Understanding the IRAC method is essential for law students. Here’s a short guide with examples answers for law essays and exams.
Law exams
Preparing for closed book law exams
Closed book exams are becoming more common. There’s a simple way to study for closed book law exams to ensure you score the highest grade possible!
Free law student exam notes
Find the best free law student exam notes here. A list of online lecture notes and summaries to use when preparing your own exam notes.
Exam scripts and skeleton answers
An exam script, also called a skeleton answer, is a pre-prepared answer to a question expected to be on an exam. They are essential for all law students who are chasing high distinctions in law. Final exams can account for between 70 – 100% of a subject mark, which means that an entire semester’s work of worth can be evaluated in 2 or 3 hours – you need to make the most of that time.
Note taking at law school
Note taking at university can take many forms – you can use a pen and paper, tablet or laptop. I recommend you try as many formats as possible, but you must understand why you’re taking notes (and it’s not to scribble down every word the lecturer says).
One easy way to improve your exam technique
Using a simple timer during your exams will improve your exam technique and your scores; it will keep you on track during the exam and give you an edge over other students. It’s so simple, but almost no one does it properly.