Countdown to a Law Final

I am sitting here on Friday night, drinking wine, watching Real Time With Bill Maher. I am crazy about him. What a cutie. He is my favorite comedian, and I love his insight into politics.

All around me my condo is a big mess. Dishes piled up. Clean clothes that need to be put away. My kitchen table cluttered with junk mail. My bathroom sink dirty and cluttered. I hope to get to these things this weekend. But tonight I am chilling. And enjoying the fact that I took a conflict of laws test this past week and closed out that course. At least I hope. It was a tough course. The teacher was great but he probably made it tougher than need be. But on the other hand, he has plenty of courtroom experience and knows how tough real conflict of laws situations can be. If you mess up, you could lose your client's lawsuit, and then you might need to call your malpractice carrier.

I think I did OK on the test. But who really knows, as he is known to be a hard grader. Despite the fact I think I did OK, I am disappointed that I didn't study more or harder. As usual, I did not keep up with the weekly reading. I didn't even read all of the cases. I honed in on the material about 3 weeks ago and pretty much lived and breathed my notes and outlines since then. That sounds like a lot, but it wasn't. A few hours before the test, I was still reading some stuff for the first time. Not good! The saving grace is I am a good test taker, and being a journalist, I can cull information quickly out of difficult documents.

As it got closer to test time, I kept streamling my strategy. When it was still three weeks out, my goal was to read everything and understand it perfectly. Well that didn't happen!

I then ditched the idea of reading the book, but still had the goal of reading all of the Westlaw cases. Well that didn't happen!

I then thought I would read through several long outlines, read all of Legalines and Aspen Case briefs, plus my notes. Well, I had to drop the idea of the long outlines and settled for reading through a couple of shorter outlines. I did read all of Legalines but only about half of the Aspen case briefs.

I also wanted to listen to all of the class lectures I had recorded. I did pretty well there--I got to listen to all but the last two.

I took the day off from work the day of the test. It was like every other test day I have had. I always plan to stay up almost all night the night before and then end up falling asleep on the sofa about 1 a.m. Then move to my bed about 4 a.m and set the alarm for about 7 a.m. The alarm rings and I keep hitting the snooze button until about 8 a.m.

Mad at myself for oversleeping, I leap out of bed and put the coffee on. Luckily, my tunnel vision and special test-day clarity sets in, as it always does, and I actually put in a good day of study. I keep streamlining my study strategy, minute by almost minute, as the clock ticks down to exam hour. About an hour and a half before the test, I feel that I finally have to get dressed and get something to eat. I face the reality that I still have much to learn and not enough time to do it in.I take a final survey and give up reading and settle for memorizing the pertinent restatement law.

Remarkably, I memorize the restatement law quickly and still have time to apply makeup and walk my dog before I head to school for the night exam. Driving over in the car, I run through the restatement law in my mind and some other lists of things I know I will have to regurgitate on the exam.

I walk into class with only a couple of minutes to spare. He passes out the test. I look at the test, all essay, and in usual fashion, freak out. I think I don't know anything. I sit there, sad, knowing that this will keep me from graduating and I will be back in this seat next year.

But again, typically, I start making notes on my scratch paper and realize I do know some of this, OK maybe more of this than I first thought.

I gauge my time in order to finish the test in time. My handwriting is poor, and I have to scratch out a lot of passages and rewrite them. I am afraid my essays are disjointed, as I keep thinking of things to write, and making additions, and unlike a computer, there is no "do-over."

But as the test period progresses, I get more and more relaxed as I realize the test is doable. I even have time to daydream a little! I feel badly for at least one or two other people in the room who are visibly upset at the test.

I do the extra credit and turn the test in, and join some fellow students for a celebratory drink. I think I did OK, but not great. But I only need OK and feel that this is actually great in terms of the amount of time I had to study.

I guarantee you this will be the same process I will go through at least five more times before I graduate.