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All the exams are turned in, but the unrest doesn’t stop until grades are returned.  I’m not happy overall with how they went.  So now I have to wait until January 2nd before I can see any grades.  As you know the final test for me was Wills, Estates, and Trusts.  My class notes took me 11 hours just to diligently read through.  I knew the material well enough.  For example, if you ask me about any of the major doctrines or topics covered in class, I can give you a decent breakdown.  Unfortunately, most law school tests don’t work like that.

The exam was 25 mixed short answer.  If any part of the answer is wrong, its all wrong.  There is no partial credit on these and they’re worth 2 points apiece.  The second half is two essays worth 25 points each.  Depending on how he grades my multiple choice answers, I think I did ok.  If he is very stringent, that could drop steeply.  The first essay was a struggle for me.  The essays were issue spotters, but I never could get traction within the facts.  I ended up stating what I knew specifically about the facts and then inserting general knowledge about wills in hopes of adding points.  I think I did notably better on the trusts essay.  I actually feel somewhat better after writing it out.  I had forgot that the multiple choice were half of the test and the essays were bifurcated into half of the other half of the test.

We’ll see how it turns out.  I’ll remain hopeful, but also on “pins and needles” until I get my grades.

The workout portion of this blog was on hold for the last portion of the exams.  I could have made it to the gym before Monday, but for the last three days, all I’ve done is read and write.  If I made time for going to the gym, it would have actually cut into that time so the dropoff there was warranted.  However, the workout drought will end during the break.

More on how Insurance Law went and how I could have better used my study time is forthcoming.

I’ve been studying Insurance all day.  I opened my school email to send a friend some notes and to my surprise I have an email from my professor stating the exam is open book, open notes.  Our exam is multiple choice so this is a little surprising.  What was more surprising is I had never heard him hint of this before.  But hey, I’m not complaining.  I think I would have been completely prepared, but I am appreciative of having the notes as my safeguard.  I think where you get into trouble with open book tests is when you rely on the notes instead of relying on your studying and using the materials as a fallback.  The one thing I’m all but sure of now is that the exam will be entirely composed of application rather than definitional questions.  I’ll study for one or two more hours and walk into the exam with notes in hand.

On a seperate note, AudioCaseFiles.com left a comment on my previous blog entry reviewing their operation.  If your school doesn’t have ACF, you might want to take a look at their open offer.

Everybody has different techniques on how they go about their studying.  Some ball up into a desolate corner.  Others need something going on around them.  Some read over and over.  Others learn by writing material down.  The list goes on, but the point is everybody studies their own way.  I’d like to offer a few study tips which I think are universal.

1. You need a break.  No matter how much you need to study, you also need to let your mind rest every so often.  Most legal information is complex.  To process and absorb it your brain is going to need a respit every so often just to rest.  Think about it this way: You can only sprint for so long before you start slowing down.  If you sprint and then rest, you’ll pick up speed once you start again.  Of course, even courting breaks will only last you so long before you need to stop completely and reenergize.

2. Eat healthy food.  Fuel is going to help you study.  I wrote about which food helps you study and take exams earlier.

3. If you don’t feel like you’re absorbing any material, either refocus or change what you’re doing.  Remember if you’re just reading over a bunch of words that you’re not extracting anything from, you’re just wasting time.  One method that always helps me readjust is if I start typing or handwriting (even better if you can type without thinking) the material.

4. Migrate towards the light.  If you can get sunlight, go for it.  Sunlight gives us natural energy.  If it’s dark, definitely brighten up your work spot.  Reading foreign information is hard enough, don’t let any physical impediments reduce your absorbtion rate.

5. Try to put the material in a practical light.  This is most likely more of a personal trait, but I like to put the words into a context off the page.  It’s more entertaining and easier to conceptualize what I’m studying when I put outlines or books into a real life situation rather than just something I’m reading to try to remember for the test.