This is the first in a new series of blogs about exam success. Make sure you follow us for the ride!

Read the question

We mean REALLY read the question. Take some time to think what it’s trying to test and don’t just leap in to answer it. If you’ve done your work each week and engaged with revision but the question doesn’t seem to relate to anything on the syllabus you’re probably not reading it properly! Generally speaking nobody is out to completely catch you out in exams. Universities find themselves ranked (in part) by reference to how well students do in assessments, it’s really not in their interests to try to set you impossible questions.

Stop panicking

Take a few deep breaths, there really is a physiological reason why this calms you down. Then look at the question again. Perhaps it’s a problem question with a mass of detail, start working out which parts are relevant. There may well be some red herrings that you have to sort out. You might find a good starting point is just to make a few notes. It’s a contract question so you’re going to need to find offer, acceptance, intention to create legal relations and consideration. Once you’ve calmly reminded yourself of this the issues might be clearer. Perhaps there’s an authority to bind issue? Maybe the good old postal rule is lurking in there somewhere, even though it’s the twenty-first century! Is it an auction scenario? What was the top bid when the hammer fell? Did anyone exercise any duress? Were the goods as described?

Hopefully if you adopt this approach you’ll find that you feel calmer and that you can see your way through to an answer. Remember, you’re going to start getting marks as soon as you explain the elements of a contract and if you’re on an LLB course make sure you throw in those case names – it’s slightly less important for professional exams but never does any harm!

Once you’ve got the issues straight in your head check the question again. Have you got everything covered? Then how are you supposed to be writing the answer? Is it advice to a client? Are you supposed to be writing a memo to a colleague, a letter to the client, a letter of claim to the other side? Make sure you do as you’ve been asked. There’ll be another few marks for that.

Keep following our blog we’re going to be giving more exam advice over the next few weeks.