HOW TO PASS LAW ENTRANCE EXAMS!ABOUT US THE LL.B PROJECT AND GHANA LAW TIMES The LL.B Project comprises a community of seventeen (17) African lawyers who are passionate about expanding access to legal education, enriching classroom curricular with law firm mentorship programs and increasing access to justice through pro bono. The LL.B Project has written to the Chief Justice and the Attorney General to make infrastructure improvement for law schools a key priority. Every year the Project team offers public seminars on effective preparation for law entrance exams and interviews; the objective is to demystify and promote the study of law. Ghana Law Times (Voice of the Legal Profession) is the legal publication which analyzes legal issues in Ghana and the Commonwealth. Contact: 0263 940 165 / 0260 912 876 or on Facebook. ETHICS We are committed to observing high ethical standards in our annual law seminars and tutorials. We can neither condone nor assist with any exam malpractice. Rather we shall expose unethical acts and help public authorities to improve access as well as standards over time. CONSULTANTS O.B. DICKSON, ESQ. Dickson is a legal practitioner & consultant. He loves volunteerism, writing and debating. He was educated at the University of Ghana, Ghana School of Law and Harvard University. Law entrance exams held in Africa are one of his pet subjects. He has researched the subject ardently, and is a leading expert and regional tutor to candidates since 2007. His assistance to the LL.B Project extends to other West African law projects especially in Ghana and Liberia. Dickson may be contacted on 0241 022 964, or by email at [email protected] THOMAS OFORI-AMANFO, ESQ. Ofori-Amanfo is one of Ghana’s leading human resource consultants. He currently heads the Human Resource Department of the Central University College. He has extensive experience consulting for local firms and multinationals. He has since 2009 consulted for the Ghana law Times and the LL.B Project Dickson may be contacted on 0244 628 716. we will touch on flaws that go to form and not the substance of the exams. put up a mediocre performance. as much as they. negatively affect candidates. Our research revealed that some candidates were misled. Over the years the entrance exam has become one of the nation’s most competitive exams.B Project and the Ghana Law Times (GLT) have followed the exams over the years and attempted such a review. it did. Take a very critical look at the instructions issued to candidates who sat for FLEE paper 2000 (the very first FLEE paper). these questions aren’t repeated. “clarity of thought” and “organization of material”.B Project seldom congregate our students around past questions. The current format of the exams was created in the year 2000. ASSESSMENT OF THE LAW ENTRANCE EXAMS THE LL. We started the annual tutorial many years ago on that solid philosophy and our success proved us right. Passing it is probably the most crucial victory in the whole admission process. and you’ll be ‘evicted’ for at least a year— this makes passing the exam a truly exciting phenomenon. For one thing. ORIENTATION The Law Entrance Exam consists of a 90-minute writing assessment. The LL. Some actually thought more . The instructions to the candidates read. We on the LL. which will be assessed for “proper use of language”.B PROJECT has identified significant flaws with the Post First Degree Law Entrance Exams (FLEE). To our knowledge the exam has not received independent review despite its numerous flaws. For another. have access to. we are of the opinion that. the Faculty customarily picks up issues occurring tu le monde — which we. There were actually only two (2) questions on the exam sheet for the entire duration of the exam! What is the point? Did this flaw in the instruction. Having applied ourselves in exam study groups over the exams. For present purposes. efficient preparation culminates in superior performance and success. Each candidate must produce two compelling essays. and the outcome of the exam? Yes. (see bullet point 1) “Write essays on ANY TWO (2) of the questions below”. Obviously. we observed the following expression: “INSTRUCTION TO CANDIDATES” and observed. however. 2002. proof-reading was again a problem. the use of the expression. Now proceed to paragraph two (bullet point 2) of that same paper! The instruction reads: “Answer the two questions on separate books” This instruction obviously should have read. is unfortunately a disquieting flaw. The point of significance is that. take a critical look at the FLEE 2003 paper. 2005. when the Faculty is emphatic that “proper use of language” is a basis of assessing student essays. “booklets” is most appropriate. 2003. Looking at the FLEEs of 2004 and 2010. we think having elected to use “booklets” consistency should follow. 2005 and particularly in 2008. Notice the misspelling of the word “First” as “Firs”. Obviously. Again. in 2006. We however noticed that “in separate books” is at times underlined and at other times not. Clearly. Again. however. There are other problems to do with erratic exam instructions issued to FLEE candidates. either the chosen fonts have tended to be too small (see 2000 and 2001) or simply too large (see 2003. the impression any serious outsider will form will not be a flattering one. This routine inconsistency can be alleviated by the adoption of one or the other. as more than one instruction was expressed on the FLEE papers. The correct instruction should actually have been: “Write essays on the two (2) questions below” not “ANY TWO (2)”. some grammatical blunders are fiendishly inevitable. 2001. the evidence points to lack of consistency and inattention to detail. Does it mean that in those years it was ok to . Sometimes the answer booklets are actually been described as ‘books’ (see 20002003. The use of inelegant and arbitrary fonts and font sizes is another seminal issue. 2004. FLEE candidates were instructed not to write their names or personal details anywhere in their answer booklets. such a vital instruction was absent in 2000. 2002 2003. that was not the case.questions were going to be provided later. Admittedly. For instance. The problem lied in poor proofreading of the instruction written by the Faculty itself. “INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES” for the FLEEs of 2000. 2007 and 2009. 2001. (and we support it) then basic grammatical slips on the part of the Faculty itself. only to discover much. 2005). The 2010 uses “booklets”. the use of “INSTRUCTION TO CANDIDATES” was incorrect. Respectfully. Actually. 2006. “Answer the two questions in separate booklets” (emphasis ours). much later to their chagrin that.) and then as ‘booklets’ (see 2004 and later 2005-8). B. They are based on his annual successful and extensive tutoring experience with candidates! The philosophy behind them has been proven time and again. the highest scoring FLEE essays typically had seven (7) things in common: good organization. we do not think erratic instructions serve any great purpose. noteworthy ideas. each of which he subsequently discusses in five components. good vocabulary. DICKSON’S NOW FAMOUS “50” TECHNIQUES ‘Your Techniques Work’! That Is What past Candidates Have Said. lets’s roll…. Future FLE exams and the admission interviews will in our opinion get much better.scribble names and index numbers? Whatever the reason. you have to use them in the manner he suggests and you will exceed your expectation. To get their full benefit. YOU CAN LIFT THE EXAMS BAR HIGHER! If you think it is difficult to impress those jaded examiners who will be assigned the special task of reading and marking your essays.B Project and partly because we believe that the Law Faculty will take appreciable steps to ensure a less flawed exam. sentence variety. proper diction. Dickson’s 50 techniques are based on his ten (10) sub-techniques outlined below. • THE TEMPLATING TECHNIQUE . partly on account of independent reviews by the LL. and vindicated by the successes of our candidates. you are wrong. based on confidential information elicited from past examiners of the exam and from open sources. length and a good number of paragraphs O. In fact it turns out that there are some very specific ways to impress them with your superior writing skills. Again.. These observations in no way whittle away our confidence in the Faculty. Now. the Bad & the Ugly Of FLEE Pasco) • THE PREEMPTIVE TECHNIQUE (How to Use Templates to Solve Mystery Questions) • THE LOGICAL REASONING TECHNIQUE (How to argue this or That Way. for 90mins) • THE AUDIENCE APPRAISAL TECHNIQUE (What you should about your audience) • LEARNING FROM THE LAST WAR TECHNIQUE (2000-2010) (Reviewing the Good. and always be Right) • THE TIME MANGEMENT TECHNIQUE (How to Exploit the 90 Minutes and Not Ask For Injury Time) • THE BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUE .(How to successfully use templates) • THE LAWYERING TECHNIQUE (How to think like a lawyer. B.B Project know how it went THE AIMS OF ESSAY WRITING .Gold and Myrrh) “I like to think that the annual FLEE tutorials are really more fun-filled and info-loaded than our handouts. so pray for good composure Carry a time piece Let those of us on the LL. . DICKSON SUPPLEMENTARY ADVICE • • • • • • • Always proofread your work Carry correction fluid Carry also a ruler Carry 2 Extra Pens and make sure they write Prayer Works.O. probably one reason why you need to attend my speaking engagements”.(Be Knowledgeable About Not Just Current Issues but Any Issue) • THE SUCCEESFUL CANDIDATE’S TECHNIQUE (Exploit the Examiner’s Weaknesses ) • THE 3 WISEMEN’S TECHNIQUE (Taking time to consider Frankincense . Since 2000. However on the Law entrance exams you aim not just to do this.. You’re being informed. Writers aim to give facts and information or to explain something. I certainly will disagree with the proposition that “Ghana does not need any more lawyers”. I’ll rely on an inductive and/or deductive reasoning approach to prosecute my case... aren’t you? Of course you are.” “I concur with the view that…. the entrance examiners have asked candidates “Do you agree?” Deliberately or by default they have appeared interested in the independent opinion. the proposition appears to be the case. Express your view. In my opinion. “I agree with the…. To Persuade: Writers may want to convince others about something. and then rely on statistical and non-statistical arguments to show that on the contrary the country has a deficit.” “I do not agree with the monolithic view that. Use a combination of short and long sentences to create or convey a clear message in your entrance essays . or to take action.Creativity. To Express Ourselves: All essays are a major test of vocabulary or diction.It is not to say that…but…”. …” “I do not agree with the proposition that…. For instance if I was writing FLEE 2005.. besides writing because we have to. to agree with them. To Be Creative: Use precision and concision to paint a compelling picture. The view that essays are also art forms is linked to the fourth aim . to express ourselves and to be creative. but to pass. a plurality of factors underline the preponderance of conflict in Africa” “The proposition is entirely correct. let’s explain the 4 aims briefly. it was to inform you. there are at least these four fundamental aims for writing: to inform.. to persuade. To inform: When I elected to write on law entrance exams.What are the reasons for essay writing? Well. explicitly. If on the contrary I’m inclined to support the proposition.. Nonetheless.. It will be fatal to be ambiguous. I will seek to persuade the essay reader that superficially.