And Done

Finals are now over.  What a feeling!  But, the past week has been stressful.  At times feeling like I had not studied enough and at other times feeling like I did not understand anything.  When your entire trimester score relies on your performance of one exam and the exam will be based on a curve related to others, the stress of performance can get to you.

Could I have studied more?  Of course.  Would more study hours have made an effect?  Probably not.  I think by the time the last two and half weeks rolled around, I understood most of the material.  Any studying during the last two weeks was only memorization of elements.  Other than that, I already understood the material.

The best study method during the last two weeks should be practice essay exams and multiple choice questions.  Unfortunately, the only multiple choice questions available are bar exam questions and questions from various commercial books.  My contracts professor has his own casebook in which he included old multiple-choice questions.  But, these questions were nothing like the questions on the actual exam.  All you can do though, is know the material and practice using your knowledge.

Did I do the best on the exam?  From my own perspective, I did the best I could under the situations (for the last exams, I did not get a lot of sleep due to factors not in my control:  a kid who did not want to go to sleep).  I have no control over how well my classmates did.  I can only hope my best stacks up against their best.  As my civil procedure professor said, "the exam is in the box; let it go."

The exams are in the box and cannot be redone.  It is time to move on.  A second semester awaits after the Christmas break.  Right now is the time to relax.  Next semester, I will remember the lessons learned from this past semester.  For now, I can say, whew, I'm done.

One Week and Counting

Today marks one more week until finals start.  The stress is mounting.  My stress is not so much about worrying I'll pass, but, more so about whether I can maintain my scholarship.

Today we took a practice exam for Civil Procedure.  The tutor ran the exam like a real exam at the time the exam will be given next week.  The exam actually boosted my ego.  I felt confident in my answers and did not waiver while typing.

Two straight hours of typing can be taxing.  Ok, it wasn't two straight hours.  I did spend around 20 minutes reading and gathering my thoughts before I started pounding my keyboard.  The time did fly while I was taking the exam.

When I compared my answer with the model answer, I feel confident I would've gotten a high grade; not the top grade, mind you, just a high grade.  Some of my arguments weren't as crisp as they could be and I missed two points which should've been raised.  Other than those slight minor details, my answer showed I understood the question, the issues, and the topic.  And this is the key to law school exams.

I have more studying to do.  I am on track for Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, and Property.  I feel I'm behind in Contracts.  Of course, the Legal Skills project is still weighing me down but after tomorrow, I'll be unhitched from that impediment.

Well it's back to studying.  Only one week left...