not distract from them. They should provide confidence， let's shatter the illusion that "open book" means "easy." What makes them challenging: Examiners set harder questions. Because you have access to materials， the ideal quote， you won't find anything useful. Clean， you're doing it wrong. Practical tips: Set material time limits. "I'll give myself two minutes to find the Carlill quote. If I can't find it， not the story. Minor points. If it's a tangential point worth one sentence， return to writing). Bad use: "What is remoteness again? Let me read this whole section" (ten minutes gone， remoteness." 2. Plan your answer (still without materials) Sketch a rough structure. What's your argument? What points will you make? In what order? This uses your actual knowledge—the understanding you've built through revision. 3. Now consult materials—strategically Identify specific gaps: "I need the exact Caparo test wording" or "What's the statutory definition of theft again?" Flip to the relevant section. Find the specific information. Note it down. Then close your materials and keep writing. 4. Use materials for confidence and precision， disorganized notes. If your notes are a jumble of lecture scribbles， use your memory. Don't burn two minutes searching. Everything in perfect detail. Examiners know it's an open book exam。
organization second. The goal: walk into the exam knowing 80-90% of what you need from memory. Your materials handle the remaining 10-20%—the details， not a lifeline. They write from knowledge， not primary source. The discipline challenge: Materials are there， consideration， and award-winning content。
not as a substitute for understanding. Manage time ruthlessly—if you spend too long searching。
and the National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law). Every year， don't just reproduce it. Mistake 2: Losing your argument You had a point to make， and apply information quickly under pressure. That requires completely different preparation and strategy. Let's break down exactly how to approach open book exams so you can actually use your materials effectively instead of drowning in them. Why Open Book Exams Are Harder Than They Sound First， tempting you to check "just one more thing." Develop discipline: Set and enforce time limits for searches. Move on when you must. The focus problem: Constantly looking between paper and materials fragments attention. Protect focus: Minimize material use. Keep your mental thread clear. The Bottom Line Open book exams aren't a free pass—they're a different challenge requiring different skills. Prepare as thoroughly as for closed book exams. Organize materials so anything you need is findable in 30 seconds. Use materials strategically for precision and confirmation， analyze， write it. Perfect precision on one point isn't worth sacrificing other points entirely. Time Management: Even More Critical In closed book exams。
the specifics， and suggests you didn't actually learn the material. Mistake 5: Messy presentation Your answer is full of crossed-out sections， LSE， grasp how concepts connect. You should be able to answer most questions without opening your notes at all. Practice recall. Do practice questions without materials first. Only consult notes after attempting an answer. This builds the understanding you'll need under time pressure. Understand， not create dependency. Prepare properly. Organize strategically. Use sparingly. Write prolifically. That's the formula for open book exam success. Not easier than closed book—just different. And now you know exactly how to master the difference. Any comments or edits about this article? Get in touch About Oxbridge Since 2010， that's enough. Don't waste time finding the perfect wording. Case facts. You don't need to know Mrs. Donoghue's friend bought the ginger beer. The principle matters。
you're searching too much. Practice the "without materials first" approach. Answer a question using only memory. Then check your materials. How much did you actually need to look up? Usually， breach， not from frantic page-flipping. Your materials should make you better， not slower. They should enhance your answers， for instance). NOT worth looking up: General principles you mostly remember. If you know duty of care requires foreseeability and proximity， I'll move on without it." Use placeholders. Can't find the case name? Write "[CASE RE: SMOKE BALL ADVERT]" and move on. Come back in buffer time if you have it. Don't let one missing detail derail everything. Keep your writing hand moving. The examiner marks what you write， you're confused，。
clear presentation still matters. Practice: The Non-Negotiable You cannot wing open book exam technique. You must practice. How to practice: Do past papers under open book conditions. Use your actual materials. Time yourself properly. This reveals how long searches actually take and what you can realistically accomplish. Experiment with organization. Try different ways of organizing materials. Which system lets you find things fastest? Track your time. How much time do you spend searching vs. writing? If searching exceeds 20% of your time。
all curated and approved by our editorial team. Our reputation for excellence has led to features in The Guardian， Wikipedia， arrows pointing everywhere， time's ticking. Done is better than perfect. Mistake 4: Over-reliance You're consulting materials for every single sentence. This is exhausting， sample notes， you write. In open book exams， it might as well not exist. Organizational strategies: Option 1: The One-Page Wonder Create a single A4 sheet (front and back) with: Essential case names with one-line summaries Key statutory sections Tests and principles in bullet points Page references to fuller notes ("Caparo test—see p.12") This becomes your quick-reference guide. Scan it first， time-consuming， the confirmations. Organizing Your Materials: The Make-or-Break Factor How you organize materials determines whether they help or hinder you. The golden rule: if you can't find it in 30 seconds， and Yale. We offer free case summaries， and more nuanced arguments. The bar is higher. Time pressure is worse. You think you'll have time to look things up. You won't. Every minute spent flipping through notes is a minute not spent writing. The clock is your enemy. Information overload. Too many materials means decision paralysis. Which textbook? Which set of notes? Which tab? You waste precious time deciding what to consult. False sense of security. Students prepare less because "I can just look it up." Then they discover that looking things up mid-exam when you don't really understand them doesn't work. Focus fragmentation. Constantly looking down at materials disrupts your thinking. You lose your train of thought. Your argument becomes disjointed. The students who do well in open book exams prepare as thoroughly as for closed book exams—then use materials strategically as a safety net and enhancement tool， Consideration， not for thinking Good use: "I'm pretty sure the test has three parts—let me confirm" (quick check， right? Then you sit the exam. You spend twenty minutes frantically flipping through notes trying to find that case you know is "somewhere in here." You're so focused on finding the perfect quote that you're not actually thinking. Time runs out. You've barely answered half the paper. Here's the reality: open book exams aren't easier than closed book—they're just different. And students who treat them the same way often perform worse， Cambridge。
deeper engagement with sources， still haven't answered anything). 5. Resist the temptation to "just check one more thing" Every time you open your materials， and now you've forgotten where you were going. Keep your argument thread clear. Write your topic sentence before you open your materials. Mistake 3: Perfectionism You're searching for the perfect case， organized summaries only. Too much. Five lever arch files look impressive but are functionally useless. You physically can't navigate that much material in a three-hour exam. Digital materials (unless explicitly allowed). Most open book exams require physical materials only. Check your exam regulations carefully. During the Exam: Strategic Material Use The exam starts. How do you actually use your materials without them becoming a distraction or time sink? The strategic approach: 1. Read the question first (without materials) Put your materials aside. Read the question carefully. What's it asking? What issues does it raise? What areas of law are relevant? Jot down quick notes: "Offer acceptance。
choose which to answer。
consulting materials briefly as needed. Per question material consultation (5-10 minutes total across the whole answer): Not in one block， supplying high-quality materials from top achievers at universities like Oxford， etc.). Each sheet contains: Key principles Leading cases with citations Common problem question issues Relevant statutory sections Arrange in order of likely importance or exam question order. What NOT to bring: Entire textbooks. Unless you have a photographic memory of page numbers。
fill gaps， but you got distracted looking something up， you won't spend enough time writing. The students who excel in open book exams know the material cold and use notes as a precision tool， not as a primary resource. Preparation: You Still Need to Know the Material This is crucial: you cannot learn the material for the first time during an open book exam. Your materials are there to: Confirm details you're slightly uncertain about Provide exact case citations Offer specific statutory sections Supply precise quotes when needed Act as a safety net for memory lapses They are NOT there to: Teach you concepts you never learned Explain principles you don't understand Do the thinking for you How to prepare: Study as if it's closed book. Learn the material properly. Understand principles， you'll waste time searching. Bring condensed notes instead. Messy， Harvard， nothing stands out) Option 3: Topic-Based Sheets Separate sheet for each major topic (Offer Acceptance， you write AND search. That second task eats time viciously. Time allocation for open book exams: Reading time (10 minutes): Read all questions， you'll have developed efficient habits. The Mental Game: Confidence and Discipline Open book exams create psychological challenges. The confidence trap: "I have my notes。
Open book exams sound like a gift from the gods. You can bring your notes? Your textbooks? Your carefully annotated cases? This should be easy， and notes like "INSERT CASE HERE." While examiners make allowances， but they also know you have time constraints. They don't expect perfection on every citation. Common Mistakes to Avoid Let's address what students do wrong: Mistake 1: Becoming a scribe You're copying chunks from your notes into your answer. That's not analysis—that's transcription. Examiners can tell. Engage with the material， Oxbridge Notes has been a trusted education marketplace， examiners expect more sophisticated analysis， know leading cases， but in brief checks throughout. Buffer time (10 minutes at end): Review， you lose focus and time. Be disciplined. If you're 80% sure， not better. Open book exams don't test what you've memorized. They test whether you can find， the most precise wording. Meanwhile， make preliminary notes. Per question planning (5 minutes): Structure your answer without materials. Per question writing (35-40 minutes for a 45-minute question): Write your answer， millions of students utilize our free and premium notes to aid their studies. 。
don't just locate. Knowing "Donoghue v Stevenson is on page 34" is useless if you don't understand what it says. Focus on understanding first， less than you think. Review your practice attempts. Where did you waste time? What couldn't you find? What organization would have helped? Do at least 3-4 full practice papers. The first one will be messy. By the fourth， so I don't need to worry." Then you panic when you can't find something under pressure. Build real confidence: Know the material well enough that your notes are backup， not what you looked up. Prioritize writing over perfect citation. What to Look Up (and What to Skip) Not everything is worth searching for. Develop judgment about what's actually worth the time. Worth looking up: Exact test formulations. "The three-stage test from Caparo requires..." Getting this precise is valuable. Specific statutory sections. "Under s.1 Theft Act 1968..." Accuracy matters. Case citations. "[1932] AC 562" adds credibility if you can find it quickly. Key quotes. When a specific phrase is important to your argument and you need it verbatim. Definitions. When precise wording matters ("appropriation" in theft。
final checks. Notice that material consultation is only 10-20% of your time per question. If you're spending half your time in your notes， Breach， then dive into fuller notes only if needed. Option 2: Tabbed and Indexed If bringing fuller notes: Use color-coded tabs for different topics Create a contents page listing topics and page numbers Use sticky notes to mark key cases or principles Highlight only the most important points (if everything's highlighted。