In this blog post, we will be looking at how to prepare for your law exam to give yourself the best chance possible and excel. The last blog post focused on preparing for your exam, including the different types of exam; this time, we will be looking at what to do while you are actually in the exam. This means considering what sort of question you may be set and how you should prepare and structure your answer.
We will start by reviewing the more common types of legal questions and how you should answer them. Then, we will look at some general pointers such as how to write a plan, keep your writing style appropriate and stay within the time allowed.
What Are the Different Types of Legal Question?
For this blog post, we will just focus on the two major types of question you may face in your law exam – research essays and problem scenarios. I have some more general advice on research essays here and here and some on problem scenarios here and here.
A research essay requires you to respond to a statement or question in an analytical way. You should use your legal knowledge and apply this to the topic of the essay, making sure you don’t stray too far from the subject and keep your writing relevant. This is one reason why it is so important to have a plan, even under exam conditions. You can decide the path your answer will take and how you will structure it.
You also need to have a hypothesis, which states what view you will be taking in your answer. This should be part of your introduction so that the reader knows from the start what points your essay will be making. You should then refer back to this hypothesis in your conclusion and come to a decision on how well your essay supports this. Your introduction and conclusion do not need to be very long, only about 5 to 10% of the total word count, but they are nevertheless a crucial part of your essay. They are what tie the whole thing together and help your examiner understand your reasoning.
The other type of legal question we will be looking at is the problem scenario. This is where you are presented with a few paragraphs detailing a fictional event that has happened, usually with lots of different legal issues! It may be all in one scenario and you have to identify the issues, you may have multiple, similar scenarios or they may be different, but still focused around the same topic.
This type of question focuses on your problem-solving skills, being able to apply your knowledge of the law to a particular situation. This means identifying the issues in the scenario, deciding what offence or similar the person might be accused of, then deciding whether they will be found guilty or liable of this.
As these questions are about applying your knowledge, it is not quite as important as you might think to come to the “right” conclusion. Indeed, there may actually be more than one possible answer that could be considered correct. What is important is that you can show how you came to your decision and offer a reasonable argument for this, showing that you are familiar with the law and can apply it confidently.
You would expect to mainly be drawing from cases and legislation in your answer to a problem scenario, not textbooks and journal articles. This is because your answer should be focused on applying the law as it is, not analysing it like you would in a research essay. Avoid discussion of whether a particular law is just or not; instead, decide whether its requirements are met by the facts of the scenario.
You don’t need an introduction and conclusion for a legal problem scenario, just start by saying which offence or similar you think the person or people will be tried with. End your answer by stating what the likely outcome would be, being as definite as you can.
Using a Plan
It is a good idea to start your answer by planning it out first. This doesn’t need to be anything complicated, just a few bullet points can be enough to give you the basic structure. Expand on this by adding in any sources, such as legislation, that you will be using to back up a particular point. If you are making a hypothesis, keep this in mind when you are writing your plan.
Final Tips
Once you have done your plan, it is time to start writing out your answer. You can use headings – this helps you to focus and lets your examiner see what points you are trying to make. Make sure you keep an eye on the time and don’t overrun on the earlier questions, making you rush the later ones.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this helps you prepare for your exams. Next time we will be looking at legal note-taking skills, so come back in two weeks for that. Good luck with your exams!
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