The Insider's Guide to Outlining and Law School Exams
As a 1L, the first time you hear one of your peers mention they are beginning to outline can be stressful. You know it means they are beginning to prepare for the final exam, but it can be unclear what exactly it is they are doing. The plain English understanding of “outlining” is fairly simple: organize your class notes into outline format, an abridged version of the course in one 15-50+ page document. Doing this and nothing more, however, will likely lead to average results come the exam.
Outlining is more of a process than a product. Outlining > the outline.
In this guide, we break down the mystery of outlining and law school exams. There is an art and science to outlining, taking practice exams and taking law school exams - we figured this out so you don't have to struggle.
When we were in law school, we wished we would have had a knowledgeable lawyer friend who could have guided us through every step of law school, so that’s we want to serve for you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS BOOK
PART I: PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS WHEN OUTLINING AND TAKING EXAMS
PART II: WHY DO WE OUTLINE?
Why do I need to outline?
What actually is “outlining”?
PART III: HOW DO WE OUTLINE?
What’s a good process to approach outlining? In other words, how do I outline?
What should be included in my case and class notes?
How exactly is an outline different from my case and class notes? Why not just use these notes?
What’s in my main outline? Do I need to include case names in my outline?
Should I create an attack outline?
OK, outlines are created to serve the purpose of performing well on an exam. But how exactly are exams graded?
Are there any other ways to learn the material besides outlining?
Are there other considerations when outlining? What if my exam is take-home?
PART IV: WHEN DO WE OUTLINE?
When should I start outlining?
Should I finish outlining before taking any practice exams?
PART V: PRACTICE EXAMS
What’s a practice exam and where do I find them?
How do I take a practice exam?
When should I start taking practice exams?
Should you use supplements to prepare for the exam?
PART VI: THE ACTUAL EXAM
What is an actual exam like?
What should I do on exam day?
What should I do when I receive my grades back? What if I did better or worse than I expected?