The Law School Exam Guide
Law school exams follow a pattern once you understand them. Your job is to spot the issues, work each one through a framework, and use your time well. This guide covers the IRAC structure, a routine for finding issues, and a calculator that turns any exam into a minute-by-minute plan.
The core framework
How to use IRAC
Take every issue you spot and run it through the same four steps. Graders give points for structure, so make the issue, the rule, how you apply the facts, and your conclusion easy to find.
Issue
Name the legal question the facts raise.
- Frame as a yes/no question
- Use the legal term of art
- One issue per IRAC block
Pitfall: writing a fact summary instead of a legal question.
Rule
State the governing law and its elements.
- Lead with the black-letter rule
- Break it into elements/factors
- Note majority vs. minority splits
Pitfall: dumping every rule you memorized, relevant or not.
Application
Map the facts onto each element, for both sides.
- Use “because” + a specific fact
- Argue the counterargument too
- This is where the points live
Pitfall: stating a conclusion without the “because.”
Conclusion
Resolve the issue, briefly.
- Pick the stronger side
- One or two sentences
- It’s okay to say “a court likely…”
Pitfall: spending more time here than on Application.
Worked example
IRAC in a single paragraph
Issue. Whether Dan committed battery when he pulled the chair from under Pam.
Rule. Battery is an intentional act that causes a harmful or offensive contact with the plaintiff’s person. Intent is satisfied if the defendant acted with purpose or knew the contact was substantially certain to result; the contact need not be skin-to-skin.
Application. Dan acted intentionally because he deliberately moved the chair knowing Pam was about to sit. Even if he meant it only as a prank, intent transfers to the contact that followed, and substantial certainty is met because a person sitting on a removed chair will almost certainly hit the floor. The floor contact is harmful because Pam was injured, and contact through the ground she expected to be supported by still counts as contact with her person.
Conclusion. A court would likely find Dan liable for battery.
Issue. Whether Seller’s newspaper advertisement was an offer that Buyer could accept.
Rule. An offer is a manifestation of willingness to enter a bargain that justifies another in believing assent will conclude it. Advertisements are generally treated as invitations to negotiate, not offers, unless they are clear, definite, and leave nothing open for negotiation.
Application. Seller’s ad listed a price but not quantity, buyer, or terms of sale, so it reads as an invitation to deal rather than a commitment. Because a reasonable reader would expect further negotiation before a binding deal, Buyer’s “I accept” operated as an offer rather than an acceptance, unlike the definite “first come, first served” ad in Lefkowitz.
Conclusion. No contract formed on these facts; the ad was not an offer.
Before you write
How to spot issues
Issues hide in the facts. Learn to see the trigger and the issue it raises, then work through your attack outline so you do not miss anything.
Fact trigger → issue
| When you see… | Check for… |
|---|---|
| A surprising or unforeseeable injury | Proximate cause / scope of liability |
| A promise with nothing given in return | Consideration / promissory estoppel |
| “As is,” a disclaimer, or a form contract | Warranties, unconscionability, §2-207 |
| A bystander who witnesses harm | NIED / IIED standing |
| Someone acting under a mistaken belief | Mistake, consent, self-defense privilege |
| A deadline, “open for,” or a revoked promise | Offer, option, revocation, mailbox rule |
The 4-pass method
- Read fast for the story. Who wants what from whom, and what went wrong?
- Read slow with your attack outline. Run every party pair against each cause of action.
- Mark every triggering fact. Each fact is in the hypo for a reason, so use it in your Application.
- Outline before you write. List issues in the order you’ll address them, with a minute budget.
Rule of thumb: if a fact doesn’t show up in your analysis, you probably missed an issue.
Interactive
Exam time-management calculator
Enter your exam length and give each question its point value. The calculator sets aside time to read and review, splits the rest by points, and builds a clock schedule if you add a start time.
| Question | Points |
|---|
| Phase | Points | Share | Minutes | Outline / Write | Clock window |
|---|
Exam-day checklist
Common ways students lose points
- Rule-dumping. Pages of memorized law with no facts attached earns little.
- Skipping the weak side. Strong answers argue both parties before concluding.
- Burying the issue. With no header or signpost, the grader cannot give you points they cannot find.
- Running out of time. A half-answered last question is the most common avoidable loss.
- Answering the wrong call. “Discuss Dan’s liability” is not “discuss everyone’s.”
© 2026 Surviving Law School · This is an educational resource, not legal advice.