No fool he. UM's LawFool gives very sound Exam Advice.
It's not an accident that in every exam talk I give I tell students that the most common error is failure to answer the question.
Here's the “advice” section from a recent exam of mine:
Some Advice. Read the questions carefully and think about your answer before beginning to write. Organization will count in your favor. Unless the question directs otherwise, don’t forget to explain why you reject seemingly sensible options as well as why you select them.
Make sure that each of your answers focuses upon the specific question(s) posed. Take the time to organize your answers around a discussion of the most relevant issues of law raised by those questions. Don’t just state your conclusions. You should attempt to make the reasoning behind your answer as transparent as possible, and demonstrate your knowledge of the assigned readings (and where appropriate the approaches and viewpoints they represent.) And, when you make any but the most obvious general statement, it's often good to include a specific example. But don’t waste time quoting more than a few words from the relevant materials – just cite to them when they are relevant.
If you need to make an assumption, identify it clearly, and state why you are making it. If you need more facts to answer the question, clearly explain why each missing fact is important, and what turns on it. And remember, whatever you do, remember to give reasons for your answers…ideally reasons that demonstrate a mastery of the assigned readings,
Don't use abbreviations not found in a standard dictionary unless you define them on first use.
