Determine the subject being tested before you read through the fact pattern by reading the call of the question. You'll gain insight into the subject matter being tested. For example, a call that asks you to discuss the rights on the parties involved cannot be a criminal law question because the rights of parties are enforced in civil courts.
Distinguish between material and immaterial facts as you read the fact pattern. Use only material facts to support your contentions. For example, it might not be important that the woman who walked across a street and was hit by a car is beautiful or that she wore a pantsuit. Entertain only facts that a judge would want to hear or that you would want a jury to hear.
Outline your response so you'll know in what direction you want to head before you begin writing. You can't get to point Z without passing through X and Y first. An essay response that was outlined beforehand reads better than one that wasn't and has a logical sequence of thought.
Write a reader-friendly response, which includes head notes and underlined elements within your analysis. A bar grader will read your essay response in three to five minutes. That means your response needs to be simple to read. It should be set up like a newspaper so that simply by glancing at it the grader recognizes that you spotted all of the issues. Underling the pertinent elements helps, too, because it lets the grader know that you convey legal knowledge within your analysis. The grader will be able to see this with a glance at your analysis. Setting up your response properly from a cosmetic standpoint can only help your score.
Prepare your argument from only one side in most cases. Argue both sides only when the facts are ambiguous. If the facts are one-sided, there is never a need to manufacture an other-side argument. Doing so will only insert a legally implausible argument into your response, and that will cause you to lose points. After all, a judge wouldn't want to listen to a legally implausible argument.
Analyze in a way that makes your knowledge of the law apparent. You'll know that you have done that if legal elements and pertinent facts are woven together. An example is: "John's striking of Mary, if not harmful, was at least offensive, as no reasonable person would want to be struck from behind."