Studying for law exams can be extremely challenging, but with the right techniques, you can ace your exams and have fun at uni at the same time In this blog, we'll discuss five effective study techniques that can help you understand and retain information better, prepare for your exams, and ultimately achieve great results.

1. Active Reading

   Active reading involves actively engaging with the material you're reading. Instead of passively reading through the text, you should grab a pen and highlight, take notes, and summarize what you read. This will help you understand and remember the information better. When you're actively reading, you should ask yourself questions about the material, such as what the main ideas are, how they're related to each other, and what the author's purpose is. Additionally, you should make connections between the material you're reading and what you already know. Just like going for a jog improves your cardiovascular system, active reading improves your ability to retain and reuse information.

2. Spaced Repetition

   Spaced repetition is a technique that involves spacing out your study sessions and revisiting information periodically. This can help you retain information better in the long term. The idea behind spaced repetition is that the more you repeat information, the more likely you are to remember it. When you're using spaced repetition, you should schedule your study sessions in such a way that you're revisiting the material at decreasing intervals as you begin to understand the key concepts. For example, if you revise contract law on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for two hours at a time, you could either cut down your days (e.g. only revise contract law for two hours on a Monday and Friday, and then go on to revise for only two hours on a Monday) OR cut down your hours (e.g. take your revision session from two hours, to one hour, and then to 30-minute sessions).

3. Mind Mapping

   Mind mapping is where you create a visual representation of the information you're studying. This can help you understand the connections between different concepts and remember them better. When you're creating a mind map, you should start with a central idea, and then branch out to related ideas. You’ll find it helpful to use keywords and images to help you remember the information. Using different colors and font sizes can help you organize the information in a memorable way (e.g. highlighting all cases in yellow and all legislation in green).

4. Mnemonics

   Mnemonics are memory aids that can help you remember lists of information. Mnemonics can be anything from a simple acronym to a more complex visualization. For example, if you're trying to remember the order of the planets in the solar system, you can use the mnemonic "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas".

5. Practice Questions

   Practice questions are one of the most effective ways to prepare for exams and identify areas where you need to spend more time revising. When you're practicing, you should use past papers and model answers to help you understand the format of the exam and the types of questions that will be asked. You should also make sure that you time yourself when you're practicing so that you can get a sense of how long you have to answer each question. If you’re short on time, outlining an essay plan or question answer is a great way to smash in more revision in a shorter timeframe.

So there you have it - five different study techniques that can help you excel in your law studies. By actively reading, spacing out your study sessions, creating mind maps, using mnemonics, and practicing exam questions, you can improve your understanding and retention of information, and be better prepared for your exams. Give them a try and see what works for you!