How to Prepare for Open Book Exams: 7 Steps

Writing an open book exam for the first time can be daunting and overwhelming. As a result, in this post, I have put together a few tips that have worked for me when preparing for an open book exam:

1. Consider Course Expectations

This will entail reviewing the syllabus and having a broad understanding of what it is you will need to cover.

2. Create a Plan

I have also found that it is helpful to organize my workspace, create a study plan using the course outline or syllabus and stick to it. This sets the tone for my study session and makes me feel organized. Creating attainable daily and weekly goals, and rewarding myself for achieving them kept me going and helped me to finish strong.

3. Read the Material

This is pretty self-explanatory. I create study notes while I read the materials (i.e. notes, textbook, slide deck, cases and articles). Although I have found that there is a tendency to take too many notes, I have learned to revise the course outline to keep myself grounded.

4. Create Personal Study Notes

For some, highlighting and marking up their textbook or secondary sources work just fine. For others, a set of notes may need to be created (whether hand-written or typed) and tabbed. I am a fan of the latter because I have found that tabs help me find things during the exam. You may also find that flashcards work for you, for instance. Do what works for you. 

5. Simplify Major Themes and Create Tables, Mind Maps and Charts for Easy Reference

At this stage the focus is on (i) creating a document to help you easily find the answer to what you may be looking for e.g. index, tables, mind maps, charts etc.; and (ii) reviewing the material using the documents you have created. My style is to always create an index because it helps me organize my thought process. I also create tables whenever I can, and find that it is also a helpful solution.

6. Practice Previous/Practice Exams

I recommend that you try to get your hands on past exams or practice exams and work through them. This is where it is important to have a community – in order to rub minds. You can form a study group with other colleagues and work through these exams. In the event that you are unable to find a study group, you can work alone and review your work using your materials. When writing answers to practice exams, make an effort to structure your responses in the format that you will be using on the exam. The format I have used and was taught to use in the past when taking law school exams is the “IRAC” method – “I” stands for Issues, “R” for Rules, “A” for Analysis and “C” for Conclusion.

Most importantly, the more you use your materials to answer practice questions, the easier it will be to find answers on the exam. Feel free to tweak your materials to make it easier for you to reference. 

7. Have a Good Night’s Rest

This cannot be emphasized enough. It is absolutely normal to feel anxious a day before the exam, but a good night rest will take you a long way. Please take the time to rest. You have done the best you can. I believe in YOU!

Additional Tip: If you are able to get your hands on secondary sources to buttress your point or stance on a legal issue, it could improve your grade. 

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Chidi
Chidi
July 22, 2020 12:40 am

Very informative! Thank you 🙂