How to handle Time Pressure in examination?

Keep in mind that exam-taking is (typically) point-scoring, and keep in mind that your job is to demonstrate legal knowledge. Accordingly, you should be relentless, within the bounds of your time constraints, in trying to score points.

That quality of relentlessly searching for additional issues and points to raise is, we think, the hallmark of the best student. (Of course, accuracy and quality are also required.)

Sometimes it happens, despite your best efforts. If you run out of time to write an answer to every question, at least outline an answer. You may receive partial credit for at least recognizing the issues and knowing enough law to outline an answer. What do you do when there are five minutes left in the exam and you are only two-thirds of the way through with your answer? One thing not to do is write something like, “No time left!” or “Not enough time !” this gets you nothing but the satisfaction of knowing you communicated your personal frustrations to the evaluer. Another thing not to do is insert the notes which you made on scrap paper into the exam booklet. Evaluers will rarely look at these items.

First of all, it is not necessarily a bad thing that you’re pressed for time. The person who finishes five minutes early has very surely missed some important issues. The more proficient you become with respect to knowing what is expected of you, the grater the difficulty you may experience in staying within the time parameters of a question.

Secondly, remember (at least to some extent) that others are under exactly the same time pressure as you. In short, don’t panic if you can’t write a “perfect” answer in the allotted time. Nobody does.

The best hedge against time pressure is to review as many old exams as possible. These exercises will give you a familiarity with the process of organizing and writing an exam answer, which in turn should result in an enhanced ability to stay within the time boundaries. If you nevertheless find that you’ve got about 15 minutes of writing to do and 5 minutes to do it in, write a paragraph which summarizes the remaining theories or arguments you would discuss if time permitted.

As long as you’ve indicated the remaining legal doctrines or issues, you’ll probably receive an adequate quantum of credit for them. Your analytical and argumentative skills will already be apparent to the evaluer by reason of the issues which you have previously discussed.