Completing practice exams is one of the best ways to prepare for the LSO licensing examinations. Whether you’re getting ready to write the Ontario bar exams or the paralegal licensing exam, practice exams are an invaluable study tool. They can help you:
Below is a general strategy for effectively using practice questions in your exam preparation.
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Read the Question & Answer Choices
This may seem straightforward, but it is easy to overlook while studying for the licensing examinations. It’s important to read each question and every corresponding answer choice carefully before you begin to look for an answer so that you can understand what is being asked of you. Misunderstanding the question might result in you looking in the wrong section of the materials and costing you precious time during the exam or selecting the incorrect answer.
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Identify The Key Words
While reading the question, circle or underline any key words related to the core of the question. Ideally, the key words will correspond to items listed in the index provided with the LSO’s materials. The goal is to quickly identify where to look in your materials for the best answer. Initially, this may take time. However, you’ll become more efficient as you study and become familiar with the materials.
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Consult the Study Materials
he best answer to the question will be directly or indirectly in the study materials. Using the identified key word and your index, you can locate the relevant sections and skim them for the right answer. Ideally, while studying, you will have highlighted or annotated the materials to make it easier to find the correct information or guide your eyes while skimming.
During the early days of your practice, you may notice that some key words are missing from the index, or that you haven’t highlighted something in your materials. This is a good opportunity to fill in any gaps before you sit down for a full practice exam towards the end of your exam preparation.
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Select Your Answer
Once you have consulted the materials, you may already be able to identify the correct answer. However, if it is not clear, you may want to use the process of elimination to pick out the best choice. Emond has also put together useful tips on Mastering the Art of Multiple Choice that may be helpful.
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Review Your Answer
After you submit your practice exam, consult the answer key provided with the practice question. If you got the correct answer and you feel confident about your understanding, great—keep going! However, if you got the wrong answer, or you got the right answer and you don’t entirely know why, this is a great opportunity to enhance your understanding of the materials.
At this stage, don’t review any of the explanations in the answer key. Instead, re-open your study materials and try to work out the correct answer yourself. It may be easy to spot, or it may require some digging. Consider whether you have:
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identified the correct parties,
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identified the correct section in the materials, or
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selected an answer that is almost correct.
Take your time to understand why the right answer is correct, and why the answer you initially selected was incorrect. Make any annotations or notes in your materials as needed. By giving yourself this opportunity to problem-solve and find the correct answer, you will improve your familiarity with the topic. This is also more time you get to spend thinking critically about the materials, which is a useful skill throughout the exam.
Next, you can review the explanation provided. The explanation will likely further strengthen your understanding of the subject matter. It may also highlight additional factors that support the correct answer, which you can integrate into your study materials.
Through this process, you may find yourself making more mistakes in certain sections or on certain types of questions. If so, you may want to spend more time reviewing those materials before your next practice round. Emond practice exams include a breakdown of the subjects tested and scores these individually.
Additionally, we enourage you to check out Emond's Bar and Paralegal Exam Preparation Manuals. You will likely have many questions about how to study effectively, what types of reference materials and study aids you’ll need, and what to expect on exam day. We have published these manuals to help answer those questions and walk you through the exam preparation process from start to finish.
Whether you’re doing individual practice questions or a full practice exam, it’s important to thoroughly review and understand the reasoning behind any incorrect answers to better equip you for success on the actual exam.
Make sure to check out Emond’s Barrister and Solicitor Practice Exams or the Paralegal Practice Exam to supplement your exam preparation.