9 Tips for Midterms

Great news! I survived my first round of law school midterms. My results weren’t horrible, so they’ve motivated me to work harder. I’ve made a list of what I’ve learned and hope to improve for finals.

1. Outline frequently in smaller sections.
2. Study with a combination of methods. For example, outlines, flashcards, and study groups.
3. Do a practice exam question when you feel 90% prepared for the exam. Technically you should be doing practice exams throughout the semester, but midterm practice exams may be limited. (Most of my classes only had one practice exam posted.)
4. Read the course supplements that work best for your course. I personally found the E&E’s very helpful for my civil procedure class, but it was not very helpful for contracts.
5. Take your very first practice exam under untimed conditions.
6. Familiarize yourself with your professor’s specific expectations.
7. Try a practice exam and send it to an academic resource counselor or TA to find out if your exam structure is correct.
8. Skim other class readings, IF YOU’RE SHORT ON TIME. I found that while midterms were in full swing, keeping up with course readings was overwhelming. Take the time to go back and review the readings when your workload lightens.
9. Figure out what studying and note taking methods work for you. The first round of midterms are the best indicator of whether your various study methods are working. Take special note of what is efficient or inefficient, effective or ineffective, or what fits your learning style.

Always,

Kat

P.S. I may go on a small blogging break to fully dedicate my energy to prepping for finals, but I will continue to make Instagram posts! If you haven’t already, follow me to keep up to date.