Here is some additional important information you should read relating to the exam:
Disability Accommodations, Illness, Conflicts, Etc.
☆Do not contact Ms. Demmings or me about these issues.☆
- Neither Ms. Demmings nor I handle them, and contacting either one of us risks inadvertently compromising exam anonymity.
Inquiries should be directed to Accessibility Services or the Law Registrar’s Office. You should also take a look at these exam-related pages on the Law School’s website:
Topic Coverage
The question in this First Mid-Term Exam will be drawn from materials covered through Parts I and II.A of the Syllabus (i.e., up to but not including Part II.B or anything beyond Part II.B on the Syllabus).
Closed Book
The exam will be closed book. This means you may not bring your casebook, notes, supplement, or any other written materials with you. From the time the exam administration begins until it is over, you may not access the Internet via WiFi, cell service, or any other means. Nor, during that period, may you consult with any other student concerning the exam.
Don’t spend time memorizing case names, statutory provisions, etc. What I’m testing is not how well you can memorize things, but your ability to write a cogent analysis of how the law applies to a given set of facts in light of the underlying policies. If there is anything which I would think you couldn’t know without memorizing (e.g., a statute) I will give you a copy of it with the exam. Similarly, if I were to write a question asking if a certain case were decided correctly in your opinion, I would do more than just mention the name of the case, since you might not remember case names.
Outlining Your Answer:
I strongly recommend you spend about 15-20 minutes reading the question carefully and outlining your answer before you begin. The proctor will have blank paper or bluebooks you can use to outline it if you do so on paper, rather than on your laptop. I would recommend you outline on paper even if you plan to type your answer on your laptop, but it is up to you. There is no separate reading/outlining period. In other words, once the exams are distributed and the exam time begins, it is up to you how to allocate your time (which will be 75 minutes).
You can find the information I previously posted on outlining and answering exam questions on the Outline and Exam Writing Advice page.
Laptops versus Handwriting/Bluebook:
- Do I have a choice?
- Yes. I have no requirement or general preference as to whether you hand write or type your exam answer, so whether you use your laptop or hand write your exam answer is entirely up to you.
- One exception: if you bring a laptop and it cannot be started or malfunctions in a way that makes you unable to use it, you will have to hand write your answer in a bluebook.
- If I plan to use my laptop to write the answer, do I need to download any software onto it in advance?
- Yes. If you want to use your laptop for the Mandatory Practice Mid-Term Exam, you will need to use Exam4 software. That needs to be downloaded before the exam. Of course, if you have downloaded Exam4 software already this semester for another of your courses, there is no need to do so again.
- What is Exam4 software?
- The Law School uses Exam4 software for the administration of essay exams when students choose to use laptops rather than hand-write their exam answers. For Closed Book (No Access)/Essay Exam exams, the software gives you access to a basic word processor while cutting off access to the Internet and to all other files on your laptop.
- Do I have to download the Exam4 software?
- Yes, if you plan to write your exam answer on your laptop.
- No, if you plan to hand-write your exam answer in a bluebook.
- Where can I get more information about Exam4 Software and how to download it for the Practice Exam?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages to using a laptop?
- Pros:
- Most people are much more used to writing with their laptops, and it may help to use a format you’re comfortable with.
- Laptops give you more editing flexibility.
- If you hand write unusually slowly it’s possible that you could be helped by using a laptop, thus enabling you to say more.
- Extremely bad handwriting might be a reason for using a laptop. But remember that the quality of your handwriting is important only in cases where it really is extremely bad, which is rare. Most people overestimate how difficult their handwriting is to read.
- Cons:
- If you are a very slow typist, using a laptop may limit how much you write.
- Students who use laptops to write exams (which tends to be most students, but not always all students) can easily be lulled by the potential editing flexibility of a laptop into thinking they can just start writing the moment they finish reading the question, figuring they can do their organizing by cutting and pasting. But that’s not a real substitute for organization. In fact, you still need to outline.
- When should I load Exam4 onto my laptop?
- If you want to write your exam answer on a laptop, you will need to download Exam4 software before the exam.
- Will this be my only chance to download Exam4?
- No. If you write your answer to the Mandatory Practice Mid-term Exam in a bluebook but later decide to use your laptop in your final exam, you can download the software then.
Submitting your answer at the end of the exam:
How will I submit my answer at the end of the administration of the exam?
- If you hand-write your answer, you will submit your bluebook(s) to the Proctor. Make sure you write your AGN on the front cover(s).
- If you write your answer on your laptop, you will submit your answer electronically through Exam4 (there will be instructions on how to do it). Part of writing your answer on Exam4 software includes you inputting your AGN, which will identify the answer as yours.
- You must also write your AGN on the exam itself and hand that in as well.
Mid-Term AGNs:
As mentioned, you will use an AGN instead of your name on your answer.
- Do I need to get a new Mid-Term AGN for the Mandatory Practice Exam?
- No. Use the same Mid-Term AGN you used for Practice Question 1.
- Will I use this Mid-Term AGN in other classes? Yes and no. (This is law school, after all!)
- Yes: The Mid-Term AGN the Registrar’s Office assigned you is your Mid-Term AGN for any other exams or exercises in any course this semester (other than the final exam) in which the professor specifies that a Mid-Term AGN is to be used. There is not a separate Mid-Term AGN for each course.
- No: The Mid-Term AGN is not used on any final exam.
- For final exams in all your courses this semester, the Registrar’s Office will assign you a different, final exam AGN. Use the final exam AGN for all your final exams. Don’t use your Mid-Term AGN for any of your final exams.
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Back to the Syllabus.
