The time has arrived to begin the time-honored law student exam preparation habit of "outlining". Since all exams are open-book and you can bring notes, the outline serves as your personal guide to the course as you muddle through the exam. Traditionally this is sold as a lengthy, time-consuming project.
So far I haven't found that to be the case -- the two outlines I've done took about 4-5 hrs each -- but I am an extremely minimal note-taker. Something really extra-special has to happen for me to be sufficiently moved to write it down. So my outline process basically involves moving all my notes into into a single orderly document.
Whereas judging from the constant tapping of laptop keyboards all around me, most folks will wind up the semester with dozens and dozens of pages of notes. So the process of plowing through and finding the outline within will necessarily be more complicated.
The person who has not done themselves any favors is the Stenographer. Every class, they have typed pretty much every word the professor said into their laptop, and they will end the class not with notes, but with a transcript. Then they can re-read the transcript and start, you know, taking notes. I realize everyone learns differently but that just seems masochistic.
I've also heard tales of 20 and 30 page outlines. What possible use is that in a time-sensitive exam situation? I can't imagine how you have time to leisurely thumb through a massively overweight outline.
04 Nov 04
It sounds like we take the same style of notes. I never understood how those stenographers wrote so much and still had time to ask stupid questions. Do you have a student resource with a bunch of old outlines? Savor the fact that you can use materials on the test. That is something most law schools dont do.
Posted by: A at November 4, 2004 08:31 PMAre you the same Matthew Black on atomicvision.com? Cool!
Posted by: at November 4, 2004 09:33 PMWe have access to old exams. I've looked at other people's outlines and they're not really that useful. There is some value in the process of putting an outline together -- it forces you to review the material and pull it together cogently. Well, unless you're aiming for 30 pages.
Posted by: MB at November 5, 2004 12:00 AMI'm one of those compulsive note takers. But immediately after an interview, I go over the "transcript" and pull out the essentials. If I don't do that immediately, it's a mess.
Of course, if I have to quote someone (I work as a reporter) it has to be exact, hence the stenography. But I found myself doing the same thing in classes I take at Berkeley, maybe out of habit. But it works for me -- as long as I pull out the useful info right away.
MB's method, I will agree, is more efficient.
Posted by: Russ Mitchell at November 5, 2004 08:31 AM