Last week we covered study aids and other resources that can help prepare you for upcoming exams. This week we’ll look at the types of study aids and how you might use them for exam study. Stay tuned for our next blog post on why you want to do practice tests, finding practice tests, and study aids for specific subjects being tested this semester.

Study Aids for Help in Understanding Legal Subjects

Confused about Civil Procedure? Does hearsay have you in a tailspin? Some study aids are better to use for help in understanding legal subjects than others. When you are confused or questioning your grasp of a subject, try using one of the study aid series below.

• CALI Lessons
  • CALI stands for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction. CALI.org is a non-profit consortium – of which UC Law is a member – that develops and distributes legal education lessons to the consortium members. CALI lessons are interactive exercises authored by professors who teach in that subject area. There are thousands of CALI lessons on over forty subjects. You can even view CALI lessons that are keyed to a certain casebook. To access CALI, you will need to create an account using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. If you have lost your authorization code, email us and we will provide you with the code.
• Concepts & Insights
  • The Concepts & Insights series consists of succinct treatises that explain complex legal doctrines. It is similar to the Understanding series. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account.
    • To create an account, click the Create an Account link at the top right corner of the Study Aids Subscription page. Use your UC email as the email address. Once you have filled in the required information to set up an account, you will need to verify your email address (they will send you a confirmation email that you will need answer to verify the email address). Once you have created an account and logged in, you can access any of the study aids from off-campus and even view some of them when off-line.
• Concise Hornbooks
  • Concise Hornbooks feature concise analysis of basic areas of law by prominent legal scholars. It is a condensed version of the more in-depth hornbook. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Examples & Explanations
  • Examples & Explanations provide you with explanations and analysis for a topic and then gives examples to help you fully understand the analysis. A series of problems at the end of each section or chapter assist you in testing your understanding. Answers are provided for these problems. These are available for library use only in print in the Reference 2 collection.
• Hornbooks
  • Hornbooks provide in-depth analysis of law school subjects. They are heavily footnoted and offer the most comprehensive treatment of a subject. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Law School Legends on Audio
  • If you are an auditory learner or have a long commute, these might be the study aid for you. The Law School Legends series features dynamic lectures from top law professors. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus or use the offline option, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Mastering
  • The Mastering series is designed to provide law students with tools to understand the substance and content of various law school courses but in a streamlined manner. At the beginning of each chapter, a Roadmap introduces the chapter and provides readers with an overview of the material that will be covered. This list of bulleted points clearly maps out the direction of the chapter, covering all key topics. Checkpoints at the end of each chapter encourage readers to stop and review the key concepts, reiterating what has been learned. These points serve as a mechanism for double-checking knowledge. Finally, a Master Checklist at the end of each book reinforces what has been covered and helps readers identify any areas that need review or further study. To access this series, you will need to login to Lexis OverDrive using your UC credentials. The study aids will check out for 3 days but you can check them out as many times as you want.
• Nutshells
  • The nutshell series are short books that give a concise overview of an area of law.
  • You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Understanding
  • The Understanding series provides an overview and analysis of legal subjects. It provides less analysis than a hornbook but more than a nutshell. To access this series, you will need to login to Lexis OverDrive using your UC credentials. The study aids will check out for 3 days but you can check them out as many times as you want.
• Skills & Values
  • The Skills & Values Series is a series of subject-specific, practice-oriented books. The series is designed as a tool for professors to teach practical and analytical skills that can help students serve future clients competently, skillfully, and in an ethical manner. The chapters include a short introduction of the topic area followed by a series of problems and exercises that address the analytical components of the topics covered. To access this series, you will need to login to Lexis OverDrive using your UC credentials. The study aids will check out for 3 days but you can check them out as many times as you want.

Study Aids for Help in Exam Review

• Acing
  • Titles in the Acing Series use a unique checklist format with sequential questions that help students fully evaluate a subject. The books also present numerous hypothetical problems and sample answers. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Black Letter Outlines
  • The Black Letter Outlines contain comprehensive outlines of particular areas of law, a capsule summary of each outline, practice examinations, and examples and review questions.You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• CrunchTime
  • This study aid provides flow charts, capsule summaries, exam tips, short answer exam questions, multiple choice questions, and essay questions with model answers. These are available for library use only in print in the Reference 2 collection.
• E-Flash
  • E-Flash Cards are online flash cards for Contracts and Torts. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• ExamPro
  • The Exam Pro Series are study aids that offer sample exams and corresponding answers with detailed analysis. Each Exam Pro title is authored by a leading law professor and recognized expert in an area of law and contains multiple choice and essay questions based on current court decisions. Detailed explanations for each answer describe the best possible choice as well as red herring answers, which helps increase law student understanding of a topic and build exam skills. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Gilbert Law Summaries
  • Gilbert Law Summaries give students a detailed outline to prepare for exams. Each title also includes a capsule summary that is perfect for last minute review. Students can test their knowledge and fine tune exam skills with Gilbert’s actual law school exam questions (multiple choice, short answer, and essay) which are featured at the back of each outline. Every question comes with a fully explained answer, and each question is cross-referenced back to the main outline for further review. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).
• Glannon Guides
  • The Glannon Guides feature brief explanatory text about the topic under discussion, followed by one or two multiple-choice questions. After each question, the author explains how the correct choice was chosen. A more challenging final question in each chapter illustrates a more sophisticated problem in the area under discussion. These are available for library use only in print in the Reference 2 collection.
• Law in a Flash
  • Law in a Flash are flash cards for legal subjects. These are available in the reserve collection and can be checked out for library use only for 2-hours at a time.
• Questions & Answers
  • Q&A books consist of multiple choice and short answer questions with detailed explanations of the answers. To access this series, you will need to login to Lexis OverDrive using your UC credentials. The study aids will check out for 3 days but you can check them out as many times as you want.
• Sum & Substance Quick Review
  • This series contains capsule summary outlines each section with a clear and concise explanation of legal concepts and terms, along with exam hints, strategies, mnemonics, charts, tables and study tips. Self-testing and diagnostic review questions facilitate application of legal concepts. Also provides capsule summaries of significant cases identifying important facts, primary issues and relevant law. Essay and multiple choice questions, model answers, and detailed explanations help with exam preparation. You can access this series through the West Academic subscription. If you want to be able to access them from off-campus, you’ll need to create a West Academic account (see the instructions above).