Blog

When I work with law students, some of the first questions are always about outlines.  “Are they really important?” “What makes a good outline?” “How long should it be?” And my favorite, “Do I really need to make my own?”

I wanted to share some of my thoughts on outlining for law school exams.

Why do we make outlines? The purpose of an outline is exam preparation. That means your outline’s main purpose is to organize the material, make it easy to understand, memorize and re-create for the exam.

What makes a good outline? It should be easy to read, clear, contain the pertinent information, and be organized.  Most importantly, it should make sense to you, as it is your study tool.

Do I have to make my own or should I use a “canned” outline?

You should make your own! Making an outline means that you have thought about the law and how it fits together. This “thinking” portion of the outlining process is completely lost if you use an outline created by another.

Happy Outlining! For more help with outlining, please contact Amicus Tutoring.

About Lee Burgess

Lee Burgess, Esq. is the founder of Amicus Tutoring, LLC, a company she started to help students find success in law school and on the California bar exam. Lee is also an adjunct member of the faculty at the University of San Francisco School of Law and Golden Gate University School of Law, where she teaches classes on study skills, exam preparation, exam writing, and preparing for the bar exam. You can find Lee on Twitter at @amicustutoring. Also check out her new project the Law School Toolbox (www.lawschooltoolbox.com).