Midterm season is just around the corner. Midterms are your crystal ball showing your future exam-taking self and a window to the essence of your learning style. They can be incredibly helpful to inform and adjust your study habits to achieve your academic apotheosis in December. Some students take them without much extra study just to see how well they can do on regular, daily reading. But if you want to do some additional preparation for midterms, we have some tips to help you excel.
- Study aids for exam practice. The book Getting to Maybe has helped many budding lawyers learn to thrive in a field laden with slippery “it depends” answers instead of familiar, concrete facts. Crunch Time on Wolters Kluwer provides flow charts, multiple choice, short answer, and essay exam questions. West Academic provides Exam Pro practice questions for multiple-choice and essay exam practice, and Mastering the Exam for tips that will help you throughout law school. CALI offers podcasts featuring panels of experts on outlining, time management, exam prep, and the grading process.
- Take past exams to prepare. Thinking like a lawyer involves more than just repeating memorized knowledge. Unexpected scenarios will test your ability to apply and analyze the law. The Law Library’s Past Exams collection can help; even if it’s not from your professor, authentic issue-spotting exams from Sandra day O’Connor College of Law faculty offer invaluable practice in 1L and upper-level classes.
- Refine your outline. Making an outline is probably the best way to study legal doctrine and make the connections between the rule of law and the court’s reasoning. ASU’s past outlines are most useful to check your own work as you process your notes and readings. Your class teaching assistant is a great resource for resolving discrepancies.
- Meet with a Law Librarian. Meeting with a librarian about your open memo can buy yourself valuable study time for other classes. We can help you navigate Westlaw and Lexis to find all relevant law efficiently and thoroughly.
- Breathe. Remember that no one exam will make or break your professional dreams, not even the ones you’ll take in December. Good luck!
Andrea Gass, Reference Librarian
