How I got the Top Grade in Torts
So, midterms are over. Thank the Lord it's done and over with for this semester. I'll be honest, there were a couple breakdowns, a few too many tears, and a lot of curse words thrown at my roommate (sorry). However, I got my Torts midterm grade back pretty quickly and I ended up getting the top grade. A few more tears might have been shed in class when I received that news (he kept dragging out handing back the tests and I convinced myself I had gotten the lowest grade, so it was just a huge relief.)
I wanted to share with y'all how I did it.
1. Practice Exams
Now, my Torts professor told us we had to do approximately 15 to 20 before the midterm (so roughly about 5 per week.) and he only accepts two practice exams per semester. Now this professor is incredibly particular on how he wants his practice exams done. So, I did it to his specifications and turned one in. It was on intentional torts, which means it was a race horse. You didn't get time to think deeply on the issues, you just had to write and write fast.
I timed my practice exams to the same amount of time I would have during my midterm. I'm so glad I did this. It gave me a realistic view on my capabilities.
Then after he had graded my practice exam, I went and talked to him. He wanted us to use the facts given to us, not just regurgitate them. (Ex: Black banana = old banana, but how do we know? Well, we know that a banana is usually yellow. It doesn't turn black as soon as the banana is gone, it takes a little while to turn brown, then black, then mushy.) He sat down with me for a good hour and just told me how he wanted it formatted and what he was looking for.
2. Outline
I outline by hand. It helps me remember and I like to use colored pens. It makes it pretty and fun for me. I don't ever put my case names within my outline because I can't remember stuff by name. I like to take the main point of the case (ex: setting in motion is still a battery) within the outlines.
3. Don't cram
There is no way to do the stuff mentioned above by studying throughout the night before the midterm. Not only will you be tired during your midterm, which means you'll miss the small stuff.
4. Quality over Quantity
I'll be completely honest, I didn't finish the test. I had two and a half that still needed to be finished. I had outlined them in the exam, but I didn't get to them. A good portion of the class finished. I was not one of those people. The median score was 66.7, the lowest score was 65 and the top score was 70. It may not seem like much, but those people that finished, a good portion of them thought that if they spoke on every single issue, they would get the highest score. That was not the case. The professor wanted us to explain how the facts related to the elements. Not just regurgitate the facts, which is what the others did.
I haven't got my other grades, yet, so my attitude may change. If it does, I'll be writing another post on how to bounce back after a not so good grade.
'Til next time, y'all!
TOODLES
I wanted to share with y'all how I did it.
1. Practice Exams
Now, my Torts professor told us we had to do approximately 15 to 20 before the midterm (so roughly about 5 per week.) and he only accepts two practice exams per semester. Now this professor is incredibly particular on how he wants his practice exams done. So, I did it to his specifications and turned one in. It was on intentional torts, which means it was a race horse. You didn't get time to think deeply on the issues, you just had to write and write fast.
I timed my practice exams to the same amount of time I would have during my midterm. I'm so glad I did this. It gave me a realistic view on my capabilities.
Then after he had graded my practice exam, I went and talked to him. He wanted us to use the facts given to us, not just regurgitate them. (Ex: Black banana = old banana, but how do we know? Well, we know that a banana is usually yellow. It doesn't turn black as soon as the banana is gone, it takes a little while to turn brown, then black, then mushy.) He sat down with me for a good hour and just told me how he wanted it formatted and what he was looking for.
2. Outline
I outline by hand. It helps me remember and I like to use colored pens. It makes it pretty and fun for me. I don't ever put my case names within my outline because I can't remember stuff by name. I like to take the main point of the case (ex: setting in motion is still a battery) within the outlines.
3. Don't cram
There is no way to do the stuff mentioned above by studying throughout the night before the midterm. Not only will you be tired during your midterm, which means you'll miss the small stuff.
4. Quality over Quantity
I'll be completely honest, I didn't finish the test. I had two and a half that still needed to be finished. I had outlined them in the exam, but I didn't get to them. A good portion of the class finished. I was not one of those people. The median score was 66.7, the lowest score was 65 and the top score was 70. It may not seem like much, but those people that finished, a good portion of them thought that if they spoke on every single issue, they would get the highest score. That was not the case. The professor wanted us to explain how the facts related to the elements. Not just regurgitate the facts, which is what the others did.
I haven't got my other grades, yet, so my attitude may change. If it does, I'll be writing another post on how to bounce back after a not so good grade.
'Til next time, y'all!
TOODLES
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