1Ls are so funny. They never quite know what to study for, so they gauge their preparedness on the amount of time that other people study. One reader IMed me yesterday, not quite freaking out but not exactly calm, saying that he felt ready for his exam but was worried because he saw other people still studying. I told him not to worry about what other people do, and that if he feels like he did enough, then he is good to go.
The larger point to be taken from this is that worrying about what other people do is a bad idea come exam time. Look at it this way: Just because someone loses 10 pounds eating only cabbage soup doesn't mean that that is the only diet that works. If you made it to law school, you must have some sort of intelligence at some level. Use it. If you feel prepared, then you are. If you feel unprepared, keep studying. But make sure you really feel unprepared, not just unprepared in relation to your classmates. Trust your gut.
So without further ado, here are Barely Legal's real studying tips:
1) Study alone.
2) If your outline sucks, get someone who has a better one to give your theirs.
3) You are better off knowing the basic concepts really well than trying to memorize every bit of minutiae. That can only serve to confuse you.
4) Do old exam problems.
5) Commercial outlines are your friend.
6) Do not, under any circumstances, stay up all night studying when your exam is in the morning. You are better off getting the sleep than going over it one more time.
7) If you are too hopped up on adderall to sleep, balance it out with Tylenol PM.
8) Change your clothes regularly, especially underwear.
If you follow these studying tips, we guarantee that you will do extremely well on the exam. (Note: Not a guarantee)
But if your exams don't work out the way you wanted them to, I'll give you the reassuring advice that Brett From Blafayette's mother gave him right before he had a big job interview: "Just remember, not everyone can be the Chief. Someone has to be the Indian."
