This is 6 of 10 posts on exams, also known as “The Exam Series,” created by collaborators Amanda Bynum (Professor of Practice, Law | Director, Bar & Academic Success | The University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law); Shane Dizon (Associate Professor of Academic Success | Director, Academic Success Program | Brooklyn Law School); Halle B. Hara (Professor and Director of the Academic Success Program | Capital University Law School); Jacquelyn Rogers (Associate Professor of Law | Academic Success & Bar Preparation | Southwestern Law School); and Sarira A. Sadeghi (The Sam & Ash Director of Academic Achievement | Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University).
Unique COVID-19 Exam FAQs
Does a new grading policy mean exams will be more difficult? A new grading policy does not necessarily mean exams will be easier or more difficult. Some professors may adjust their expectations according to the amount of material your class has covered, the success of the online learning program, etc. While many professors are sympathetic to the challenges of online learning and the disruptions that COVID-19 has created, they do still want to assess what you have learned and how well you have learned it. Some professors may allocate less points to rule statements since many exams will be open-note, and will, instead, focus on the quality of your analysis. Accordingly, you will still have to spot issues and analyze rules, neither of which are in your outline, so you must still prepare just as you would if these were typical graded exams.
Do exams really matter if my school is on a pass/fail or credit/no credit system? Yes, exams still matter. Law school is as much about developing substantive knowledge as it is developing the skills you need to be successful in your remaining law school semesters, on the bar exam, and in practice.
You must learn a tremendous amount of law for the bar exam. The more you learn of the law and develop your substantive knowledge now, the less you will have to learn fresh during the bar prep period (versus refreshing your memory during bar prep). If you are currently taking doctrinal courses that are not bar tested, it is likely because they relate to a practice area you are interested in. Thus, developing the substantive knowledge in these courses is essential to you becoming a competent attorney in the area of law you want to practice.
Just as, if not more, importantly, law school is about developing the skills necessary for success in learning the law, on the bar exam, and in practice. You can only develop skills over time. Although courses may have shifted to pass/fail (or some variation thereof), you are still responsible for developing essential lawyering skills: rule dissection; rule synthesis; issue spotting; analysis; predicting/anticipating counterarguments; weighing evidence in light of the elements and defenses to predict a likely outcome; demonstrating good judgment about what kinds of arguments to make. These are all skills that are essential to competent and effective legal practice, and they are ones that every law school course develops. And while exams might not be “graded,” professors are still assessing your ability to demonstrate these critical skills.
Finally, your professors also serve an important function as gatekeepers to the profession. It is their responsibility to assess the competency you have developed during your time in their course. While it may seem that they are only assessing your substantive knowledge, they are equally assessing your ability to demonstrate your knowledge (i.e., your lawyering skills). While the learning format has changed in recent weeks, you have still learned a tremendous amount of law and continued developing essential skills. Exams allow professors to assess your learning and skills development, but they also provide you an opportunity to advocate for yourself and demonstrate that you are on your way to becoming a competent attorney. Which is the purpose of going to law school, right?
What about if I traditionally hand write my exams? How do I adapt to the online format? If you hand write your final exams, you may be concerned about the sudden shift to an electronic format, potentially requiring you to type your exams. First and foremost, check with your institution (generally the Dean of Students Office) to inquire whether there is still an option to handwrite your exams. If no such option exists, it is imperative to embrace the switch to typing.
Here, practice makes proficient, so typing your practice exams will greatly assist to reprogram your muscle memory. During head-clearing breaks, use free, online typing tools—such as typing games—to further assist your typing speed and accuracy. Take every opportunity to type from here to finals — type your class notes, outlines, practice exams, etc. — to help develop comfort and muscle memory. During these times, try to limit your stress to things you can control. Your law school’s shift to typing-only during this semester with a modified grading system won’t make or break your career as an attorney. So, hunt and peck away on the keyboard with two fingers, if that’s what you need to do.
What if I am ill or have to care for an ill family member during exams? If you are ill yourself, please reach out to the Dean of Students at your school immediately, to see if there are any options appropriate to your situation.
Caring for family members can be challenging during the best of times, and even more so now. Do as much as you can to set yourself up for success:
Coordinate with other family members who live with you or nearby to create a caring plan where they can assist you during exam times;
Set up everything the family member might need for those few hours ahead of time to minimize distractions;
If you have flexibility in when you take a given exam (e.g., you have an eight-hour window on a given day to take a three-hour exam), plan around the family member’s schedule—if they have therapy in the morning or take afternoon naps;
If you live with others, remind them of your inaccessibility during finals when classes were held on-campus, and emphasize the need to treat this similarly; and
Create a testing space, if possible, and an expectation that if you are working in that space, you are not to be disturbed.
The more you can prepare yourself and your family and support system, the more successful you can be. Do you have additional questions or comments? Let us know in the comments!