Surviving Law School Exams
by Annabel Steele '25
Winter break has come to an end, and it’s time to jump back into the swing of things with a new semester. But before I fully immerse myself in contracts, Constitutional law, property and the rest of my classes, I want to flash back to fall exams, so that you can get a sense of what the exam period is like.
Honestly, things started ramping up right before Thanksgiving. We had our graded simulations for Lawyering Skills before Thanksgiving break started, and our final memos for Legal Research and Writing were due a few days before Thanksgiving. On the one hand, it was great, because we could wrap up those classes before turning our attention to the doctrinal classes. But it also meant that there was no relaxing lead-in to the holiday break; instead, we were working hard to polish our memos, triple-check our citations and practice before our graded simulations.
After that was done, it was time for Thanksgiving break. While I did go home for Thanksgiving, and though I did set aside time to see family and friends, I also spent a lot of time working on my outlines and studying for doctrinal exams. This was the first time in my life that my Thanksgiving was so totally consumed by outside obligations (either school or work), and while that was difficult at times, I kept reminding myself that winter break was right around the corner, and there’d be more time to relax then.
When I returned to Williamsburg, there were just a few classes to go before the exam period started. I finished my outlines and turned my attention to practice exams. I’d heard from 2Ls and 3Ls that practice exams are incredibly helpful in preparing you to tackle your real exams. Luckily, all of my professors provided at least one practice exam, as well as individual practice essay questions. I spent my days reviewing my outlines, completing practice exams and comparing my answers to the model answers provided by my professors. No matter what, I always stopped studying for the day by 8pm at the latest to let my brain rest a little before bed.
Then it was time for the real thing. Before my first exam, I worried about how I’d handle a four-hour test in the actual testing environment. It’s one thing to take a four-hour practice test, but it’s another thing entirely to take the real four-hour test, knowing the outcome will determine your grade. But to my immense relief, I found that the time really does fly when you’re taking the test. In fact, to me it felt like a much quicker experience than the practice exams. And when it was over, following the advice of 2Ls and 3Ls, I took the rest of the day off. After my first exam, I saw a movie ("The Fabelmans," which I wholeheartedly recommend!!); after my second exam, I got dinner and watched an episode of TV; and after my third exam, I drove home to get to a family event and start my break.
This is just my experience with finals; everyone tackles it differently. But if you’re thinking ahead to what your first semester of law school will be like, you should know that exams don’t need to be terrifying ordeals. By the time they roll around, you’ll be prepared for them.