First Year

BEING A “1L”

How Does LawTutors Prepare Me For My Law School Exams?

  • Learn ?inside tips? and strategies for success in the classroom including: note taking, case briefing, issue spotting, and case analysis
  • Master the ?secrets? to excelling on law school exams
  • Learn to study ?smart? and effectively manage your time
  • Take practice exams in every course
  • Develop a network of contacts with law professors, attorneys and law students
  • Enjoy law school with the ultimate preparation and confidence

Law school exams differ greatly from undergraduate exams. To succeed in law school, therefore, you must fully understand the differences and master the techniques, methods and strategies for excelling on law school exams. In both your private sessions and your semi-private small group reviews, you will master:

  • How to Outline ? the key to learning the Law.
  • How and when to prepare for law school exams.
  • The ?Hidden Keys? to success on law school exams (including actual exam writing in the program).
  • How to take law school exams and write an ?A? answer.
  • How to master IRAC(Issue Rule Application Conclusion).
?LawTutors made me see the overall big picture in each course. They tailored the sessions to the topics my professor stressed and also provided a great deal of practice questions, all of which improved my preparation for first year exams.?
- Merritt Dattel, 1L Suffolk Law School

If I don?t do well my first year, can I easily recover and make up for it in later semesters?

Your first year grades are critical. They will determine your class rank and ultimately, your job opportunities. Top Firms recruit during the Fall semester of your 2nd year, looking only at your 1st year grades. The key to excelling in law school is doing well your first semester.

I did well in college and on the LSAT. Aren?t these excellent indicators of how well I will do in law school?

Your undergraduate grades, LSAT score, and hard work do NOT ensure good grades in law school. Competition in law school is fierce. Unlike undergrad, your law school classmates are all excellent students. Everyone enters law school with a comparable undergraduate GPA and LSAT score (or they wouldn?t have been accepted!). They are all motivated and like you, they all intend to be at the top of the law school class. By definition, 50% of these outstanding students will be in the bottom ? of the class. The majority of students will be ?C+? students in law school and the vast majority of 1L?s will get no A?s ? not even one.

Can I use the same study skills and strategies as I did in college and graduate school and expect the same results?

Your formula for success in college or graduate school does not work in law school or on law school exams. Memorizing and ?knowing the law? is not enough. You are on your own to develop essential skills such as how to brief cases, how to analyze and synthesize legal arguments, and how to prepare for and take law school exams. New skills and strategies are needed.

Are grades in law school based on my overall performance (including class participation, midterms, and term papers)?

In law school your entire grade typically depends solely on one 3-4 hour final exam in each course at the end of the semester or the end of the year. Class participation, mid-terms, and term papers are not usually significant factors.