Remember how I said that I thought I was really understanding the material this semester? Ha! Now that I’ve worked through some of these fact patterns, I realize I’m in deep shit and that I just don’t get it, especially when it comes to comparing state law rules to federal law rules. Bleech. Off to cozy up with my E&E and see if I can get a grip.

EDITED TO ADD: Thank God for CALI lessons. I think I’m getting it a bit better now.

P.S. Thanks to K and Proto for sending me the exam tips. You guys reinforced my thoughts on this — supress the editor!

As I mentioned in one of my long, rambling posts this weekend, I have a take-home midterm due tomorrow (ungraded but mandatory). It has several fact patterns, each with 2-4 questions. One of the things I’ve been struggling with is how much to write. I think that I made this mistake of not writing enough on my Civil Procedure exam (although I was rushing to finish!). While I got a relatively good grade, it wasn’t high enough and I think this might be why. Having worked as an editor for so long, I’m used to cutting text down to the bare minimum. In my exam responses, I’m covering all the points asked for in the question, plus alternatives, but I’m writing maybe two paragraphs per question. Does that seem right? On one of these fact patterns, I’m barely coming up with a paragraph per question. Should I be discussing the background of the law on this topic and how it developed or just getting straight to the point? How much do you deviate outside the boundaries of what is asked for in the question? Help!