Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Rhetoric for Law School Exams
Review: A very thorough, explicit, step-by-step guide to what law school professors want to see on your written exams. Very lucid, sometimes even witty. Most law schools still adhere to the Socratic, sink-or-swim method, in which students are kept in the dark about what's expected of them. As a result, many students are totally flummoxed and panic-stricken when exam time rolls around. Be sure to read this book just before you head off to law school; then read it again a couple of weeks before your first exam. If you follow the authors' advice, you are practically guaranteed good grades. Hey, you might even make the Law Review. It worked for me.Other good books to read before heading off to law school:
Law 101, by Jay Feinman
Introduction to U.S. Legal System, by William Burnham
Planet Law School, by "Atticus Falcon"
The first two give a nice overview of the whole subject and will help you tie everything together. The last is an overcynical but very amusing description of the kind of mind games you're likely to encounter; it also contains the best study tips I've seen. Also: If you have the time and money, enroll in an intensive paralegal training course before law school. I did, and it really saved my ass during 1L. Last but definitely not least: Spend at least six months prepping HARD for the LSAT. Work your way through a good logic textbook (I recommend Copi's), study a good prep book (e.g., Jeff Kolby's), and practice on as many real LSATs as you can, under time-pressured conditions. It really pays off.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Lifts The Veil
Review: After my first semester exams, I realized that I needed to refocus my efforts, and reading this book is a part of that refocusing. I am in the midst of reading this book, and so far it has been enlightening and engagingly written. I especially like the issue spotting section (perhaps because the most common prof complaint was missing an issue!). I recommend this book for the first year student who would like to improve on her midterm grade. Chances are you've heard the typical professor and upperclassman advice, perhaps you've attended after-school workshops. If you've heard the words but could not apply them, now would be a good time to get your hands on this book. For now that you know the advice, the authors go in depth explaining how to use what you know. One caveat: I bought this book in the middle of my first semester and had trouble following it. Hence, the four stars. You may understand this book better when you have had several months of school, advice, etc. If you are an entering student, I recommend getting all the advice you can get and hold off on this book for semester 2. Be prepared to work hard! Contrary to popular opinion, law professors really DO want you to do well! Heed them early and often -- and get this book!
Rating:
Summary: They hope you never find this book...
Review: Buy this book, this book gives you the complete truth about writing law school exams. I have read other books, but none of them really taught you what was needed to really write an A exam. Trust me, this is it. Law Student
Rating:
Summary: The Secrets of Success are Secret No More
Review: Getting to Maybe is a Godsend. Even for those of you who've already finished first-year, it's well worth getting. I am the author of Planet Law School: What You Need to Know Before You Go--but Didn't Know to Ask. Unfortunately, Getting to Maybe was first published in 1999, a year after PLS, so I could not recommend it in PLS. Hence this posting, now. Even though the authors and I are competitors, and our books are published by different firms, I urge all law students to get Getting to Maybe. (For one thing, the authors' critique of the IRAC model is succinct and devastating.) If you take doing well in law school (and becoming a good attorney) seriously, this book is a necessity. It's so well-written that I had to force myself to put it down, and ended up reading it in just two sittings, of several hours each. The earlier review, about the teaching of Tantric Yoga, in exactly right. With Getting to Maybe, the secrets are secret no more.
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for All Law Students!!
Review: Getting to Maybe should be required reading on every law student's list! The authors take the mystery out of writing great law school exams. They tell you what the professor wants, and how to deliver that message. I wish I had had this book in law school. I spent the better part of 3 years wondering which coins the professors flipped to give grades. This book also is helpful for anyone taking a bar examination. The investment of $19.95 is a great deal!
Rating:
Summary: Avoid Commercial Outlines and Study Groups
Review: Having graduated with high honors from one of the top five law schools, I relied on several of these books to identify the appropriate approach to taking law school exams. I applied the approach as follows: (1) read only those assignments provided by the professor (ignore commercial outlines, etc.); (2) take extensive notes of everything the professor says in class (and do not write down any student comments or student answers to Socratic questions); (3) organize your notes of the professor's lectures into your own outline; (4) read the professor's prior exam files, including any student answers selected by the professor as "model answers"; and (5) practice taking the professor's old exams in the few days leading up to exam day. The rationale is that your professor will be looking for you to spot those issues that he or she views as important. The more of these issues you spot, the higher your exam grade will be. Ditch those commercial outlines and study group meetings. In addition to Getting to Maybe, you should also prepare for law school by conditioning yourself to what its competition will feel like. Two excellent books that accomplish this goal are Scott Turow's One L (Harvard in the 1970s) and Scott Gaille's The Law Review (2002 book about competition at The University of Chicago Law School).
Rating:
Summary: a second chance
Review: I am a student at a top 5 law school. This book does not outline a specific system for taking exams, so if that is what you are looking for, look else where. What this book does provide is a good overview of the different types of gray areas that appear time and time again on exams. This will help you "spot the issues" and give you a feel for the kind of stuff your profs want to see written about come exam time. There are also plenty of general exam taking tips that area helpful. I have read many exam taking books, and this is the best of them. Read it early in the semester. It will help you focus on the important stuff in class and in the reading.
Rating:
Summary: Worth your time
Review: I am a student at a top 5 law school. This book does not outline a specific system for taking exams, so if that is what you are looking for, look else where. What this book does provide is a good overview of the different types of gray areas that appear time and time again on exams. This will help you "spot the issues" and give you a feel for the kind of stuff your profs want to see written about come exam time. There are also plenty of general exam taking tips that area helpful. I have read many exam taking books, and this is the best of them. Read it early in the semester. It will help you focus on the important stuff in class and in the reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe may not be enough
Review: I gave this book two stars for its discussion on addressing policy issues on the exam--this was helpful, indeed. It also gives good tips and provides answers to frequently asked questions on how to prepare--but this is standard advice you'll hear in any law school. Does this book provide a concrete strategy on handling a law school exam? No. In sum, it describes what is wanted on an exam, but doesn't come close to adequately showing students how to get to this "maybe." You are on your own...
Rating:
Summary: The Best Preparation Guide Out There
Review: I love this book. It has provided a clear indication of what is necessary to do well on law exams. I read this book after doing a number of law courses. This book made me realised why I got all those B grades. This book shows you how to think like a lawyer. How to analyse. How to develop argument and counter argument. How to work in policy arguments. How to tie in themes of the course to answer questions. How to develop the skill of issue identification. This book tells you what your law professors shroud in mystery. I have been there, where the professors tell you to analyse and argue, but give you no clear indication of what this entails in an issue laden question. This book should be read by every law student who wants to understand better what the study of law requires of them. It is not a substitute for hard work and the authors state very clearly that success in law school can only be achieved through your own hard work. Any one who turns their thumb down on this book, probably grasped from day one what was truly required of them as law students. For the rest of us, this book will be an incredible find.
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