LibGuides: Law School Success: Exam Preparation

Outline Creation

Creating your course outline yourself is by far the best way to organize the material covered in your course and identify the areas where you need to focus your study. However, there are several commercial outlines available that you can use for your review or as the framework when making our own outline.
- BarBri Outlines Via LexisNexis Law School
- Westlaw 1L Outline Shells based on Blackletter Outlines for Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts.

Books

Mastering the Law School Exam by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus
ISBN: 9798887861098
Publication Date: 2023-1-10
Mastering the Law School Exam is designed to provide students with a knowledgeable, reasonable, and rational voice to navigate the intricacies of law school exams. The text offers a practical rather than theoretical approach, by including examples that show students precisely "how to do it" and "how to write it."
Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams by Richard Michael Fischl, Jeremy Paul
Call Number: KF283 .F47 1999 (Fourth Fl. Reserve)
ISBN: 0890897603
Publication Date: 1999-05-01
Law school exams involve complicated legal reasoning. This book breaks down the exam process into discrete analytical components and helps you address complexity by developing relevant study habits and skills.
Open Book by Barry Friedman; John C. P. Goldberg
Call Number: KF283.F75 2016 (Fifth Fl.)
ISBN: 9781454873563
Publication Date: 2016-04-18
A book that every JD and LLM law student needs to read, either before classes start or as they get going in their 1L year. The book explains in a clear and easygoing, conversational manner what law professors expect from their students both in classes and exams.
The Eight Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School by Charles H. Whitebread
Call Number: KF283 .W48 2008 (Fifth Fl.)
ISBN: 0314183582
Tips on using time to your advantage in essay exams, how to organize your answer, the hidden traps of the IRAC method. Also offers advice on open book, multiple choice, and policy exams.
How to Write Law Exams by Stacie Strong; Brad Desnoyer
Call Number: E-book via West Academic
ISBN: 9781647087098
Publication Date: 2020
Written for every law student who ever wondered how to get better grades in law school, How to Write Law Exams: IRAC Perfected provides students of all levels with a detailed, comprehensive, and practical guide to success on law school exams. What's more, How to Write Law Exams applies equally to all subject matters, making this text an ideal supplement for every law school course.
Law School Exams: Preparing and Writing to Win by Charles R. Calleros
ISBN: 9781543825367
Publication Date: 2021
Recognizing that law students operate under severe time constraints, Professor Calleros employs a reassuring, accessible style that makes points quickly and clearly. Starting with creative examples and illustrations from familiar, nonlegal contexts, the author introduces students to new concepts by analogy and then advances to more complex legal examples. Exercises and practice exams, with a focus on essay questions and model answers, help students identify their strengths and weaknesses, plan strategies, and organize their efforts.

Archived Exams

Seton Hall Law Archived Exams
The Seton Hall Law Exam Archive includes exams that have been authorized for release to current SHU law students. Please note that the examinations contained in this archive are historical and are representative of the time period in which they were prepared. Thus, an archived exam may not reflect current law and should be used accordingly.

Review Aids

Aspen Learning Library
Aspen Learning Library consists of digital study aids with full text search, note-taking, and highlighting capabilities, audio recordings, and video format learning experiences to enhance student understanding of difficult legal concepts. Series included: Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, Emanuel CrunchTime, and more.

Access is provided to all Seton Hall Law students, Staff, and Faculty. An account is recommended, but not required. Please visit: https://shlawlibrary.libguides.com/ebookFAQ/Aspen. Should you need more assistance, please email LawLibRef@shu.edu.
West Academic
Study Aids Subscription

Access is provided to all Seton Hall Law students, Staff, and Faculty. An account is recommended, but not required. Please visit: https://shlawlibrary.libguides.com/ebookFAQ/West. Should you need more assistance, please email LawLibRef@shu.edu.
Access full text e-books of popular study aids for many of your courses!
CALI
Account set up requires an authorization code.
Over 1k computer-based, interactive tutorials that cover narrow topics of law. Includes first-year and upper-level courses. First-time users must obtain an authorization code in order to create an account. Please contact lawlibref@shu.edu to obtain a code.

Take a Break

Avoiding burn out is also don't forget to take a break, stretch and relax. The library leaves out puzzles and cards for you to use during your breaks. Also, keep an eye out for an email from the Library about Study Break complete with snacks and hot chocolate!

Below are a selection of some books on mindfulness; an essential skill to manage the stress of exams (and later law practice).

The Best Lawyer You Can Be by Stewart Levine
Call Number: KF297 .L48 2018
ISBN: 9781641052177
Publication Date: 2018-06-01
"It's no secret that individual lawyers are under siege in a profession with a high incidence of stress, divorce, substance abuse, and suicide. In this groundbreaking multi-dimensional collection, you can find tools and information that enable you to have both a successful career and a happy, satisfied life. These tools will teach you how to harness the transformative power of being more relational and less transactional. The earmark of happy lawyers is the development of emotional intelligence, resilience, and mindfulness practice. The book provides the keys to the kingdom, what is essential to thrive in the competitive environment of lawyering. The material comes from recognized experts who provide step-by-step behavioral guidance of what you need to do.
Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams; Danny Penman; Jon Kabat-Zinn (Foreword by)
Call Number: RC489.M43 W55 2012
ISBN: 9781609618957
Publication Date: 2012-11-13
Third Floor Main Collection
The Life-Changing International Bestseller Mindfulness reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that you can incorporate into daily life to help break the cycle of anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and exhaustion. It promotes the kind of happiness and peace that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life throws at you with new courage. The book is based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT revolves around a straightforward form of mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed. MBCT has been clinically proven to be at least as effective as drugs for depression and is widely recommended by US physicians and the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence--in other words, it works.
Mindfulness for Law Students by Scott Rogers
Call Number: KF287 .R64 2009
ISBN: 9780977345519
Publication Date: 2009-05-29
Mindfulness for Law Students is a one-of-a-kind book that is specifically designed to introduce law students to fundamental contemplative practices as well as the cutting-edge research that shows how incorporating mindfulness techniques can alter the physical structure and function of the brain to reflect decreased levels of stress, increased levels of productivity and improved mental health. This book is based on the Jurisight(R) program - which uses legal terms and concepts to teach lawyers what they need to know about mindfulness and neuroscience to lead more balanced and effective lives.
A Short & Happy Guide to Being a Law Student: a Daily Companion for Law School, Practice and Life by Paula A. Franzese
ISBN: 9781634590235
Publication Date: 2014-03-03
Also available in print. Call Number: KF273 .F728 2014 (Fourth Fl. Reserve)
Messages of hope whenever the voices of naysayers creep into your head. "It will remind you of the nughtiness of your mission and the magnitude of your abilities."
The Anxious Lawyer by Jeena Cho; Karen Gifford
Call Number: KF298 .C47 2016
ISBN: 1627226249
Publication Date: 2016-06-07
The Anxious Lawyer is a straightforward introduction to meditation and mindfulness for those engaged in the practice of law. Readers will be guided through an eight week program, the aim of which is to assist in establishing an ongoing meditation practice. The book will: -Provide an overview of the history of meditation and the scientific evidence of its benefits -Introduce the reader to simple meditation techniques -Offer concrete guidance for establishing meditation practice

Test-Taking Strategies

Use Test-Taking Strategies on Exam Day

Advice from the Experts

In addition to looking at study aids, creating your outline, and reviewing past exams there are some articles and podcasts about exam-preparation that provide useful tips.

How Not to Write Answers to Law School Exams
via Hein. 29 Stetson L. Rev. 1181 (2000).
Thirteen Rules for Taking Law Exams
Via Hein. 72 Tenn. L. Rev. 797 (2005).
When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take it and Other Sage Advice For First-Time Law School Exam Takers
Via Hein. 26 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 653 (2006).