Midterms Week for Second Semester SY 2010-2011

Today, January 29, 2011 is the last day of Midterm exams for First Year Law Students at the University of the East - College of Law. Luckily, I have only one exam scheduled for today because my other four subjects were already done the early part of the week.

But my last exam proved to be the longest and most exhausting one, the exam was made not for a two-hour exam but I think you need more than five hours to accomplished. The five pleadings alone would eat up around 2 hours - you need to prepare with your own facts a Criminal Case Complaint as well as a Counter-Affidavit, then a Civil Case Complaint and the Answer to that. Both criminal and civil case pleadings have different set of facts. And add to that the pleading Demurer to Evidence.

It's not that you can not think of how to create your pleadings, but what will matter is the exhaustion in thinking as well as in writing down the pleadings and also the time allotted to finish the exam.

But as they say, if there are hardships, there will be success. And if there are evil, the good are just around.

Despite to all what happened this week, I am still thankful for everything. Thank you God for the week that had past. Thank you for keeping us in your guidance!

Midterm Exams for Second Semester 2010-2011 - Lessons Learned

Time fly so fast and almost we cannot catch our breath keep tracking with time, days and nights. It was just like a few weeks ago when the Second Semester for School Year 2010-2011 started and now we are already having our Midterm Examinations!

We had our Midterm exam for Obligations and Contracts today from 6PM-8PM. At first glance it was easy, questionnaire was made up of five questions True or False (1 point each), twenty questions Multiple Choice (3 points each) and seven questions Essay (5 points each). With a total of one hundred points.

I can say that the exam questions are not that hard especially when you have really reviewed a lot. I have an average level of readiness, meaning not so ready but I was confident with my answers. But then after the exam and we tried to re-think about the answers, something went out to be a great mistake of mine which might cause to me fail the entire exam!

Lessons learned:

1. Prepare for the exam 101 Percent. If done reading the book, read again to be really familiar with the topics and explanations.

2. Read questions and facts given thoroughly. Understand and think about the question twice or more before jumping into answering.

3. Be aware of the "distractors", meaning the words or phrases that would make the statement, fact or question wrong or correct.

4. Do not be in a hurry. Take your time, if the exam if scheduled for 2 hours, consume the time allotted.

5. Review your answers thoroughly. Read from #1 to the last # to see if you have really answered the best option.

I think I have all violated these lessons, it might be costly. I was kinda in a hurry last night answering the exams, I overlooked the words that made the sentence different, for example the facts were stated as solidary debtors, meaning the creditor or creditors can demand payment for any one of the debtors to pay the whole amount of the obligation.

But then, what I answered was about joint debtors, meaning they are proportionately liable to their creditors, they are not liable for the whole amount of the obligation.

In short, I answered the opposite of the correct answer which is a very huge mistake.Essay question have a lot of weight on the exams. So I might fail the midterm on Obligations and Contracts :-(

In the end, lessons learned, though I have should have known these being my second semester at Law School. Really, life is a learning process, sometimes we need to commit mistake to learn again those forgotten lessons of the past.