Scared I failed a law school exam

[skooled]

3L at Osgoode. Have been 3LOLing and really feel like I was unprepared for my evidence exam. Although I finished the exam, I word vomited, didn't write a lot and what I did write was fairly poor. I know I got some of the write tests/rules down but I know a question or two that I completely fucked up. Having a lot of anxiety thinking about the possibility I could have failed and then I won't graduate on time and then my articling will be impacted... am I being irrational? What does it take to fail an exam... any stories or advice would be much appreciated.

[GoBigOrGoHome]

Are you on the exact amount of credits needed to graduate or is this extra? 

If extra - how will not passing impact your life in a practical way? (I am not saying this in a sarcastic tone. I want you to ask yourself this and your answer will likely calm you down). 

[js99]

It is exceedingly unlikely that you failed the exam. I remember the Assistant Dean of Students telling us during our 1L orientation that something like one person fails an exam once every three years, and in her words, "you would almost need to be trying to fail to get an F". 

Even getting a D is uncommon: Osgoode professors don't have to give them (the curve only requires them to give at least a certain amount of "C" grades, whereas grades of "D" or below are discretionary), so most profs will only typically do so if the exam was truly so poor and so incorrect that they cannot justify giving you a C. 

That does not mean it is impossible, but given that you "word vomited", it sounds likely that you at the very least wrote down an answer which substantively engaged with the law of evidence, even if you did not apply it correctly or your answer structure was quite poor. That alone is "D" to "C" territory. Unless you have an unusually harsh professor whose grading practices are a little tougher than the rest of the faculty, I would be very surprised if you got worse than a C.

Edited April 16 by js99
typo

[SNAILS]

Most people I know that thought they failed a particular exam ended up with a B.

Some questions are not meant to have a clear answer. For example, the professor may have been looking for the criteria to evaluate whether a particular piece of evidence would be admissible with reference to the facts from the question, where it is not clear from the fact pattern which way the judge would rule.

If you found this exam tough, it is likely your classmates did as well, and the curve should push you up.