How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams [Paperback]

John Delaney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2006 | ISBN-10: 0960851453 | ISBN-13: 978-0960851454 | Edition: October 2006

How To Do Your Best on Law School Exams shows you, step-by-step, how to practice and excel at the two core law-exam tasks: spotting issues and resolving them with succinct lawyerly arguments. This popular and widely recommended Book emerged from teaching countless courses and grading thousands of exams over many years at the New York University Law School and at the City University Law School. In building-block detail, it shows you how to practice decoding of the typical multi-issue exam essay. It enables you to add an exam lens to your learning and outlining, so that you are practicing issue-spotting and step-by-step writing of lawyerly exam arguments throughout the semester and also illustrates many blunders that constantly appear on law exams. It includes many actual exam problems with illustrative "A" and occasional poor answers, and detailed comments explaining why exam arguments are excellent, mediocre or poor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An Excellent Text on Preparing for and Taking Law School Exams Professor John Delany's How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams is an excellent resource for both law students and ASP professionals. A longtime criminal law professor, Delaney provides an insightful and detailed approach to semester-long exam preparation, as well as practical strategies for answering the exam questions themselves in ways that demonstrate the analytical skills that law professors are trying to assess. One of the most powerful aspects of the book is Professor Delaney's ability to tie exam preparation to the analytical skills that lie at the heart of a proper legal education. Through thoughtful explanations of effective learning strategies and multiple practical illustrations and sample problems and answers, Professor Delaney demystifies much of both the study of law and the keys to success on law school assessments. Any student who wonders why in the world we test the way we do should read this book. Any student who wants to transform exam preparation into deep learning and powerful analytical skill development should read it and then reread it several times. -- Professor Daniel Weddle, Director of Academic Support and Clinical Professor University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law-- July 12, 2007

Law school professor Delaney places the Rosetta Stone of test-taking technique within the reach of every law student, and he does so with precise yet profuse, illustration ... But the book's primary achievement is a series of sample problems with carefully annotated answers ranging in quality from excellent to poor. This enables students to focus on what their professors are looking for and to sharpen their skills accordingly. While high school and college teachers generally expected little more than a `sophisticated regurgitation' of their lectures, law professors are harder to impress. -- The National Law Journal

Probably the most valuable contribution Professor Delaney makes ... is his courageous foray into the exam room itself.... Professor Delaney guides the reader through the exam itself, providing detailed instructions on how to outline the answer, how to spot issues, and to tell relevant facts from irrelevant ones. Probably the most valuable contribution Professor Delaney makes ... is his courageous foray into the exam room itself.... Professor Delaney guides the reader through the exam itself, providing detailed instructions on how to outline the answer, how to spot issues, and to tell relevant facts from irrelevant ones. -- Stanford Law School Journal

You can write a perfect answer to a question that wasn't asked - and fail. Or, if you prefer, you can fail by writing a poor answer to a question that was asked. Better yet, read this book and learn, step-by-step, how to write a very good answer to the question that was asked. -- Professor Robert A. Pugsley, Southwestern School of Law

About the Author

A law professor for thirty years, John Delaney taught criminal law, advanced criminal law, comparative criminal law, international criminal law, and other courses to law school students and students in masters and doctoral degree programs at the New York University School of Law. He then taught criminal law, advanced criminal law, the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, Jurisprudence and other courses at the City University of New York Law School.

Learning Legal Reasoning, How To Do Your Best On Law School Exams and Learning Criminal Law as Advocacy Argument emerged from these decades of teaching and reflecting on what students most need to succeed and what is lacking in law school pedagogy. Professor Delaney is also the author of law review articles and the general editor of nine other books, mostly about comparative law, in the American Series of Foreign Penal Codes. Prior to teaching, Professor Delaney conducted approximately one thousand trials and he wrote and argued more than one hundred and fifty appeals. Unlike many professors and others, John blends early intensive trial and appellate practice with thirty years of law school teaching, including writing hundreds of exams and grading thousands. His books are informed by this extensive practice, teaching and grading. Now retired, John continues his teaching through his books and in continuing e-mail communication with law school students who ask him for advice, especially about exams. He is an aspiring organic gardener in the Catskill region of New York and bread baker.

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: John Delaney Pubns; October 2006 edition (November 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0960851453
• ISBN-13: 978-0960851454
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Business & Investing > Job Hunting & Careers > Vocational Guidance

More About the Author

A law professor for thirty years, John Delaney taught Criminal Law, Advanced Criminal Law, Comparative Criminal Law, International Criminal Law and other subjects to law school students and students in masters and doctoral degree programs at the New York University School of Law. He then taught Criminal Law, Advanced Criminal Law, the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, Jurisprudence, a First-Year Seminar and other subjects at the City University of New York Law School. Learning Legal Reasoning emerged from these many years of teaching and reflecting.

Now retired, Professor Delaney is also the author of law review articles. His First Amendment article, "Police Power Absolutism and Nullifying the Free Exercise Clause: A Critique of Oregon v. Smith," 25 Ind. L. Rev. 71 (1991), has been cited in more than thirty law review articles and by many courts including the Supreme Court of California and the Supreme Court of Texas. His books additionally include How To Do Your Best on Law School Exams and Learning Criminal Law as Advocacy Argument: Complete with Exam Problems and Answers. He was also the General Editor of nine other books, mostly about comparative law, in the American Series of Foreign Penal Codes.

Prior to teaching, Professor Delaney conducted approximately one thousand trials and he prepared more than one hundred and fifty appeals. He lives with his wife Pat and daughter Clare in the beautiful Catskill region of New York and communicates with students by e-mail.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Get Resource BEFORE Entering Law School, January 15, 2008

By 

Clovis (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams (Paperback)

First, I should begin by saying what has turned out to be true. Law school is tough. It is extremely challenging, the amount of information is overwhelming, and the in-class atmosphere is unnerving. It is, I believe, more different and difficult than most undergrad and grad students realize.

Second, your time constraints will be intense. If you undertake an earnest effort to read your cases, properly brief, use resources such as hornbooks and outline, you will probably not have enough time to develop the skills necessary to write an effective exam-answer during law school.

Last, it is why this book is so important to read and prior to entering law school: difficulty of exams, complexity of material, vast amounts of information and reading, intense time constraints, and most importantly, your grade will be determined by your final exam performance.

SOME COMMENTARY ON LAW EXAMS & SOCRATIC METHOD (*WARNING*)

I would be disingenuous and perhaps remiss if I did not seize a good opportunity to complain about law school to those considering attending law school. Do not fret, I will try to be brief. I think after the first or second semester of law school, you acquire the analytical skills, discipline, and ability to read and understand complex material at a maximum level. I am skeptical that a second year of law school is necessary, let alone a third year. The second-year should consist of skills development, job-training, and some classroom work. The third-year should be eliminated or optional for those that want more education or specialization (such as an LLM). Most (all?) countries do not have law schools in the way the United States does; instead, students study law as undergrads or earn a master's in law.

LAW SCHOOL EXAMS

Your law school grade is, exclusive of everything else (class participation, research papers, group projects, etc.) based on the final exam. You will not obtain credit for research papers, drafting memorandum, participating in class, or for group projects. Your entire grade is based on the final. It is a bizarre if not backward way of measuring a person's ability to think like a lawyer.

It behooves you to develop exam-taking skills now if you are a serious student and hope to succeed in law school.

SOCRATIC METHOD

In some respects, I think my speaking ability has slightly diminished as a result of the socratic method. I find it especially jarring when a law student is called-on to recite a fact-pattern or passage. I think it is completely unnecessary for students to have to read paragraphs and mostly a waste of time. If some of you were like me, you probably participated in class actively as an undegrad or grad students, were always well prepared, and most-likely shined in class discussions. Law school is more challenging to shine in class because the amount of material is considerable and complex, and the professor will ask you questions that will probably tongue-tie you. And this will occur in class, surrounded by nearly 100 of your classmates, depending on your school. You are, however, expected to be well-prepared for class and you will be called upon at random.

I dislike the socratic method because it makes law students unnecessarily neurotic and undermines learning. In business school, for example, students' participation was often (but not always) grounded in real-life experiences that enhanced discussion and added flavor to debate.

Law school classroom discussions are an altogether different atmosphere, and I think a rather deficient method of teaching.

As an aside, I wish law schools would format classroom participation in a similar way such as at the London School of Economics. You attend a lecture by a professor for around an hour or so. You can ask questions during the prof's lecture but it is primarily the prof's perspective on the material. Then in the evening you attend a group discussion with a Ph.D. candidate, where participation is the focus. Everyone has an opportunity to speak, raise questions, engage in debate, and so forth. You attain a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of the subject material and acquire strong communication skills in the process.

The combination of your grade being based solely on the final exam and the socratic method make law school a much more challenging, stressful, and somewhat confusing experience than it has to be. Be prepared.

USEFULNESS OF THE BOOK

You are the individual responsible for your education and grades. I find classroom learning, in law school, to be inadequate. I have found learning from casebooks to be particularly inadequate. Law school is about YOU, the law student, and less about reading cases and fretting about the socratic method. It is about YOU in terms of your skills, abilities, and exam performance. It is a strange if not deficient way to exclusively measure law school performance, but it is the system.

Reading this book and preparing in earnest will provide you with an understanding on how to analyze complex legal material. You need to learn the material and work with it daily. Reading a case and briefing it is not sufficient to do well. Law school is not college; it is a challenging and complex job.

Your ability to issue-spot on law exams should improve, which is a critical exam-taking skill. The author explains how to anticipate issues, identify primary and secondary issues, and how to explain and illustrate the issues you spotted. Spotting issues, though critical, is not sufficient on law exams. You will be expected to supply a lawyerly analysis of each and every issue as it relates to the fact pattern on a law school exam. Serious preparation, a whole lot of practice, and a bit of luck are all necessary.

You will also learn to outline, and I would not rely on others' outlines in law school. The most important part of outlining is the process of studying, creating your own outline. It will be how you learn the material, and you should use a good hornbook in making your outline. Outlining is not sufficient in law school. The best outline in the world will not help you if you do not prepare and practice regularly.

The book will help you with understanding your own learning strategy, which is vital to know prior to entering law school. You need to know how to study, prepare, and practice law school exams prior to entering. The book also provides excellent practice essay exams with answers.

CONCLUSION

I confidently recommend HOW TO DO YOUR BEST ON LAW SCHOOL EXAMS for those interested in preparing for law school. I have read many and varied "law school prep" books and courses. Many are inadequate, some are useless, and others provide bad advice. Success in law school is determined by one and only one measure: the final exam. If you are considering or are about to attend law school, it is wise to pick-up this book to better understand and prepare for law school exams. Law school is an intellectual privilege, although I am somewhat skeptical of its value after the first-year.

You must get-through (survive) law school to practice law. I wish you the best of luck in the endeavor. Never forget to pursue Justice and defend the Constitution.

Goodness... long review!

I hope the above was helpful.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight and Methods for Law Students, February 6, 2007

By 

jesse kasowitz (new york, ny USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams (Paperback)

I am a retired New York University School of Law Professor. There I had the good fortune to work with Professor Delaney who was then the Department Chief of the School's Criminal Law Education and Research Department. In my view, Professor Delaney's "How to Do your Best on Law Schoool Exams" book is unique among a multitude of law exam technique books. It is appropriate for beginning and advanced students. The new edition is supplemented by a dynamic website that elaborates on points that are explained in the book. The website also updates in accordance with new testing trends, e.g. multiple choice questions. Prof. Delaney offers refreshing criticism of most law school pedagogy, and its failure to prepare students for their exams. He has a good description of the practice of mystifying and obfuscating legal principles. His methods are effective for students from their first year to the bar examination. I would recommend the book without hesitation.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Law School Exam Writing Book on the Market, June 16, 2006

By 

TDM "TDM" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams (Paperback)

This book contains everything you need to know to succeed at law school exams. After reviewing several exam writing guides on the market including "Getting to Maybe" and "The 8 Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School" I stumbled across Prof. Delaney's book and subsequently never read anything else. It provides you with instructions on day to day preparation, outlining and multiple methods of exam writing depending on the test question (whereas other books try to use one formula to apply to all tests, which is ridiculous). This will absolutely change the performance of every first year law student. Just before exams I was studying very hard, but I had little idea about how to put my knowledge down on paper as applied to a fact pattern. I ordered Delaney's book just weeks before exams and it was still very helpful, and even more so when I used it in Spring semester. I finished my first year in the top 20% of a top 20 law school. Nothing will substitute hard work and stict class attendance in law school, but this book will put you above and beyond the grade curve during exams.