Professors Fischl and Paul explain law school exams in ways no one has before, all with an eye toward improving the reader's performance. The book begins by describing the difference between educational cultures that praise students for "right answers," and the law school culture that rewards nuanced analysis of ambiguous situations in which more than one approach may be correct. Enormous care is devoted to explaining precisely how and why legal analysis frequently produces such perplexing situations. But the authors don't stop with mere description. Instead, Getting to Maybe teaches how to excel on law school exams by showing the reader how legal analysis can be brought to bear on examination problems. The book contains hints on studying and preparation that go well beyond conventional advice. The authors also illustrate how to argue both sides of a legal issue without appearing wishy-washy or indecisive. Above all, the book explains why exam questions may generate feelings of uncertainty or doubt about correct legal outcomes and how the student can turn these feelings to his or her advantage. In sum, although the authors believe that no exam guide can substitute for a firm grasp of substantive material, readers who devote the necessary time to learning the law will find this book an invaluable guide to translating learning into better exam performance.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Not particularly useful:
This book breaks down issues you'll find on exams categorically. Then you can study each category and learn to spot similar issues on exams (the idea is that you can develop strategies to handle each issue). This is all great. The unfortunate thing is that these categories overlap and are... somewhat arbitrary. I follow the "forks in the facts" vs "forks in the law" distinction, factual issues vs legal issues. But then the categorization gets taken to excess with divisions and subdivisions of categories.... more info
"Overstating Their Case...Maybe":
"Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams" by Richard Fischl and Jeremy Paul, Carolina Academic Press 1999, ISBN 0-89089-760-3, SC 328 pgs. 15 Chapters and 3 pgs Sources. 8 ½" x 5 ½". No inveiglements. The book's mission, to teach law students how to write meritorious exams and look forward to Law Review, was co-authored by two Harvardian law school graduates who took bold issue with using IRAC methodology, i.e. issue, rule, application & conclusion, that they found,... more info
Must read for law students:
Reading this book took a huge weight off my shoulders before law school. This book is a crash course not only in how to succeed in law school, but also how to think about the law as a whole. The lessons learned here are designed to frame your legal education, and helps you learn a surefire, if not complex, method to taking all law exams and tacking legal problems.
Useful and worthwhile:
I found this book very helpful in understanding features of law school that are important there but not necessarily taught there. It also is done in an interesting way, so that it's not just a completely practical guide to exams. It *is* practical, but it's got some intellectual content, too. Worthwhile for the law student.
