Effective Preparation Tips to Implement in the Run up to the 2022 Exam
2021 was a tough year, evidenced by the unusually low pass rate of 33%. Overly stressful IT setup requirements, the pandemic and its effect on studying, equipment difficulties on the day, a tricky paper, or all of the above combined? We’ll never know, but let’s take what lessons we can.
Preparation for the Formal Requirements for 2022
We have received the technical requirements for this year, and it turns out the exam will be invigilated by Zoom. Get your setup ready (webcam, microphone if needed) and make sure the technology works smoothly on whatever IT equipment you’ll be using on the day. Once the equipment is in place, I’d recommend doing a number of dry runs of the IT setup for the day so that it is boring rather than stressful by the time you get to test it for real in the mock (assuming they will run at least one mock). The idea is to get used to it so that you do it on autopilot. If you plan to do it in work, get your managing associate or partner on board, get your IT guys onto it, and just get it sorted so that you can do these dry runs.
Reducing Stress Whilst Revising
I by no means have a stress-free and zen life (does anyone?), but to pass this exam I had to find a way to reduce external stress for revision and had to commit to it. The key to good revision, in my view, is focus. We all revise in different ways, but undeniably if you can’t focus on it then it seems to me that no matter how you revise it won’t be effective. I committed to making my revision time sacred. My phone went in the draw, I found an appropriate (quiet, tidy, no distractions) place to revise, I had easy access to all of my materials that I needed to revise (I wrote about resources here), and if I planned to revise for 2 hours, I committed to that two hours (with the exception of a small break in the middle for particularly intense subject matter). I did this as regularly as I could.
At the same token, I forgave myself for moving a session if work had been particularly hectic that day.
Planning for Equipment Issues on the Day
Obviously, we hope that these won’t happen. I did not experience this for FD1, but I did experience this for Paper D when I sat my EQEs on WISEflow (when the English (& French) Examination Paper was not uploaded for some time). Should something happen on the day, my only advice would be to try hard to get back into your groove once it is resolved, and then to feed back to the PEB what happened.
I had a backup internet option and access to a backup keyboard, mouse, and monitor in another room. If anything went wrong with mine, my plan was to engage with the invigilator and follow their guidance regarding these back ups. Thankfully I did not need to rely on any of these, but I could only know that in hindsight. Additionally they gave me some peace of mind on the day.
Tech Revision Solutions
I used digital flashcards in the run up (which I’m hoping to share once I find a good platform!). The point of these was to help reinforce the things I needed to be able to recite confidently. They focused on deadlines, key legislative tests, and facts about different aspects of the law. By having them on an app on my smartphone, I could revise them when I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs (on the train, or whatever). Even writing the flashcards went hand in hand with revision.
I’d recommend this, as it is a really effective way of burning in that information so that you have it to hand for the exam day.
Drafting your own Part A style Questions
However difficult you find answering questions, writing them is almost as difficult. I think that a really effective way of revising is to draft your own questions focusing on areas of the law. Perhaps there’s an area of law you’re particularly weak at remembering (contributory infringement? Exclusions from infringement? Section 22 legislation?). If there is, write a short 8-10 marker on that topic. I promise that by the end of it you’ll feel confident about that piece of law. The best thing is, you can test yourself by changing the facts at hand slightly to approach different aspects of the law and arrive at different solutions.
Organise Case Studies
There are a number of key pieces of case law which are worth working through in detail. In my studies we ran through the case as a trainee group at my firm, backed up by a partner to lead the discussion. Think about organising something like this over the course of the next few months to cover the key cases.
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That’s all of the tips I have so far. If you have any you’d like to share, post them in the comments!
