Any exam is stressful, but law school exams are their own animal. There is a clear shift in mindset that occurs between undergraduate education or other degree programs and your first year of law school. What is considered a “right” answer starts to look different.

As a first-generation law student, I didn’t really understand this. My friend’s dad told me that law school changes the way you think, and that once the change takes hold, there is no going back. I remember thinking that this was rather ominous, but I also remember the exact moment when I realized he was right.

Law school exams in context

In law school, you want to evaluate the positions of all parties and articulate the most likely conclusion based on the facts and relevant law. Easy enough, right? In theory, yes, this makes sense. But typical exam culture dictates a “right” and “wrong” answer, even in instances where the “right” answer is a “best” answer. 

So, when you find yourself sitting down for a law school exam, you cannot help worrying about whether you have a firm conclusion that is the “right” answer. Words that objectively indicate probability rather than a definitive conclusion feel inadequate. In focusing on whether you have the “right” answer or conclusion, however, you forget that the analysis and work to reach your conclusion is really a major part of the exam answer your professor is looking for. 

The professor wants to see analysis, including whether or not you: 

• Identified the correct legal issue;
• Provided an accurate statement of the rule of law (including any different interpretations, standards, or definitions);
• Considered and stated any exceptions to the rule of law;
• Analyzed relevant facts in light of that rule and its exceptions; 
• Implemented a coherent structure for your analysis; and 
• Considered counterarguments likely to be advanced by parties or the court.

You have to become comfortable with recognizing that a solid, “right” answer on an exam evaluates both sides of an argument, then notes which argument is stronger (not correct per se or carte blanche) and why. You can see why this is evaluated when considered in context. Think about how this translates for attorneys: the stronger argument is most likely to be favored by a judge, the adjudicator, and thus is the “right” answer. 

Now, mastering the skill of legal analysis embodied by the law exam process – a skill that practicing attorneys use every day – takes time. The following books from Carolina Academic Press provide perspective, context, tools, and exercises to help you gain this integral skill.

Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams

There is a reason this funny, approachable book commonly appears on summer reading lists for new law students. In its latest edition, the book explains how to navigate law school exams with particular attention on quelching any unease about the perspective you will gain on what constitutes a “right” answer. 

Aside from explaining how to analyze common legal issues on exams, the authors provide direct test-taking strategies, specific to law school, to help you feel confident in your exam preparation. The “Frequently Asked Questions” section provides answers to all those “what if” scenarios law students love to dream up.

You can purchase the first edition here, and the second edition is due out in May 2023. 

Law School Exams: A Guide to Better Grades (Third Edition)

This 160-page book is direct and to the point. The book provides a unique roadmap for law school exams. The author introduces their “IRAHNC” structure and explains why it is particularly helpful for law students. Moreover, the author details how to use this structure effectively in commonly seen patterns for law exam hypotheticals. Aside from the helpful tips and list of mistakes to avoid, the book also provides practice exercises and hypos with model answers for criminal law, torts, and property.

Read more about the book and purchase it here.

The Perfect Practice Exam: The Skill of Legal Analysis

If you’re anything like every other law student, you probably want more practice problems to work through while preparing for exams. The structure of this text allows you to gradually practice legal analysis for exams throughout the semester. Practice is effective when you do so with intention, and after or in conjunction with learning the substantive material for a course. Note that this book isn’t meant to help you learn the rules of law; rather you are conquering legal analysis. 

The text begins with an introduction and some exam tips, then provides practice essay questions broken down by area of law and legal issue, with model answers, in the following areas of law: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, property, and torts. A new edition is coming in the summer of 2023.

The first edition is available here; you can read more about the upcoming second edition here.

Law school exams are difficult, but they don’t have to be painful. These books should help. Best of luck on your exams!