The schedule information provided on these pages is an overview for quick reference. Examinations school of law university of san diego. There are essentially three categories you get points. If youre looking to book an ondemand cbe, youll need to contact a test centre directly. Students may generally take proctored examinations on a laptop computer students load an approved program into their own laptop or write in an examination booklet a blue book. In closed mode, students will only be able to access the exam software. Its a closedbook exam, so law school is about to be over for me. Washington university law library is located on the fourth floor of the anheuserbusch hall on the danforth campus. The amount of time you are allowed to work on your exam will be prescribed by your professor. Students using a laptop will be given scratch paper.
Then you have a good overview and general idea of each section, and in the exam, you can quickly scan this and it should jog your memory. This is true for all types of law school exams, but especially true on open book exams because all of the students have all of the rules in front of them. But this is just the first step in the revision process although incidentally this is why our legal practice course lpc exams are open book, so exam assessment is a question of understanding and application as opposed to memory. How to succeed on a closed book law school exam jd advising. Student exam number final examination legal profession. Open book is going to rely a lot less on actually knowing things perfectly and a lot more on analysis.
Somehow, enough contract law came back to me by the next morning that i didnt flunk out. The open book examination is of course not a new form of assessment. Time is of the essence, so the more prepared a student is the better they will do. Openbook exam generally means that you may use other sources in addition to your brain. For example, when i was a firstyear law student, all of my exams were closed book. University of miami school of law office of the law registrar, room a210 p. I dont need to study much for my exam because the information will be.
I remember then reasoning, in what seemed like a state of calm rationality, well, ok, this is it. Students often have wrong ideas about these exams, such as. Closed book examinations on an exceptional basis only, and at least 2 weeks prior to the exam, foreign exchange students may request permission to take a dictionary into a closed book examination. Examinations may be open or closed book, essay or objective, or a combination thereof. I know, i am strange, but i thought it seemed more fair that everyone had to memorize the material for the exam. Secure is examsofts term for closedbook law school exams. Ive only had open book exams, but talking to people at lower ranked schools that had all closed book exams, it seemed like so much of what they were studying was word for word memorization. There shall be no materials of any kind in the examination area during closed book examinations. Depending on your law school, you may have many or few closedbook exams. Saint louis university school of law spring 2020 final exam schedule april 28 may 11 revised 1272020 students are required to read all exam instructions. They are generally scheduled for three hours, although a faculty member may give students more or less time.
The purpose of the software is to allow students to type examinations on their personal laptop computer in a. Students participating will be required to use special software, entitled examsoft. All the other exams i have had before were open book, so this will be my first time taking a closed book law exam. If you have a closed book exam, you want to make sure you create a study plan that reflects the type of exam you will be taking. Foreign exchange students are required to attend at the records office half an hour prior to the start of the examination with the dictionary they.
When taking a closed book exam, no books, outlines, book bags, purses, or scratch paper other than the scratch paper provided may be at your seat during the exam. An upperclassman explained to me how to do well on law school exams at the beginning of my 1l year and its worked for me very well ever since. Law school academic support, exam study, and bar prep. Open book exam how to preparerevise the student room. Open book assessment and the theory and practice of legal.
Bajaj graduated from university of texas austin school of law. Reintroducing closed book exams at law school by cathy sherry over the past three decades, law schools, along with others, have consistently moved away from closed book exams. Closedbook exams if the use of supplementary materials during a course examination is to be permitted, notice to that effect should be given to the class by the beginning of the fourth week in onequarter courses and by the beginning of the second quarter in all courses which extend beyond one quarter. Your professor may also prescribe limits on when you may be allowed to receive your exam. How to get an edge over other law students law school study tips duration. Electronic devices electronic devices including cell phones, tablets, cd players, mp3 players, pagers, and similar devices need to be turned. If you read our previous post on open book law school exams, youll see they share a lot in common. Here are some tips for designing a good open book exam. Visit our exam method page to find out more information, including what method each exam is taken by. If writing your exam, you will be supplied with blue books, scratch paper, and a green objective answer sheet if applicable. Weve created a libguide to help you access online resources for study during the campus closure. You will need to allow more study time if the exam covers the entire course, as opposed to just a few topics. He focuses on both state and federal criminal defense matters.
Inclass exams can be openbook, closedbook, or limited openbook. You cannot bring in an englishforeign law dictionary unless the exam is a restricted open book exam and the professor has allowed for this, or unless the exam is a completely open book exam. I had all closed book exams in law school until i was a 2l and i loved them. I didnt have an openbook exam until i was in an upperdivision class. Study tips for closed book con law exam as the title says, does anyone have any study tips on how to best approach a closed book con law exam.
University, students who read for their bachelor degree in arts a type of. Designed specifically for nonlaw graduates who want to gain a legal qualification at masters level, our ma law gives you the opportunity to learn the practical legal skills of analysis and critical evaluation, alongside a range of transferable skills such as research and presentation skills, in a practical and interactive way. Suffolk university law school allows students to type examinations on laptops. Please read this information carefully before the exam period begins. Hello, ive got a history open book exam too what i find the most useful is to make general revision notes mindmaps are good for each topic. The key to open book exams is to set questions where students need to do things with the information they have at hand, rather than simply locating it in the text or notes during the exam and reproducing it. Nonsecure is examsofts term for openbook law school exams. Tips for studying for a closed book law school exam.
How to study for a closed book exam deakin law students. Many law students rightly focus on memorisation for which there are some excellent tips here. Access to books and notes hard copy or on computer will not be permitted during the exam. Closed book exams have been associated with cramming, rote learning. When it comes to studying for a closed book exam, the most important thing is to give yourself plenty of time. A closed book exam can make the dread in the bottom of your stomach flare up and induce panic, looking at you admin law. Exam guidelines for students university of alabama. Your exam may be taken by ondemand cbe, session cbe or paperbased assessment.
The types of materials that may be used during the exam i. Closedbook exam generally means that the only source of information you may rely on is your brain. Final examinations are given for most school of law courses. The effort a law student puts into studying should be identical regardless of whether the exam is open book or closed book. Closed book exams require more memorization, but open book exams may demand more information from the student. Saint louis university school of law spring 2020 final. How to study for an open book testexam in law school quora. However, we are mindful of the fact that exams remain stressful, and that this particular exam diet is conducted in an unfamiliar setting. While there are options for proctoring online exams, there are many ethical, financial, and equitybased concerns that make this solution problematic at best. Faculty share memories of exams past university of. So in a way, you want to study the material as if you were taking a closed book exam.
Closed book exams have been associated with cramming, rote learning and superficial understanding. Law school memorization tips closed book exams j wong. If the exam is closed, you may take only your pens. You may not consult any other materials or communicate with any other person. Heres how to prepare for a closed book law school exam. This may sound at first that all you will need to do is look up the answer the day of the testand thus a.
They test your ability to find and apply information. Midterm examinations which may or may not count toward the semester grade are given during the fall semester in firstyear courses and may also be given in other courses throughout the school year. These books must not contain any handwritten notes if you bring them into a closed book exam. Students are strongly encouraged not to bring any non examination materials other than personal items into the examination room for a closed booklimited open book examination. In open book exams, students are allowed to bring notes, texts, andor other resources into the exam room. The staff of these offices are working remotely and can be reached via email. What do the terms openbook, closedbook, secure, and nonsecure exam mean. What do the terms openbook, closedbook, secure, and non. If you planned to give a closedbook, written exam as a midterm or final assessment of student learning, consider alternatives that could replace that assessment. Openbook proponents point out that in law practice, the exams are all open book, and a closedbook exam is therefore unrealistic. Students taking limited open book examinations will be allowed to bring in only those materials specifically authorized by the professor. Reintroducing closed book exams at law school by cathy sherry. Open book examinations during open book examinations, only the materials approved by the professor are to be allowed during the examination. Yes, each exam paper will include a note of the expected word count.
Library information washington university school of law. To put this into perspective, closed book examinations only make up 3. It depends on the size of the exam, but generally you will need two to six weeks. A proctor is present in the room during the examination. In contrast, open book exams, takehome exams and research assignments have been shown. Students who remove articles of clothing like sweaters or jackets during the examination must. An open book exam is a test that allows you to bring the text or material you have been studying. For classrooms with closed book exams, approved scratch paper will be provided, and it will need to be turned it with the exam. Closed book examinations during closed book examinations, all prohibited items must be brought to the front of the room.
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