Im sure I failed my Contract Exam today...

OP

kidney thief

honestly, I think it will be more of a struggle but it is possible.

I say its more of a struggle because all the people i know who got 2.2s in their first year (even 59) have found interviews harder to come by- BUT IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. Concentrate on writing a good app and get as cloase to a 2.1. as possible overall.

I remember speaking to a trainee at weil gotshal who got a third in a first year exam...

Well, before my exam today, I was on a 67 average for the year so far, and Ive worked out that I probably need to ensure that i get atleast a 62 in each of my remaining exams to get bang on a 60 average for the year, so its definately doable, Im just scared that my 40 will make me look like a slacker...

Reply 3

kidney thief

11

and to add to the collective self pity, I'm certain i screwed up trusts today. Im one of those people who can't let things go and look up stuff after the exam and yes, i definately know i screwed up, so you're not alone!

Reply 4

kidney thief

11

rotherhamlad

Well, before my exam today, I was on a 67 average for the year so far, and Ive worked out that I probably need to ensure that i get atleast a 62 in each of my remaining exams to get bang on a 60 average for the year, so its definately doable, Im just scared that my 40 will make me look like a slacker...

the magical 2.1. overall is the key ;-)

Reply 5

OP

kidney thief

and to add to the collective self pity, I'm certain i screwed up trusts today. Im one of those people who can't let things go and look up stuff after the exam and yes, i definitely know i screwed up, so you're not alone!

We need more pessimists like ourselves! :tongue:

Im EXACTLY like that aswell, but today, I didnt even bother looking at the books post-exam cos I just KNEW I screwed up...

Reply 6

OP

kidney thief

the magical 2.1. overall is the key ;-)

Thats what Im thinking of aswell, and its the only reason why I havent gone totally emo!

Reply 7

chalks

Stay positive - you might have done better than you think.

However, if you have stuffed it up then it won't look good. If you're looking at vac schemes with commercial firms (which I assume you are) then they tend to regard contract as probably the most important subject that you study. It underpins pretty much every major practice group within a firm and is at the heart of what we do.

Sorry to be a pessimist but a fail in contract law is likely to hamper your chances. Is there any way you can resit a module?

Reply 8

OP

i can resit it, but the most ill be able to get, is 40.

im not really fussed about commercial law, i just want a vac placement, so that i can show i did something productive while i was at uni

Reply 9

I doubt you'll have messed up a Paulden module. If you did well in the other set of exams, your technique will have got you at least a 2.2, and possibly better but I am in no position to say as I have not seen your paper.

In y1 I thought I'd messed up contract and jurisprudence. I was hoping for a 40% when the letter came through the post, it turned out to be a 68% and a 70% respectively and for tort, which I thought I'd done amazingly well in, I only just got a 2.1.

In other words, to be short and sweet, the one's that you think you've screwed are often the better/good ones

Reply 10

Fireman John

9

I can empathise with the thay you feel, Rotherhamlad - but remember this - if you've got the ability in your other modules, then there is no reason why you should be any different in Contract. I've been approache dby a lot of people who just couldn't grasp simple concepts... and half the reason is becasue they THINK it has to be more difficult than it really is. They're looking at it EXPECTING IT TO BE HARD... I'll be surprised if you've failed... if you've out the work in then a fail woul dbe a very difficult result to "achieve". Failing to do yourslef justice - yes... but failing outright? I'd be surprised.

If you're struggling with anyhting then I;d advise you to seek help forma peer... its often much easier to grasp a simplistic explanation from a peer who has only very recently grasped the concept themselves. Consequently, they can often put it across in a considerbaly more simplified manner than perhaps a lecturer who learned the concept/principles long, long, long ago... Similarly with books. I've often found myself repeatedly reading passages and not being able to grasp any of it... then I'll maybe read a journal article or soemthing and a single sentence in that article will pull everyhting else into focus.

As I said - if you are able to do well in your other modules and exams - there is no reason why you cannot do the same in Contract - perhaps just a psychological barrier you need to hurdle - be aware in case you confront such a problem again and try to address the issue before it becomes a problem.

Reply 11

OP

Thanks for the encouragement everyone, but i know for a fact that I failed the exam, as I only did half of the paper with only a few cases included, (why I did that, was because of a mixture of nerves, a bottle of coke which I drank just before the exam, and the difficulty in finding the disabled toilet, and when I did find it, it was too small for me and my wheelchair! - that took up atleast 30 minutes of my exam...), I just know I've failed....

Reply 12

You should definitely visit the disabilities service and explain because that is not an acceptable reason for failure. They are really helpful, well the guy who deals with my type of disability is actually an ar*ehole who I cannot bring myself to even talk to but the women seems really helpful and proactive. I am sure mitigating circumstances etc would come into play. Seriously, they cannot fail you for that reason.

Reply 13

OP

Dunno Laura, I might do that, but seriously, I wasnt any good at Contract, so chances are, I may have failed anyway.
At the start of the year, I was hoping for a 2.1 overall average for this year, and as I pointed out earlier, the 2.1 average is still attainable...

Reply 14

I never really declared mitigating circumstances at the start of my degree- plus unless its a wash out performance I don't think they act on them much to be honest. Still, your wheelchair being too small for the disabled toilet seems to have significantly impeded your opportunity to complete the examination within the provided time - subtract a couple minutes for your decision to go to the toilet. Might be worth putting the famous yellow form in.

Reply 15

OP

maybe. it doesnt matter in the end, it is first year after all..

Reply 16

Yes to be honest, Rotherhamlad, I believe that there is too much wild speculation on here about the specifics of individual results. One messed up module won't sink your ship provided you get a good degree- see the overall results as the life raft. On my vacation placement the women whined that I was too academic, so looks like you can't win.

Reply 17

Nana_Julia

9

rotherhamlad

maybe. it doesnt matter in the end, it is first year after all..

You absolutely MUST do some sort of mitigating circs thing/disability form. That's a disgrace that you were put in that position. And personally I think you can get away with one crap mark if your others are good more so than you can get away with a raft of 2.2s - even first class students have off days when through nerves or illness they really screw up. But as I said if I were you I wouldn't hesitate in notifying them of your mitigating circumstances, you said yourself you only attempted half the paper, you would have at least attempted more had you had an extra 30 minutes!

Reply 18

OP

thanks for the support guys.

but just when i thought things couldnt get worse, they did! i basically just had my criminal law exam, but i should have had it in the morning! the one thing that you cant afford to do on the day of a morning exam, i did, namely oversleeping!
what makes it worse, is that having just done the exam, i found that i knew what i was on about. and shock, horror, i think i did really well! but all that could go down the drain if anyone left the exam before 10.30... i seriously think ive been cursed now...

Reply 19