kings inns study

npbo127

To anyone who has done the inns entrance exams, are the manuals enough to pass on alone? Did people consult external books etc?? Any help is greatly appreciated! i'm tight on time and don't want to overdue it if i don't have to!

Tom Young

Read the syllabus for each subject.

To address the question:

Past papers - all of which are published;
Books - all of which are unavoidable;
Manuals - for more recent updates to the law.

page1

I used recent manuals and also consulted the syllabus on the Kings Inns website for each subject to make sure I had everything covered. The one for Constitutional will have a very comprehensive list of cases in each area.
As there is a compulsory first question on each paper you will need to cover everything. Good luck.

Tom Young

Yes, actually, you must be aware of the compulsory question structures for each exam.

Some papers are shorter then others. This means that cherry picking is difficult

npbo127

page1 wrote: »

I used recent manuals and also consulted the syllabus on the Kings Inns website for each subject to make sure I had everything covered. The one for Constitutional will have a very comprehensive list of cases in each area.
As there is a compulsory first question on each paper you will need to cover everything. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply. Did u consult the major textbooks too? Thanks again

page1

npbo127 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. Did u consult the major textbooks too? Thanks again

A little bit, if there was an area I was unsure about I read the textbooks to get a better understanding.

I had never studied criminal or evidence before and I passed these exams using the manuals alone.

Jo King

npbo127 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. Did u consult the major textbooks too? Thanks again

You are wasting your time and money trying to become a barrister with that attitude. Going into a profession in which members to have a deep knowledge of areas of law and trying to avoid reading major text books is not a good sign. Barristers are supposed to read all published materials relevant to their area of practice including books both big and small, articles and relevant cases. It is ok for solicitors to pick up the phone and ask what the law is in a given area but barristers are supposed to know or be able to find out using their own initiative.

npbo127

Jo King wrote: »

You are wasting your time and money trying to become a barrister with that attitude. Going into a profession in which members to have a deep knowledge of areas of law and trying to avoid reading major text books is not a good sign. Barristers are supposed to read all published materials relevant to their area of practice including books both big and small, articles and relevant cases. It is ok for solicitors to pick up the phone and ask what the law is in a given area but barristers are supposed to know or be able to find out using their own initiative.

I'm perfectly capable of assessing where to spend my time and money thank you. Working full time and studying is a no easy feat so if I feel it's more beneficial for me to ask study advice from those who have gone through the experience, I'll do so.

joeguevara

Jo King wrote: »

You are wasting your time and money trying to become a barrister with that attitude. Going into a profession in which members to have a deep knowledge of areas of law and trying to avoid reading major text books is not a good sign. Barristers are supposed to read all published materials relevant to their area of practice including books both big and small, articles and relevant cases. It is ok for solicitors to pick up the phone and ask what the law is in a given area but barristers are supposed to know or be able to find out using their own initiative.

THe guy wants to pass 5 Entrance exams, not represent OJ in the morning. I got all of them by using the manuals and attending the Griffith pre entrance exams courses. Never looked at the text books once and still havent in my 6 years as a barrister.

johnnyskeleton

npbo127 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. Did u consult the major textbooks too? Thanks again

The entrance exams are much like the exams you have already say in college or the ki diploma. If you used books for them use them for the entrance exam. If you didn't need the textbooks for your college exams you probably won't need them for the entrance exams.

The major difference between college exams and the entrance exams is that college examiners like to get lots of caselaw and have their pet favourite topics dealt with. in the entrance exam, the most important thing is understanding the law. If you know what the law is, you could probably pass the entrance exams without mentioning a single case.

Hippo

Amen to much of the above, the manuals will by and large be enough. Be aware that you'll be asked to 'advise' in questions. The entrance exams give you an opportunity to show your understanding of the practical application of the law rather than the more theoretical discussions beloved of university examiners.