Quote: (03-13-2016 08:20 PM)Merenguero Wrote:
I will say this. Buy commercial outlines for all first-year subjects. Learn the outlines inside and out. Work on exam writing skills and study questions and model answers from previous exams (preferably from the same professor. They might not be so easy to get) and focus on IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion) and time management. Don't do any of the assigned reading unless you have extra time or are bored. If you do this and you don't get a 4.0 or close to it, you are doing something seriously wrong. Law school exams are about your test taking skills first and mastering the material second. If you have those two things covered, you can't go wrong.
I was top 5% of the class by basically doing this...
- Don't read anything that's assigned (I've never actually read International Shoe, nor do I intend to)
- Grab some old tests from professors if they're available
- Get outlines and memorize black letter law
- Read the "Glannon Guides", particularly his mock essays in the back
- Learn how to do IRAC
When grades came out, I expected to have like a 2.8 because that's all I did, plus I waited tables to put beer on the table. There were kids who spent all their time doing the assigned reading, outlining the cases, and all that jazz. I literally did nothing all semester, and then spent the last few weeks reading Glannon Guides, IRAC, black letter law, etc.
I was floored to be in the top 5%.
For the record, I graduated from a top 50. Caveat: I type very quickly and write well on the fly.