What to Do in the First Few Minutes of
the Exam
 | Make sure you have all the pages of the exam. |
| Check each question and calculate how long you have for each
question. Commit yourself to spending no more than the allotted time
on each question until you have answered all questions. After you
have answered all the questions, you can then return to the question
or questions which you didn't finish. |
| Read the instructions carefully and be sure to follow them. |
| Write on only one side of the paper so you have room to write
additional points. Write one question per book for the same reason.
Be sure to number your books. For instance, 1 of 4. |
General Approach
| Use 10% of the question time for reading, issue-spotting, and
question outlining. For instance, if it is: a 30 minute question you
should spend 3 minutes; |
| Read the stem of the question first. Example: What rights, if any,
does Abel have against Diane? Sam? |
| Read the body of the question keeping in mind the stem of the
question. |
| Mark "key or essential" facts. |
| Write legal theories and issues in the margin, preferably next to
the key fact that raises the theory or issue.
 | Theory = Battery |
| Issue = Intent |
| Fact = Aimed at one person but hit another |
|
| Re-read the question, marking additional facts and identifying
additional theories or issues. On this reading, do explicit issue
categorizing. |
Organize issues;
| Write a short scratch Theory/Issue outline for the question; Keep
it very short. |
| first prima facie case and second defenses; or |
| Most important issues; or, |
| As identified in the margins; or |
| You should be spending no more than a minute or two on this. |
| Count the issues and divide the time available among the issues.
For instance, on a 30 minute question if you have 6 issues you will
have 5 minutes per issue; |
Watch Your Time
| Commit yourself to spending no more than the allotted time on each
issue. Leave a few lines between issues, so you can come back later
if you have time and/or additional thoughts. |
Watch Your Space
| Do not restate the facts. Instead, use key facts in analysis. |
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