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    How To Do A Law Exam

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    reuben97
    This document provides guidance on preparing for and taking law exams. It recommends organizing materials, having question-focused summaries, and using the MIRAT method in exams. For essays, it emphasizes analyzing assumptions, evidence, logic and gaps and building a coherent argument. Exam tips include planning thoroughly, writing legibly, and answering the exact question posed.

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    How To Do A Law Exam

    Uploaded by

    reuben97
    65 views2 pages
    This document provides guidance on preparing for and taking law exams. It recommends organizing materials, having question-focused summaries, and using the MIRAT method in exams. For essays, it emphasizes analyzing assumptions, evidence, logic and gaps and building a coherent argument. Exam tips include planning thoroughly, writing legibly, and answering the exact question posed.

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    How to Do a Law Exam

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    This document provides guidance on preparing for and taking law exams. It recommends organizing materials, having question-focused summaries, and using the MIRAT method in exams. For essays, it emphasizes analyzing assumptions, evidence, logic and gaps and building a coherent argument. Exam tips include planning thoroughly, writing legibly, and answering the exact question posed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    65 views2 pages

    How To Do A Law Exam

    Uploaded by

    reuben97
    This document provides guidance on preparing for and taking law exams. It recommends organizing materials, having question-focused summaries, and using the MIRAT method in exams. For essays, it emphasizes analyzing assumptions, evidence, logic and gaps and building a coherent argument. Exam tips include planning thoroughly, writing legibly, and answering the exact question posed.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    LAW EXAMS

    PREPARING FOR EXAMS

    (i) organise your materials


    (ii) index your materials to your summaries and case briefs
    (iii) have summaries in question form which covers the issue and the
    test to be used : eg
    Is there a contract?
    Is there an offer ? test for offer vs invitation to treat: Case ( year)
    (court)

    Is there acceptance? Test:..case


    Etc

    DOING LAW EXAMS

    General rules :
    1. Answer the question you are asked not another one
    2. Dont use note form you are likely to leave out logical connectors
    3. Dont use quotes unless it is absolutely necessary
    4. Use headings to indicate structure and issues you are dealing with

    Answering Problem Questions:


    Remember the general question is whether one party is liable/guilty/has breached the
    contract etc to another. This plaintiff and this defendant. Be specific. Dont discuss the
    legal issues in general. Go to the heart of the issue for these two parties. Come to a
    conclusion for those parties.

    1. Deal with two parties at a time


    2. Dont restate the facts in the question. The marker knows them. Just talk about
    the facts when you are applying the law to them.
    3. Work out what the test is and apply it. Come to a conclusion.
    5. One method which is useful to use to begin to answer questions is the MIRAT
    method:
    *
    M material facts
    I the issue
    R the rule ratio of a case or statutory rule
    A apply the rule to the facts at hand
    T tentative conclusion come to a conclusion about whether the
    rule applies to this situation and what its outcome is here

    *You do a MIRAT for every issue you identify in the problem

    *Then you logically connect all your tentative conclusions to come to a final
    conclusion about liability/guilt etc.

    *Note that you use your knowledge about the doctrine of precedent at the R
    stage in identifying the rule you may raise or lower the level of generality;
    argue about formal or purposive ways of identifying the proper precedent,
    weave in policy arguments which might apply, etc.

    Answering Essay questions:

    1. We are looking for evidence that you understand the material and can analyse
    and synthesise it into an argument of your own.

    2. Analysis comes from asking questions about why we should accept the
    material
    (i)What assumptions underlie this piece of work/writing etc
    Are the assumptions valid?

    (ii) Is there evidence for the propositions?

    (iii) Is it logical do statements etc follow logically from each other.


    Is it coherent? etc

    (iv) Is something important ignored or missed? Eg context, history?

    3. Synthesis. This means putting all the evidence together with your analysis so
    that an argument of your own appears.

    Essay format
    Use headings
    Introduction where you give a general statement of the aim or argument your essay
    is going to be about
    Then body of essay should be a series of paragraphs which take each piece of analysis
    or evidence and assess it, all the time linking it to your general argument. So each
    paragraph should drive the reader further towards accepting what you say. (This
    includes countering possible arguments against you). Make sure it is logical and there
    is coherent connection between the parts of the essay.
    Conclusion this should tie everything together dont state your argument for the
    first time there. You need to say something that indicates what you have already
    shown in the body of your essay.

    Exam Technique
    1. Plan, plan, plan
    2. Spend 1/3 to the exam time planning
    3. Remember many better answers are shorter!
    4. Write legibly remember your reader
    5. Answer the question, answer the question, answer the question
    6. You are not expected to do full citations in exams general reference eg short
    case name is usually sufficient.

    -Prue Vines
    Director of First Year Studies
    Faculty of Law
    University of New South Wales

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