Adviser
Start your exam
studying early for
greater success
14 I STUDENT LAWYER I January 2008
BY AMY L. JARMON
CROSS THE COUNTRY,
law students are viewing
their grades with consternation or jubilation, depending
on the results. Many students
have begun evaluating their study habits
for the fall semester. They hope to find
new strategies to replace problem techniques. Even those students with good
grades are considering ways to get better grades.
First-year students have a better idea
now of professors' expectations on final
examinations, though they may not fully
understand how to ~eet those expectations. Upper-division students may feel
disappointed because fall-semester strategies did not provide the desired grade improvements. Unfortunately, some students will erroneously decide that they
are destined to be Cstudents without any
hope of improvement-part of the "great
middle" of their law school class.
Do not despair! A new semester in law
school is always full of promise and opportunity. All students can make grade
improvements by using more efficient and
effective study strategies. Hard work will
be required, but the rewards can be great.
Many students fail to improve their
grades because they don't use memory
and learning to their advantage. Research shows that we forget 80 percent of
what we learn within two weeks if we do
not review regularly. Thus, students are
forced to relearn the earlier material
when they wait until late in the semester
to begin their examination review. And,
by focusing on relearning the earlier material, they also deprive themselves of
sufficient time to learn the newer class
material thoroughly.
Cramming for final examinations depends on working (or short-term) memory, which has no storage capacity. Consequently, even though a student's course
outline contains the rule needed for an
answer, the student might be unable to recall the exact wording of the rule during
the examination. Working memory will
often fail a student when information is
most needed.
A
Material that is stored in long-term
memory through regular review and application can be easily accessed during a
final examination. Because such material
is learned through multiple interactions
with the information, the student has
multiple methods to retrieve that information. For example, a rule might be retrieved through an acronym, the actual
rule statement, a memorized methodology, or multiple hypothetical examples for
each element.
The key to improved grades is "front
loading" your semester. Start studying
for exams from the first day of classes.
Although you may have to increase your
number of study hours during the first
two-thirds of the semester, the benefits
can be enormous.
What are the benefits of front-loaded
studying? You gain deeper understanding of the material with constant review.
You learn the course overview as well as
the methodologies and intricacies with
regular study. You create time for storing
material in long-term memory with multiple "hooks" to retrieve it during an examination. You apply the material tomultiple practice questions throughout the
semester to understand nuances of the
law. You lower your stress as exams approach because you have already learned
and reviewed most of the material before
the end of classes.
So, how do you actually front load
exam studying? You intentionally consid.er tp.e material multiple times throughout
the semester. Following are tips that will
allow you to improve your grades by
studying for examinations through
everything you do each week.
Read your assignments for deep
understanding rather than rushing
through them. Set aside sufficient time
to read carefully so that you are learning
the concepts rather than highlighting
them to learn later. Ask questions while
reading. Notice how a court reasons in a
case. Watch for policy implications. Use
margin notes to condense multiple paragraphs into the main points. Use a brief
to understand the case as a whole. Syn-
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thesize cases on a topic to understand
similarities and differences. Determine
how an individual case fits into the
course subtopic and topic.
Review your margin notes and
briefs for one half-hour before you
go to class. If the topic is a continuation
from a previous class, look at those earlier class notes. Anticipate the professor's
questions. With this second interaction,
24 hours of taking them. Fill in gaps.
Organize the notes. Notice what your professor emphasized and any "buzz" words
or phrases used. Critique your own briefs
and margin notes for errors. Condense
your class notes to the essential points.
List any questions you need to ask the
professor. Because new material often
builds on earlier material in a class, you
decrease your understanding if you delay
learn while in class rather than
you will understand the material more
thoroughly, follow more easily in class,
take more discriminating notes, and be
more confident when called upon in class.
Be an active learner in class.
Class is your third interaction with the
material. Whenever another student is
asked a question, answer silently in your
head and compare your answer to the
class discussion. Listen carefully and
take notes only on the points that you
need rather than transcribing the lecture
verbatim. Learn while in class rather
than delay learning until you outline.
Review your class notes within
in asking questions. This fourth interaction with the material provides perspective and increases retention.
Read study supplements selectively to clarify any confusing material. Use study aids wisely. Choose
study aids that reflect your professor's
version of the course whenever possible.
Focus on the points that confuse you
rather than reading everything. If one
study aid does not answer your questions, read a second study aid. Determine
any questions that you still have for your
professor.
Outline new material every
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16 , STUDENT LAWYER , January 2008
week. This step will be the sixth time
that you have interacted with the material. Aim to understand how the week's
material fits into the subtopic and topic
that you are studying. Include the essentials for the course and avoid unnecessary detail. Anticipate how the professor
may use the material on an examination.
Review your entire outline at
least every week. Constant review is
critical to long-term memory and immediate recall and application of the material. With 15 weeks in most semesters,
these multiple reviews will solidify your
learning before the end of classes for all
but the newest information. If necessary,
revise your outline as you gain more perspective on the material.
Apply the material on practice
questions at the end of every
subtopic or topic and again at random points during the semester.
Practice questions help you to determine
if you really know the material or just
think you know it. Practice questions
help you to spot issues, learn the nuances
in the law, and gain confidence. Additional practice questions later in the semester on earlier topics will help you retain
fluency with the concepts.
Condense material into different
versions to help you solidify your
learning. Condense your outlines to
focus on the course overview. Drill on
rules or methodologies with flashcards
you have made. Create flow charts or
other graphics to visualize the material.
By studying for your final examinations throughout the semester, you'will
optimize your understanding, memorization, and application ability. The frontloaded studier has the advantage of the
course material feeling like a "comfortable pair of jeans." The end-of-the-semester studier is still breaking in a "shiny
new business suit" on the day of the final
examination. ~'J.
Amy L. Jarmon (amy.jarmon@ttu.edu), assistant dean for academic success programs
atTexas Tech University School of Law, is a
professor and coeditor of the Law School
Academic Support Blog. She has practiced
law in the United States and the United
Kingdom.
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