue.

• Creating a Dialogue Generally Preferable to All One Side, then All the Other– Alex Schimel’s “However” & “Nevertheless”

– Otherwise Tend to Overstate Arguments & Miss Nuance

Legal Smeagols


4) Use Both Law & Facts•Don’t discuss facts in a vacuum; start with some legal test or Principle (Law v. Ethics, Philosophy or Political Science)


4) Use Both Law & Facts•Don’t discuss facts in a vacuum; start with some legal test

•Try to use all the facts in the problem

– Assume Everything is There for a Reason – Again, Like Reality Show Challenges


4) Use Both Law & Facts•Don’t discuss facts in a vacuum; start with some legal test•Try to use all the facts in the problem

•Discuss Unstated Facts – if Necessary to Resolve Problem– If Not Inconsistent with Stated Facts

UNSTATED FACTS: FILLING IN GAPS v. ALTERING PROBLEM

Marc hit JoAnne with his car …

• To determine tort or crime, necessary to speculate about intent.

UNSTATED FACTS: FILLING IN GAPS v. ALTERING PROBLEM

Marc hit JoAnne with his car … • “If he did so intentionally …” (necessary

to speculate about intent)

• “If he then refused to take her to the hospital …” (altering problem)


4) Use Both Law & Facts•Don’t discuss facts in a vacuum; start with some legal test•Try to use all the facts in the problem•Discuss Unstated Facts

•Only discuss legal authority you are using to assess problem

SOCKET WRENCHES

• If you take your car to be fixed, when you come to pick it up, you don’t want the mechanic to show you his socket wrenches and brag about what fine tools they are; you want to see that he used the tools to fix the car.

SOCKET WRENCHES

• You don’t want the mechanic to show you his socket wrenches and brag about what fine tools they are.

• On your exams, do not simply show me rules, tests, policies, or facts of cases (“Outline Dump”). Use them to address the exam question.

SOCKET WRENCHES

• You don’t want the mechanic to show you his socket wrenches and brag about what fine tools they are.

• On your exams, do not simply show me rules, tests, policies, or facts of cases (“Outline Dump”). Use them to address the exam question.

• Helpful tip: as soon as you write down a legal test, discuss how it might apply to the facts.


5) Building Block Paragraphs •On a Single Legal Topic

•Usually Begin with Legal Rule/Principle & Brief Citation to Authority


5) Building Block Paragraphs •On a Single Legal Topic

•Usually Begin with Legal Rule/Principle & Citation

•Present Arguments for Both Parties re How the Rule/Principle Applies to Relevant Facts and How the Facts Compare to Those of Key Cases

– More Extended Dialogue = More Points


5) Building Block Paragraphs •On a Single Legal Topic•Usually Begin with Legal Rule/Principle & Citation •Arguments for Both Parties Applying the Rule/Principle

•Conclude with Concise Argument(s) re Which Position Seems Stronger & Why (with Reference to Cases, Policy or Common Sense)


5) Building Block Paragraphs •On a Single Legal Topic•Usually Begin with Legal Rule/Principle & Citation •Arguments for Both Parties Applying the Rule/Principle •Argue Which Position Seems Stronger & Why

•Practice, Practice, Practice

IV. EFFICIENT USE OF

TIME

(A) Stick Strictly to Time Limits

(B) General Tips on Saving Time

IV. EFFICIENT USE OF TIME(A) Stick Strictly to Time Limits!!!

• Misallocation of Time Big Problems

• Be compulsive about time, not about thoroughly finishing each question (cf. Reality TV Challenges)

• In last few minutes, outline what you’d cover if more time

IV. EFFICIENT USE OF TIME(B) General Tips on Saving Time

1) Use abbreviations & short-form citations. E.g.,

– Albert & Beatrice = A & B– Personal Jurisdiction = Pers. J. or PJ

•“D will claim no Pers. Jurisd. (PJ)…”

– Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka = Brown


2) Replace topic sentences & transitions with headings and subheadings:

“I will first discuss the school district’s negligence. Negligence has 4 elements: duty, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. The first element is duty.”


2) Replace topic sentences & transitions with headings and subheadings:

“I will first discuss the school district’s negligence. Negligence has 4 elements: duty, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. The first element is duty.”

(A) Negl. By Sch. Dist.1. Duty: …2. Breach: …3. Causation:

a. Cause in Fact …b. Prox. Cause … etc.


3) Write Concisely. •Wasting Time to Use Twenty

Words If Six Will Do.•Practice to Develop a Concise

Style


3) Write Concisely. E.g., “Under the fact scenario described in the test

question, ”

“Here, …”


3) Write Concisely. E.g., •The “Jennifer Lopez” move:“On the other hand, in response to these

arguments, the defendant is likely to claim that …”


3) Write Concisely. E.g., • The “Jennifer Lopez” move:“On the other hand, in response to these

arguments, the defendant is likely to claim that …”

“BUT …”


3) Write Concisely. E.g., • Avoid lengthy introductions: “This is a very complicated problem raising many

issues we have discussed in class. Both parties have significant arguments that support their position and that have substantial policy implications. …”


3) Write Concisely. E.g., • Avoid lengthy introductions: “This is a very complicated problem raising many issues we

have discussed in class. Both parties have significant arguments that support their position and that have substantial policy implications. …”

• Just put down a brief heading identifying 1st topic & start analysis


3) Write Concisely. E.g., • Avoid repetition.

• Cross-reference discussions of related issues: “Duty analysis same as for hospital above”


3) Write Concisely. E.g., • Avoid repetition, especially in conclusions

“To sum up, the school district probably was negligent; the slide rule manufacturer probably isn’t liable; and the contributory negligence claim depends on how the court views predictably stupid behavior by unsupervised teenagers.”

Bad use of time if simply recap of earlier pointsCan use conclusions to add points, e.g., re relative weight of parties’ overall positions.

V. EXAM PREPARATION

(A) Prof-Specific

(B) Outlining

(C) Use Old Exams

(D) Make Time for Group Work

(E) Office Hours/Review Sessions

V. EXAM PREPARATION(A) Prof-Specific

• Best study process & substance of what’s expected vary w instructor.

• Ask Qs: E.g.– Types of Qs on Exam– Choice between Depth & Breadth– Confirm my advice if you are unsure

V. EXAM PREPARATION(B) Outlining

• Making v. Looking At

• Level of Detail Depends on Course & Material– 17 Cases Total v. 6 Cases/Day– Class Time Spent is Useful Guide to Importance

• Organize in Way that Makes Sense to You

• Open Book Exams: Make One-Page Checklists– Major Issues to Look For– If I See This Issue, Might Talk About …

V. EXAM PREPARATION(C) Use Old Exams

• Do Under Exam Conditions (Tennis Analogy)

• You’ll Never “Feel Ready”; Do Anyway to Practice & Help Guide Your Studying

• Look at Old Model Answers if Available– Imperfect– Evidence of Kind of Answer Professor Likes– Use as Goal for Study Process: “How do I

get there?”

V. EXAM PREPARATION(D) Make Time for Group Work

–Consult on Qs re Cases or Class Notes

– Identify Likely Issues for Exam–Discuss Hypos & Old Exam Qs. E.g., •Do Separately & Review Together•Overtired Exercise: How Could We Use This Fact?

V. EXAM PREPARATION(E) Office Hours/Review Sessions

MAKE TIME & GO!!

VI. AFTERWARD(A) After Test: Don’t Discuss Substance

(B) After Grades: Get Feedback

VI. AFTERWARD(A) Don’t Discuss Substance Immediately

After Test

Walk Away From Anyone Who Does!!

VI. AFTERWARD(A) Don’t Discuss Substance Immediately

After Test

– Why It Happens – Issue Kamikaze– Acceptable Conversations–One Moment of Weakness Four Months of Misery

VI. AFTERWARD(B) After Grades Posted: Get Feedback

– Own Your Grades!–Compare Your Answers to Prof’s Comments & Models

–Follow-Up w Profs Where Available

exam-taking tips: outline of presentation

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