Exam Strategy

Creating an Effective Exam Strategy for an Essay Exam

1. COME IN PREPARED AND CONFIDENT: Prepare as well as you can. That means that you not only have a good understanding of the law, but also that you’ve practiced repeatedly in a timed setting. Once you sit down to take the exam, take deep breaths. No matter what happens, keep your cool. Being flustered does not facilitate a good performance.

2. ANSWER THE CALL OF THE QUESTION: Do not come in with preconceived ideas about what will be tested. Identify the question and make sure you answer it thoroughly. This is not a time to just show off what you’ve learned.

3. CONSTRUCT OUTLINE: Spend about 1/4 of the time allotted for the exam reading the exam, thinking about it, and preparing an outline for your answer. An outline is not a list- it’s an arrangement of the issues on the exam set out chronologically. Use details that will help you thoroughly analyze the question.

4. START WRITING AND USE HEADINGS: Follow your outline to make sure your format is organized. Use headings!! As you write, briefly explain how each issue you discuss is relevant to the question.

5. EFFECTIVELY IRAC: Issue, Rule, Application/Analysis, Conclusion. You do not need to use the headings “issue”, “rule” etc— just use the structure! Separate each part of IRAC with its own paragraph.


  • ISSUE: The major issues arise from the call of the question- which might raise more than one issue (“Discuss the liability of A and B”). The sub issues might arise from the rules of law that apply to each issue. (Ex: if the issue is whether a contract exists, you also will have sub-issues for whether there was an offer, acceptance, and consideration)

  • RULE: State the rule accurately and completely. No need to site cases (unless Professor indicates you should do so). If there is a majority/minority rule and question doesn’t indicate which one to use- apply both!

  • APPLICATION/ANALYSIS: The largest part of your IRAC is found in your application. Be sure to examine ALL facts- and, when applicable, give analysis on both sides of the argument. Apply ALL FACTS to ALL ELEMENTS of the rule. Show how those facts apply- or do not apply. Use “mini IRACs” to break down a rule with multiple elements and apply the facts to each element this way. For example, for battery: break down each element (ie: intent, offensive, touching) and apply facts.

  • CONCLUSION: Write a conclusion for each issue right after the application. Your conclusions are not your opinions- they’re how the issues SHOULD be resolved. Make it short- no more than one or two sentences.

6. IF AND WHEN APPLICABLE, CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE THEORIES:If your analysis leaves a conclusion open ended- apply other theories that could be applied as well. (Ex: You conclude there was no valid offer because he was joking. If this issue was at all close, you must go on “But if the court finds that he was not joking, then the court would consider whether A did not make a valid offer because A’s proposed terms were too uncertain, etc”)

Portions adapted from Suggestions For Taking Law School Essay Exams by Professor Myron Moskovitz