Rule 10
Plan for Exams from the Start
You are in law school to become a lawyer, not to pass an exam. But to become a lawyer, you do need to pass some exams. At some point in the semester, you will need to take a test displaying all of your knowledge in a course. How are you going to prepare? What is your plan? What source of information will make that studying process helpful? Obviously, you cannot spend the last few days in reading period catching up on everything, so what can you do now? Later? At what moment will you have this accumulation of knowledge completed?
Thinking through these questions early–even at the beginning of the semester-can help you plan. How will you approach outlining? When will you synthesize your notes? When will you practice taking exams? You need answers at the beginning (even if these answers will evolve over time).
The “ask” of 1 L year is pretty simple. You will be asked to demonstrate your knowledge on an exam or assessment. This is not a secret. At some point, you are going to have to take the bits and pieces of daily learning and apply this information. You can plan for that moment from the beginning. Don’t fool yourself that this should come after everything else. It comes first and should guide your approach to studying, reading, and learning the law.
