Volume I, Issue I
ARISTOTLE: The Premier Pre-law and First Year Law School Preparatory Tool and Bar Exam Review Find out why Rob Miller, Author of "Law School Confidential: The Complete Law School Survival Guide, By Students for Students" stated, "Going through this course before you get to law school will put you miles ahead of your classmates," and included Aristotle in the chapter of his book entitled "10 Things You Must Do Before Classes Begin!" Are you worried about law school competition? You should be. The course work is demanding; your peers, like you, are the best and the brightest; and time is at a premium. That's why we developed Aristotle ™, your head start to law school success. Aristotle, developed by law school graduates, attorneys, and professors, is specifically designed to help prepare you for law school, especially your most important year, your first year. Find out why Rob Miller, Author of "Law School Confidential: The Complete Law School Survival Guide, By Students for Students" stated, "Going through this course before you get to law school will put you miles ahead of your classmates," and included Aristotle in the chapter of his book entitled "10 Things You Must Do Before Classes Begin!" Aristotle will give you the edge you need to get ahead and stay ahead. Order Aristotle now, take our Tort Law Sampler Tour, or read more about Aristotle and see for yourself. ORDER NOW		Studying for Law School Exams Klia Ververidis Xanthopoulos, Esq. You made it into law school. You are halfway through your first semester when you suddenly realize that midterms are coming and they are worth half your grade. An even worse case scenario is that your entire grade for the whole semester will be based on one exam. Studying for law school exams is frustrating because of the sheer volume of material that you will need to study and also because of the pressure to do well. The key to scoring well on exams is to pay attention to the lectures and to do the reading when assigned. The amount of reading that will be required of you will seem impossible at first, but it will seem and be even more impossible to complete if you don't do the assignments when assigned. If you were the type of student who waited until exam week to do all the reading and study for finals in undergraduate school, change your habits for law school. You will not be able to "cram" for law school exams the way you did in the past. You will not be required to memorize everything you read. Exams in law school are focused on your analytical skills, not your memorization skill. A typical law school exam will have several fact patterns followed by a series of questions. You will be tested on your ability to pick out important facts, to analyze them in the context of the fact pattern, and to draw a conclusion from your analysis. Many times you will receive more points for your ability to analyze than your ability to get the correct conclusion. When reviewing your notes and case briefs, pay careful attention to how a conclusion in a case was reached. Try to follow this same analysis when presented with a similar fact pattern on an exam. Pay attention to what your professor states in his lectures. Professors will stress what is the most important information, and they will provide you with the analysis they will be looking for on their exams. If they have a teaching assistant, the teaching assistant may hold extra classes. Many times these extra classes are not required, but it is a good idea to attend. The teaching assistants have already taken the class and know what is expected of you. They can often add helpful insights to how the professor teaches and what will be on the exam. Take good notes and don't be afraid to ask questions. Even if you are not the type of student who learns well in groups, forming a study group with some of your classmates can be helpful. Study groups can be valuable even if they only meet once or twice before an exam. Studying in a group will allow you to get your fellow classmates' perspective on the professors and the casebooks analysis. You will also be able to compare notes to see if you missed anything. Finally, if they are available, look at a professors past exams. Many professors will have copies of their past examinations oftentimes with the answers in the library. Your teaching assistant or upper classman may also have copies that they will share. Past exams can be the best way to study, as professors will frequently recycle questions from past exams. The above are some guidelines and suggestions that can help you perform well on exams. Try them out along with other methods that you have found helpful in your career as a student. If you have found other methods that work for you, we'd love to hear about them. Email your suggestions to contact@lawschoolcompanion.com and don't forget to keep up with your assignments! Home | Archives | Store | Aristotle | Contact Copyright 2008, Law School Companion		More Archives Aristotle Goes to Suffolk Law School The Pilot Program at the Suffolk University Law School LL.M. Program in Global Technology Focus on Franklin Pierce Law Center Richard Scandrett Studying for Law School Exams Klia Ververidis Xanthopoulos, Esq.