FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

valleyoftheunos

frustratedTC wrote: »

Hi

Hope the study is going well. I have my last 2 exams to sit in March, constitutional and EU. I'm wondering why the general consensus is that these 2 are the 'worst' subjects? Why are they do difficult?

Also which prep school has the best lecturers for these 2 subjects?

there are lots of stories and tales about why these are so tough to pass but the truth is that firstly both have massive sylabii that you need to cover in full and secondly it is essential to have an overall understanding of the entire subject so you can see how the topics interlink and affect each other. this understanding can take a long time to get but once it "clicks" everything makes sense and become much clearer.

The practical effect of this is that if you try to break these two subjects up into handy topics and learn them separately as you would in say Contract or Tort for example, you will find it much tougher and confusing. you need to learn it all together.

Obviously that is quite a challenge.

userlady

Hi can anyone tell me whether the economic loss q on March 12 Tort paper was a prob q or an essay?
Thanks!

CClaw

Hi all,

Just finished my undergrad, was going to study for the WHOLE summer, but plan didn't really work out.. i only really have time to do 3 subjects..

I know you have to sit at least four,and I heard contract is suppose to be hard to pass, so i a, thinking of leaving it out..

but I was wondering what if I don't sit one of the exam..:/ would it look really bad for future employers that i got 0... or is it worse that i attempt the exam and failed it

please help thank you !

brumbram6

guys does anyone else (living outside dubline) think, that its very unfair that everyone is supposed to bring in legislation to have it checked a day prior to the exam? wht if I work full time and dont live in dublin and dont have any exam before the examination date? i think it's very discriminatory.:(

chops018

You can do it that morning I think! Once your early and you hand it in they usually have it left back on your desk for you, or bring it into you while your doing the exam. They're not that bad people.

boomtown84

irkalein wrote: »

guys does anyone else (living outside dubline) think, that its very unfair that everyone is supposed to bring in legislation to have it checked a day prior to the exam? wht if I work full time and dont live in dublin and dont have any exam before the examination date? i think it's very discriminatory.:(

They accept legislation on the morning of the exam. Just arrive an hour or so early.

chops018

CClaw wrote: »

Hi all,

Just finished my undergrad, was going to study for the WHOLE summer, but plan didn't really work out.. i only really have time to do 3 subjects..

I know you have to sit at least four,and I heard contract is suppose to be hard to pass, so i a, thinking of leaving it out..

but I was wondering what if I don't sit one of the exam..:/ would it look really bad for future employers that i got 0... or is it worse that i attempt the exam and failed it

please help thank you !

If you're doing the "ghost fourth" make sure you actually go to the exam, write your exam number etc. down on the paper, and leave when they let you after the half hour. You MUST go into the exam, whether you attempt any questions or not, or the other three if passed won't count.

I'm not sure what the story is regarding employers.

CClaw

chops018 wrote: »

If you're doing the "ghost fourth" make sure you actually go to the exam, write your exam number etc. down on the paper, and leave when they let you after the half hour. You MUST go into the exam, whether you attempt any questions or not, or the other three if passed won't count.

I'm not sure what the story is regarding employers.

thanks , that's great help ! do people actually do the 'ghost fourth' often ? I just know I won't have to cover contract properly and prob will fail it anyway even if i attempted it , may as well concentrate on the other three

brumbram6

boomtown84 wrote: »

They accept legislation on the morning of the exam. Just arrive an hour or so early.

I am just freaking out. what if they won't accept it on the day, i dont think i could pass the exam without it.... emailed the law society and they said the number of ppl doing the exam is extremely high and it would be impossible to do it same morning of the exam...

valleyoftheunos

irkalein wrote: »

I am just freaking out. what if they won't accept it on the day, i dont think i could pass the exam without it.... emailed the law society and they said the number of ppl doing the exam is extremely high and it would be impossible to do it same morning of the exam...

No need to freak out, the legislation isn't essential for the exam at all and if you get there good and early and I'm sure they will help you out.

brumbram6

does anyone know how long does it take to get from heuston on the luas to the red cow roundabout / the examination hall.

Lawls

irkalein wrote: »

I am just freaking out. what if they won't accept it on the day, i dont think i could pass the exam without it.... emailed the law society and they said the number of ppl doing the exam is extremely high and it would be impossible to do it same morning of the exam...

I've handed legislation in on the day of, about 5 minutes before the exam started and got it back within the first hour of the exam. If you're saying you don't think you'd pass the exam without it, i'd be more worried about that! You really shouldn't be that reliant on legislation going into the exam. Quoting it back at the examiner won't get you any marks. I've found that sometimes you're better off not bringing it at all, because you waste time looking through it and start writing down long quotes out of the legislation into your answer which isn't necessary! Just a warning to be careful about relying on it too much!

sorchauna

On this note of handing in the legislation, what time do the law society stay around the hotel? Is it until the exam is over? Company is my first exam and I will be staying in red cow the Tuesday night but won't be checking until lunch time, will they be around then for me to check it.

I'll admit my CA is tabbed to death nut try at least know the sections cause your not gonna get marks for re-writing the section out. Know the section and a vague idea of it to make you feel better in case there is a problem with the legislation.

hopefullegal

If you're sitting a "ghost fourth" subject for you're first sitting how long do you have to stay in the exam for?

MoneyMilo

userlady wrote: »

Hi can anyone tell me whether the economic loss q on March 12 Tort paper was a prob q or an essay?
Thanks!

Essay

colonel1

hopefullegal wrote: »

If you're sitting a "ghost fourth" subject for you're first sitting how long do you have to stay in the exam for?

You have to stay for the first 45 minutes. They announce this at the beginning of each exam.

colonel1

irkalein wrote: »

does anyone know how long does it take to get from heuston on the luas to the red cow roundabout / the examination hall.

About an hour including the 10-15 minute walk from the Luas station to the Red Cow itself. Give yourself as much time as possible to get there just in case of delays on the Luas line.

EUSTY500

Does anyone have the exam grids for tort & contract pleeeeease
Starting to panic now...

Fe1exams

Re: crim law
ok trying to cover everything as ive been told to do - but any vague thoughts on whats due a spin?? anyone attend the city college rev course with advice on whats hot and whats not! i know there is a new(ish) examiner.

Perhaps its all a gamble - just focus on everything eh - no logic in its due a spin or it came up last time so it will come up again.. i can waste so much time on the grids ... "just get the head down i suppose"...
thanks

chops018

Fe1exams wrote: »

Re: crim law
ok trying to cover everything as ive been told to do - but any vague thoughts on whats due a spin?? anyone attend the city college rev course with advice on whats hot and whats not! i know there is a new(ish) examiner.

Perhaps its all a gamble - just focus on everything eh - no logic in its due a spin or it came up last time so it will come up again.. i can waste so much time on the grids ... "just get the head down i suppose"...
thanks

Sorry to tell you this but Criminal Law is one of those subjects where you need to know it all. A problem question could have 5 issues or more - murder, complicity, inchoate offence, public order offence, a defence. The only thing I could see that could be left out would be possibly one of the essays that came up the previous sitting, and even then it could come up as part of a problem. It is such a short syllabus so really nothing could be left out.

Strawberry Fields

Did anyone do yesterdays 1 day Equity revision in Griffith. Anyone know what was flagged?

On an aside have Bayer injunctions never come up?

cathy427

Fe1exams wrote: »

Re: crim law
ok trying to cover everything as ive been told to do - but any vague thoughts on whats due a spin?? anyone attend the city college rev course with advice on whats hot and whats not! i know there is a new(ish) examiner.

Perhaps its all a gamble - just focus on everything eh - no logic in its due a spin or it came up last time so it will come up again.. i can waste so much time on the grids ... "just get the head down i suppose"...
thanks

Who is the newish examiner? - didnt know there was a change

Fe1exams

cathy427 wrote: »

Who is the newish examiner? - didnt know there was a change

Criminal Law
Dr Shane Kilcommins, UCC Internal Examiner
Professor Barry McAuley, UCD External Examiner

Apparently the last sitting there was a change according to someone who posted after the last crim law exam

There is a list of all the examiners on the lawsociety website
http://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/education/hbs/fe1examiners.pdf

sorchauna

Fe1exams wrote: »

Criminal Law
Dr Shane Kilcommins, UCC Internal Examiner
Professor Barry McAuley, UCD External Examiner

Apparently the last sitting there was a change according to someone who posted after the last crim law exam

I had Shane for Evidence Law and Jurisprudence in UCC. He is one of the best lecturers I ever had and he really knows his stuff! Not to mention the criminal law cases and materials book he has written with Catherine O' Sullivan is one of the best newest edition of criminal books you can get (think its 2010). Would be interesting to see how he marks!

cathy427

Fe1exams wrote: »

Criminal Law
Dr Shane Kilcommins, UCC Internal Examiner
Professor Barry McAuley, UCD External Examiner

Apparently the last sitting there was a change according to someone who posted after the last crim law exam

There is a list of all the examiners on the lawsociety website
http://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/education/hbs/fe1examiners.pdf ..

Have they not been the examiners for the past number of years?

Amre17

Could someone tell me what the Oct 2011 Q on defamation was?

Thanks!

FEfuns

Critique my FE1s plan!

Hey up,

I'm looking for a critique/advice regarding my FE1 study plans for the year ahead. Basically I've started studying in the past week, using the college library from my undergrad. I'm aiming to be studying 5 days a week, 9am-6pm (so about 6-7 hours of actual study each day).

I already have the manuals for all subjects and I'm planning on taking them in this order:
March 2013: Criminal, Contract, Equity, Property
October 2013: European Union, Torts, Company, Constitutional

Aside from the fact that the March subjects involve 1,300 pages of reading compared to the October subjects' 1,800, does any have other observations about this study plan?

- FEfuns

chops018

FEfuns wrote: »

Critique my FE1s plan!

Hey up,

I'm looking for a critique/advice regarding my FE1 study plans for the year ahead. Basically I've started studying in the past week, using the college library from my undergrad. I'm aiming to be studying 5 days a week, 9am-6pm (so about 6-7 hours of actual study each day).

I already have the manuals for all subjects and I'm planning on taking them in this order:
March 2013: Criminal, Contract, Equity, Property
October 2013: European Union, Torts, Company, Constitutional

Aside from the fact that the March subjects involve 1,300 pages of reading compared to the October subjects' 1,800, does any have other observations about this study plan?

- FEfuns

If your undergrad was law, take 4 exams this October, don't worry about failing, just as a test run.

You actually might pass if you get a grid for those subjects and do out a summary for each topic....even just go do this for 3 subjects as that's all you need to pass out of those four.

If you fail just count it as a test run for next March, it would be a great experience and show you what it's like in an FE1 exam atmosphere. That's if you have the money.

Lawls

FEfuns wrote: »

Critique my FE1s plan!

Hey up,

I'm looking for a critique/advice regarding my FE1 study plans for the year ahead. Basically I've started studying in the past week, using the college library from my undergrad. I'm aiming to be studying 5 days a week, 9am-6pm (so about 6-7 hours of actual study each day).

I already have the manuals for all subjects and I'm planning on taking them in this order:
March 2013: Criminal, Contract, Equity, Property
October 2013: European Union, Torts, Company, Constitutional

Aside from the fact that the March subjects involve 1,300 pages of reading compared to the October subjects' 1,800, does any have other observations about this study plan?

- FEfuns

If you're actually planning on studying that much from now onwards, I would plan on sitting them all in the March sitting! There is no way you need to do that much study for them!! Four to six weeks of study prior to sitting four exams is generally plenty, particularly if your undergrad was law. I think people build them up a bit too much, they are not THAT bad!

FEfuns

Lawls wrote: »

If you're actually planning on studying that much from now onwards, I would plan on sitting them all in the March sitting! There is no way you need to do that much study for them!! Four to six weeks of study prior to sitting four exams is generally plenty, particularly if your undergrad was law. I think people build them up a bit too much, they are not THAT bad!

My undergrad was law, yeah. I'm too late to sign-up for this October's sittings (already called the Law Society about it). I guess I'll just see how I'm set by New Year's and decide on how many to sit in March at that point.

My crude time requirement for reading and making my own notes would be 27x six-hour days total for the first four and 32x six-hour days total for the second four - not including time for prepping answers and last-week cramming.

Cheers for the advice. (It did seem to me like the FE1s were blown a bit out of proportion alright! My flatmate did them last year, over 12 months, and they never really impacted on him in the awful, time-consuming, soul-draining ways you'd hear from people!).