Comments and thoughts about the exam experience after first semester of 1L
In the aftermath of the fall examination period, I have gathered up (a small sample of) 1Ls to give our perspectives on how the first semester went and whether the advice from professors was helpful in the end or not. Emily Hean (1L) sums up how I think many of us felt about exams overall:
“The exam advice from professors were helpful (for the most part), but they talked a lot about making summaries and maps without actually walking us through how to make one, which probably would have been much more helpful than trying to figure it out on our own. Also, no advice could prepare us for the switch to online exams, which was incredibly stressful.”
Other 1Ls didn’t necessarily agree with how useful the advice was. While some said it was “pretty good,” they still felt that advice from upper years was more helpful. Others weren’t sure about the applicability of the advice since each professor expects different things.
One piece of advice a student did like was: don’t talk to others about the exam once it’s submitted. While they initially felt that their exams didn’t go too well, the results showed otherwise. This goes to show that your feelings about an exam may not always be reflected in the grades. I personally felt that the exam advice was all fairly generic, which makes sense; there isn’t really all that much any particular professor can say that would be universally helpful and applicable.
Although students may not generally agree on what advice was helpful and what wasn’t, the overall consensus was that past exams were an absolute must. Where there were a plethora of past exams, students had a much easier time understanding what kinds of questions would be asked and a better idea of what answers would be expected. Multiple students agreed that they would start practice exams earlier in the semester this time around. One 1L advises that students shouldn’t “hesitate to shift to practice exams, even if [they] haven’t done thorough reading notes and summaries on every chapter yet,” emphasizing the importance of trying practice exams over drafting summaries. I tend to agree with this sentiment. I also know there were many of us who felt that the class notes and summaries we made weren’t particularly helpful; in the end, practice exams carried us through the finish line.
Although we were constantly told to make our own summaries and maps, some students felt that this wasn’t absolutely necessary. Falling back on the idea that doing past exams is paramount, they found that these guides weren’t actually the most helpful on the exam. Echoing this idea, I think while doing everything on your own is helpful, it is important not to spend too much time on it. Finishing a perfect summary and map without ever having looked at a past exam will likely lead to disaster. It’s better to find that balance and focus more on past exams if you can.
One caveat with this exam-focused studying is what happens when there aren’t any practice tests in the repository. It was a bit unclear to some students how to properly prepare for exams when a new professor is teaching, or where a professor doesn’t often teach a course. Another problem with this kind of studying is that most students lose sight of attaining a broad understanding of the course. It really does devolve into the exam grind, where topics that don’t appear on an exam don’t matter and understanding isn’t that important if you are able to answer the question. With the amount of competition and pressure riding on these 100 percent exams, it is unsurprising that this is the case.
Another thing everyone agreed on was that the learning curve is steep. No matter what academic background you come from, the best learning tool is really just to walk through the fire yourself. Most of the sampled 1Ls agreed that they feel better about exams going into the second semester, having gone through them once already. As many upper years and professors say, exam writing is a skill that is built with practice and everyone gets better over the years. No matter what the results were from the first semester, it is definitely an encouraging message that improvement is on the horizon.
Overall, many of us also felt the dramatic and sudden shift to online exams on the second last day was extremely stressful. The instructions were unclear and vague at best, and many students felt stranded and isolated compared to in-person exams, where the stress is at least alleviated by peers. On the other hand, one 1L said that they actually appreciated the silence of taking an exam from home and hopes that it remains an option in the future. I would tend to agree with this, and not just in reference to exams. I would personally like the choice to take classes and exams online or in person, at least through the rest of the pandemic. This would alleviate a lot of the confusion and panic scrambling; however, I can understand why it may be simpler logistically to have one or the other.
Undoubtedly there will be those of us who are happy with the results, and others who are not so happy. However, I think it is safe to say that, overall, we feel more prepared for next semester in terms of what to do and knowing what professors are looking for. I don’t think many of us will be drastically revamping our studying techniques, but we will be adding more of what worked and taking out what didn’t. Personally, having a study group and chatting with peers about the law really helped with my own understanding. It’s important to know what works for you and what doesn’t. And remember—grades aren’t everything. Wishing you all the best of luck this semester!
