Product Review
A concise, highly accessible guide to exam success. Provides an insider s view of what professors look for in exam answers, and how exam-taking connects to good lawyering. Accompanied by a Web site with content that is both free (e.g., sample outlines, class notes, case briefs) and for-sale (e.g., sample exams and memos written by professors giving feedback on the answers).
Features:- High-profile, experienced authors from elite schools with hands-on experience teaching the majority of the courses in the traditional 1L curriculum
- Distinctive central pedagogy: the pinball method of exam-taking
- Accompanied by Web site with content that is both free (e.g., sample outlines, class notes, case briefs) and for-sale (e.g., sample exams and memos written by professors giving feedback on the answers).
- Explains to students not just the how but the why of law school exams what makes law school exams different from exams students have encountered in other settings
- Detailed examples provide concrete demonstrations of exam-taking techniques
- Highly readable: prose is straightforward and humorous; key points accented with memorably amusing illustrations Not just an exam prep book; students are offered guidance on getting the most out of classes, and law school more generally
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(8 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Buy This Book -- A "Must-Have" for Law Students,
August 15, 2011 JSF63 - See all my reviews
This review is from: Open Book: Succeeding on Exams From the First Day of Law School (Paperback)
This book doesn't make taking law school exams fun, but it does give you really helpful information about how to prepare for exams and do well on them. Of the exam books out there, Open Book is a good deal better -- it's an easy read and it provides practical tips on how to spot issues and write essays that will set you apart from the other students. The approach here is to get inside your prof's head (a place you don't really want to be otherwise, but they are the ones who grade the exams so you might as well understand what they expect of you). Apply the advice and specific instructions for exam prep in this book, and you'll get great results -- this one really helped me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
wish I had this when I was a 1L,
October 4, 2011 M. Innabi - See all my reviews
This review is from: Open Book: Succeeding on Exams From the First Day of Law School (Paperback)
I'm a 2L right now. I was looking at this book to see if there was anything particularly useful in it. My first thought was OMG I WISH I HAD THIS LAST YEAR!!! This book is really helpful. I have recommended it to a 1L that I'm mentoring and she loved it. She has a mid-term next week and she was nervous but thought the book gave her some useful tips to help her tackle her first law school exam. Also, the website that comes with the book is phenomenal. There is so much information from professors AND other students on there for free. I would HIGHLY recommend this for any 1L.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Easy to use, easy to read and extremely helpful,
November 8, 2011 Daisybrainy "bryr_patch" - See all my reviews
This review is from: Open Book: Succeeding on Exams From the First Day of Law School (Paperback)
I found this book to be incredibly helpful with my recent mid-term for my first year of law school. The book is written utilizing small chunks of information in an eye catching format. Actually it is one of the few reasons I decided to pick up the book. It wasn't another book I had to wade through to get the information I needed. Boy am I glad I took the time, as I think this book sufficiently curbed my anxiety about taking law school exams.
The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. While much of it presents common sense, I find that the longer I am in law school sometimes the harder it is for me to remember the things I already know. This book kept me on track. A section I found most helpful was "The Bottom Line", a short synopsis at the end of each chapter to remind you of what you really need to know when taking an exam.
I suggest this book for any law student who needs a guideline for taking their exams and who is nervous about what to expect.
