The compressed fall semester schedule means that finals are just around the corner! Law school exams are stressful even in the best of times, so law school exams in 2020 may require some additional support. Fortunately, the Goodson Law Library provides access to some resources that can help ensure your success.
Online study aids can be invaluable ways to clarify difficult concepts from class or fill in gaps in your outlining. Current Duke Law students have online access to both the West Academic Study Aids Library and the Wolters Kluwer Study Aid Library. While both services offer online reading/searching and offline download, different study aid and outline series are available in each database. West includes the series Concepts and Insights, Hornbooks, Nutshells, Black Letter Outlines, Legalines, Sum and Substance, Law Stories, and many more. Wolters Kluwer provides access to the series Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, Emanuel Law Outlines, and more.
If law school exams are a new format for you this semester, you might also like to review some study aids specifically aimed at writing law school examination answers. Some recommended titles include:
- Batoff, Law School Secrets: Outlining for Law Exam Success (2012)
- Darrow-Kleinhaus, Mastering the Law School Exam (2007)
- Whitebread, The Eight Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School (2d ed. 2008)
Duke Law students can also access the resources at CALI: The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction. CALI provides members with access to more than 1,000 interactive tutorials (known as Lessons) on legal topics, including a subsection of offerings on Law School Success that features several lessons on exam strategies. Students from CALI member schools can register an account using an authorization code (access Duke's code at the bottom of the Software list with your NetID, or Ask a Librarian).
Finally, be sure to make time during the study crunch for self-care. While it's important to have a good handle on the substance of the test, it's even more important to get adequate sleep the night before, and to ensure that you are maintaining healthy habits with diet and exercise. In the April 2020 issue of the Georgia Bar Journal, attorney Dani Berry shares tips for "Mindfulness Meditation to Combat Stress and Promote Civility in the Law". The Lifehacker blog has a Relaxation section filled with various tips and recommendations for personal wellness. Numerous meditation and relaxation apps are available for download to your mobile device; Vault recommended five for lawyers and law students in June.
Good luck on your finals, and have a safe and happy break!
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