Closed book law exam

As the title says, does anyone have any study tips on how to best approach a closed book con law exam. Just finished up fall 1l semester and didnt do too shabby. Also, make sure not to make the openbook exam terribly hard. Preparing for openbook exams unsw current students. So in a way, you want to study the material as if you were taking a closed book exam. We explained that the approach to both open and closed book exams are generally the same. I had all closed book exams in law school until i was a 2l and i loved them. One of the most frequently debated issues concerning law school exams is open book or closed book. Heres how to prepare for a closed book law school exam. Nov 07, 20 so in a way, you want to study the material as if you were taking a closed book exam. Law school memorization tips closed book exams j wong. Your exam may be taken by ondemand cbe, session cbe or paperbased assessment. They test your ability to find and apply information.

I teach biology, and i routinely overlook grammatical, spelling and minor mathematical errors as long as its clear the student understands the biology theyre describing. Law school exam tutor extraordinaire lee faller burgess of amicus tutoring returns with advice on preparing for a closed book law school exam. If you are using bluebooks, please make sure your exam number is on each of the bluebooks. If you transform a closed book exam into an open book exam, but the degree of difficulty stays the same, you have a slight chance of making your students lives just a little bit easier. The body of research on open book and more traditional closed book exams is diverse and even contradictory in its findings. The course description will inform students what materials are permitted. Tips for studying for a closed book law school exam. Questions that are broader in scope and require students draw together content from right across the curriculum, are also more feasible than in traditional exams. Nov 12, 20 i had all closed book exams in law school until i was a 2l and i loved them.

The body of research on open book and more traditional closed book exams. Nov 15, 2016 how to get an edge over other law students law school study tips duration. Students who remove articles of clothing like sweaters or jackets during the examination must place these items under the desk. This may sound at first that all you will need to do is look up the answer the day of the testand thus a. Students often have wrong ideas about these exams, such as. Reintroducing closed book exams at law school by cathy sherry. You are permitted to have access to your class notes if permitted. Dec 01, 2011 law school exam tutor extraordinaire lee faller burgess of amicus tutoring is back with advice on preparing for an open book law school exam. Closed book exams require more memorization, but open book exams may demand more information from the student. Closed book mode health care and the law campbell, michael j. To put this into perspective, closed book examinations only make up 3. What do the terms openbook, closedbook, secure, and non. When it comes to studying for a closed book exam, the most important thing is to give yourself plenty of time.

You may not consult any other materials or communicate with any other person. Individual faculty may choose to give openbook exams. If you read our previous post on open book law school exams, youll see they share a lot in common. Secure is examsofts term for closed book law school exams. Depending on your law school, you may have many or few closedbook exams. In reality, the basic approach to both an open book law school exam and a closed book exams is quite similar.

Usually the purpose of a closed book exam is to asess what you have learned from the material. Know the material as well as you can and go to your outlines when. Electronic devices electronic devices including cell phones, tablets, cd players, mp3 players, pagers, and similar devices need to be turned off and stored out of sight during an exam period. 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. For those of you with closed book law school exams coming up, here are a few exam prep strategies that you might find useful. Closed book all questions are allocated points and require responses that demonstrate accuracy, clarity, sound reasoning, recognition of the problem presented, knowledge of the principle of law involved and correct application of those principles. Openbook and takehome exams are becoming increasingly popular these days. Here are some tips for designing a good open book exam.

Open book is going to rely a lot less on actually knowing things perfectly and a lot more on analysis. I know, i am strange, but i thought it seemed more fair that everyone had to memorize the material for the exam. For example, when i was a firstyear law student, all of my exams were closed book. Closed book examinations during closed book examinations, all prohibited items must be brought to the front of the room. If your exam is closed book, you will want to prepare an outline that will assist you in studying until the day of the exam. Here are the three steps to succeeding on a closed book law school exam. What do the terms openbook, closedbook, secure, and nonsecure exam mean. What are the comparative advantages of openbook versus. Law school exam tutor extraordinaire lee faller burgess of amicus tutoring is back with advice on preparing for an openbook law school exam. All the other exams i have had before were open book, so this will be my first time taking a closed book law exam. How to succeed on an open book law school exam the unfortunate trap that many law students fall into is underpreparing for open book law school exams.

Multistep questions, where one question builds on the previous one can work well. Open book exams allow you to take notes, texts or resource materials into an exam situation. Do openbook tests work better than closedbook tests. May, 2020 for those of you with closed book law school exams coming up, here are a few exam prep strategies that you might find useful. While no professor expects you to memorize the restatements of law, code numbers, or case names, you will be required to know and understand the general principles of law relevant to the subject matter. Jun 22, 2017 from its inception in the 1970s, unsw law only ever used open book exams, and so the decision to use a closed book exam in the compulsory course, land law in 2016, was not a return to past practices, but rather the introduction of a hitherto untested form of assessment. The unfortunate trap that many law students fall into is underpreparing for open book law school exams. For classrooms with closed book exams, approved scratch paper will be provided, and it will need to be turned it with the exam. However, unless a faculty member specifically announces an open book exam, you should assume the exam is closed book. You also have to practice answering questions well ahead of time. If you missed her post on preparing for a closed book exam, check it out, too. Law school exam tutor extraordinaire lee faller burgess of amicus tutoring.

In contrast, open book exams, takehome exams and research assignments. How to succeed on a closed book law school exam jd advising. Dec 2 no materials closed book mode secured transactions forman, harvey i. A closed book exam can make the dread in the bottom of your stomach flare up and induce panic, looking at you admin law.

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. What do the terms closed, open laptop, and open network. However, in order to do well on a closed book law school exam, you must have the law memorized. Luckily for you, dear reader, i took admin law over trimester 3 and can confidently pass on some hints and tips on how to. How to study for a closed book exam deakin law students. How to succeed on an open book law school exam jd advising, llc. 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.

As requested from previous videos i have decided to share some of my memorization techniques for law school exams. If you are using examsoft, follow the proctors instructions. Professor dewolf criminal law summer 2008 july 3, 2008 midterm exam instructions do not go beyond this page until you are told to begin. 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. Do open book tests work better than closedbook tests. An open book exam is a test that allows you to bring the text or material you have been studying. Open book and closed book refers to the materials permitted. What method and how to book the exam will depend on the exam youre taking. Wondering how to study for closedbook law school exams. A closedbook exam generally means that the only source of information you may rely on is your brain. While there are options for proctoring online exams, there are many ethical, financial, and equitybased concerns that make this solution problematic at best. Openbook exams are held in class, proctored, and timed.

The preferred method of writing inclass exams is on computer. Open book examinations during open book examinations, only the materials approved by the professor are to be allowed during the examination. 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. However, unless a faculty member specifically announces an openbook exam, you should assume the exam is closedbook. 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. Closed book exam generally means that the only source of information you may rely on is your brain. When a student has a closed book exam it proves that the student knows something rather than just looking up the definition in the glossary.

Visit our exam method page to find out more information, including what method each exam is taken by. Individual faculty may choose to give open book exams. Law school exams are terrible, but they do have one thing going for them. Here are some tips for preparing for a law school exam, regardless of its format. They differ from closedbook exams in only one respect. Depending on your law school, you may have many or few closed book exams. Law school exam tutor extraordinaire lee faller burgess of amicus tutoring returns with advice on preparing for a closedbook law school exam. Students are strongly encouraged not to bring any non examination materials other than personal items into the examination room for a closed book limited open book examination. Criminal law exam guide north carolina state bar legal. Make a great outline and you can relax about having to memorize every nook and cranny of the law. Secure is examsofts term for closedbook law school exams.

For a closed book exam, definitely not its understandable that you cant cite a work that isnt in front of you. Feller 1994 further suggested that the openbook exam is superior to closedbook exams as it is more realisticsimilar to problemsolving situations students are likely to face outside of academia. Open book exams can lend themselves to questions that are out of reach of most closed book exams. While this might have been true a few years ago, australian law students are no. Open laptop is exam4s term for openbook law school exams with no internet access. For an open book exam, it would depend on your subject area. Give them a recipe for exam success while, of course, avoiding teaching to the test. All questions are allocated points and require responses that demonstrate accuracy, clarity, sound reasoning, recognition of the problem presented, knowledge of the principle of law involved and correct application of those. If you are prepping for an open book exam you should do the following. Like most law students, i tend to panic when i heard the words closed book exam, but here are some tips for making the process easier timing. Oct 22, 2014 like most law students, i tend to panic when i heard the words closed book exam, but here are some tips for making the process easier timing. Professor dewolf criminal law summer 2008 july 3, 2008.

Reintroducing closed book exams at law school by cathy. What do the terms open book, closedbook, secure, and nonsecure exam mean. Also, make sure not to make the open book exam terribly hard. From its inception in the 1970s, unsw law only ever used open book exams, and so the decision to use a closed book exam in the compulsory. Apr 09, 2020 if you planned to give a closed book, written exam as a midterm or final assessment of student learning, consider alternatives that could replace that assessment.

Nonsecure is examsofts term for open book law school exams. The default setting for exam templates is closed computer unless your professor has requested an open computer template. How to get an edge over other law students law school study tips duration. Nonsecure is examsofts term for openbook law school exams. How to succeed on a closed book law school exam jd. In open book exams, students are allowed to bring notes, texts, andor other resources into the exam room.

If youre looking to book an ondemand cbe, youll need to contact a test centre directly. More and more law schools are offering the openbook exam. You wont study for them as hard as you would for a closed book so youll take a more lax approach and your grade will reflect that. And of course, students prefer openbook to closedbook exams and find them less stressful philips, 2006.

Administrative law fall 2006 administrative law fall 2005 exam with sample answers open book because of special katrina circumstances, the rest are closed book. May 14, 2017 a closed book exam can make the dread in the bottom of your stomach flare up and induce panic, looking at you admin law. Go study law they said every exam is open book they said. Closed book exams have been associated with cramming, rote learning and superficial understanding. If you transform a closedbook exam into an openbook exam, but the degree of difficulty stays the same, you have a slight chance of making your students lives just a little bit easier. Reintroducing a closed book exam in law published in. It depends on the size of the exam, but generally you will need two to six weeks. Luckily for you, dear reader, i took admin law over trimester 3 and can confidently pass on some hints and tips on how to prepare for a closed book exam. What do the terms closed, open laptop, and open network mean. If you missed her post on preparing for a closedbook exam, check it out, too the openbook test. The use of computers on exams is governed by policy. I know, i am strange, but i thought it seemed more fair that everyone.

The effort a law student puts into studying should be identical regardless of whether the exam is open book or closed book. They test your ability to find and apply information and knowledge, so are often used in subjects requiring direct reference to written materials, like law statutes, statistics or acts of parliament. Student exam number final examination legal profession. Below we detail the steps to succeeding on a closed book law school exam. Time is of the essence, so the more prepared a student is the better they will do. Closedbook exam generally means that the only source of information you may rely on is your brain. Students can bring chomsky statutory book with them to the exam they can make any notes they want in the book closed book mode. When a student is assigned a closed book exam it teaches them that they need to find time to study. You may not consult any other materials or communicate with any other. In this lesson, well introduce you to these formats, and explain how to do your best work when you encounter them. 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. I dont need to study much for my exam because the information will be right there for me to look up. Do you approach outlines and memorizing the terminology any differently you would for closed book exams, or is it generally similar to closed book studying.