Demystifying the Curve

Demystifying the Curve

Understand, at a bird’s-eye level, the infamous and arcane grading curve.

Transcript

Welcome to Demystifying the Curve! In this lesson, we’ll survey law-school grading policies at a high level and explain what they mean for you.

I. Introducing the Law-School Grading Curve

In most classes, from kindergarten through college, a student’s grade on any assignment is based on the total percentage of the available points the student scores. Here, each student rises or falls based on the student’s own achievement, regardless how well the other students do. 

Law school is different....

Lessons

1. Introduction
  • Welcome to Acing Your Law Exam
2. Preparing from Day One
  • The Preparation Marathon
  • The Five Traits of Highly Successful Law Students
  • Reading Cases like a Rock Star
  • Briefing Cases Efficiently
  • Using Class Time Effectively
  • Outlining to Win
  • Catching Up When You're Behind
3. Knowing What to Expect and Keeping Your Focus
  • Common Essay Questions
  • Demystifying the Curve
  • Surviving Exam Season
  • Exam Aftermath: The Final Hurdle
  • Looking Back to Move Ahead
4. Exam Day Strategies
  • Budgeting Your Exam Time Wisely
  • Understanding the Questions and Facts
  • Spotting the Issues
  • Organizing Your Answer
5. Writing Winning Essay Answers
  • The Professor's Expectations
  • The CREAC Format
  • Winning Applications
  • What to Do When You Don't Know
6. Handling Unusual Exam Formats
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (Part 1)
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (Part 2)
  • True-False Questions
  • Open-Book and Take-Home Exams