Dear 1L,

Many of you have midterms coming up. Here’s a primer + 9 reminders for your first exam experience.

🔷 PRIMER

🔸 Most 1L exams (and all bar exams) present a hypothetical fact pattern followed by a general “Discuss” prompt (or a set of questions that identify which issues you are to discuss).

—I call these types of law-school exams “essay exams” (as opposed to exams with multiple-choice or short-answer questions).

🔸 Essay exams call for you to write in IRAC or CREAC format, but don’t get tripped up by acronyms. All basically call for the same thing.

-IRAC (Issue-Rule-Analysis-Conclusion)
-CREAC (Conclusion-Rule-Explanation-Analysis-Conclusion)

🔷 REMINDERS

1: Read your professor’s exam instructions and follow your professor’s pre-exam advice.

2: Your professor’s rules trump any and all contrary tips, advice, or “reminders” you receive—from me or anyone else.

3: If your professor gives you a specific question under the fact pattern, make sure you answer what’s been asked.

4: Resist the urge to start writing. Plan & outline first.

5: Don’t assume there is a “right answer” to a question. You must discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both possible answers.

6: Even on questions that do have a right (or better) answer, it’s not enough for you to reach that right answer. You must explain BOTH:

a/ WHY your answer is likely correct, and

b/ WHY the opposite answer is likely incorrect.

7: Add a “because” after every conclusion you reach. Never forget to give the WHY.

8: Everyone else is doing this for the first time, and everyone else will make mistakes, too.

9: Midterm grades don’t count! Learn from them and move on.

***

🌟I’LL BE HERE ROOTING FOR YOU!!!

Fondly,
💌 Amanda

#lawstudents