Law Exams: “Power” versus “Technique”

Who wins in a fight? Is it always the stronger, bigger person that wins in a fight, or is it the person that actually knows how to fight?

You know the answer: it is obviously the latter.

This simple fact teaches us something we are already aware of, namely that strength (power), though it matters, is not as important as technique.

The same principles apply to law exams and to essay writing in general. Power is necessary, but without technique it remains insufficient.

In our example, studying equals … power. Knowledge of the law is, in fact, power! So it is absolutely essential if you want to excel in exams and write a decent legal essay. Without knowledge of the law, the case law and the surrounding academic literature, you simply cannot excel.

This is self-evident. But this is where the obvious stuff ends.

Most students think that studying is not only necessary, but also sufficient in order to excel in exams.

This way of thinking manifests itself in the frustrated student saying “I studied so hard for this exam, why did I not do well?” Unfortunately, this mentality is flawed.

In summative assessments the student that does well is not necessarily the student who studied the most, but the student who managed to correctly apply her legal knowledge to the exam question, while properly managing time and stress.

That’s it. This is the formula for success in law exams in a nutshell. If you think you’ve got everything covered, feel free to stop reading now. If not, then consider subscribing to my newsletter, so that you can get my essay writing guide for free.