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For those of you not familiar with the American West, let us take you on a journey along the historic Oregon Trail. Much like the daunting path faced by pioneers heading westward, preparing for the bar exam presents its own set of challenges. Just as pioneers equipped themselves with the necessary skills and endurance to navigate the rugged terrain, your bar exam preparation demands meticulous planning and resilience.
Join us as we draw parallels between the arduous trek of the Oregon Trail and the rigorous expedition toward success on the bar exam, specifically the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). Just as pioneers conquered the West, you too can conquer the challenges that lie ahead, armed with the right knowledge and strategy.
Embarking on Your Expedition
The MBE is administered in the majority of U.S. jurisdictions, spanning states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Virgin Islands. For the full list, click here. Puerto Rico and Louisiana choose a different route and do not currently administer the MBE. In case you’re wondering, none of these routes lead to dysentery if you know the layout of the land and adequately prepare.
Navigating the Frontier
The MBE consists of 200 multiple choice questions. 175 of those questions are graded and 25 are unscored. Each question consists of a brief fact pattern, call of the question, and four answer choices. We recommend starting at the call of the question in order to stimulate active reading as you then subsequently read the fact pattern, re-read the call of the question and then finally the answer choices. Remember this – only you know what is best for you, so if that approach doesn’t resonate with you, toss it like a spare wheel to your wagon.
Charting the Course: Insights
A six-hour expedition awaits, divided into two segments: a rigorous three-hour stretch, a break to recharge and eat if you can stomach it, and another three-hour stretch. Endurance and timing is key. Ideally you’ll allocate no more than 1.8 minutes per each question. The more your practice questions, the better you will become at answering them under time sensitive conditions.
The National Conference for Bar Examiners (NCBE) which designs the MBE offers several different cost effective tools to study for the MBE. One of the NCBE packages that stands out is the “everything value pack” which has 625 MBE questions with them providing explanations for 300 of them and your access lasts a year for $125.
Terrain Overview: MBE Subject Matter
The MBE covers contracts, constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, real property, evidence, and torts. To tailor your study strategy effectively, consult the latest MBE Subject Matter Outline provided by NCBE. This document not only outlines the specific areas within each subject that will be tested but also assigns weights to different areas. Anticipate an even distribution of subjects across the 200 questions, translating to approximately 28 questions allocated to each subject. In the event you are slowly judging us for rounding, we slowly applaud you.
Not all areas within a subject carry equal weight. Take, for example, civil procedure, where approximately 19 questions revolve around jurisdiction/venue, pretrial procedures, and motions. Focusing your efforts on these areas can be a strategic advantage. Conversely, in subjects like real property, where all tested areas hold equal weight, prioritization becomes a matter of personal choice. When navigating this multifaceted terrain, understanding the nuances of each subject’s breakdown can enhance your preparation and optimize your chances for success on the bar exam.
Understanding the MBE Grading Landscape
Each jurisdiction determines the weight assigned to the MBE based on its unique criteria. In jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam, the MBE typically carries a weight of 50%, constituting half of your final score.
To ensure a fair representation of your performance, the NCBE employs scaling, considering the exam’s difficulty and the performance of other candidates. Your scaled score can range from 40-200, however, you want to be at or above the mean scaled score which typically falls between the mid-130s to 140s. If you lurk online, you’ll find that a lot of successful examinees achieved between 60-66% right in their simulated MBE test.
The MBE Advantage: Moving Across States
You might not be fond of the MBE right now, but trust us you will be. What makes it so special is that it’s widely accepted in other jurisdictions and easily transferable. It’s important to note that not all jurisdictions follow the same rules, and there is a limited timeframe for score transfer, typically with a minimum threshold.
Take Florida, for example, where you can transfer a score of 136 or higher within the last 25 months. This means you can opt to only sit for the Florida-specific portion of the exam if your MBE score is successfully transferred, streamlining the testing process.
In the current job market landscape, job opportunities may arise unexpectedly, and you might find yourself suddenly needing admission in a different jurisdiction. Having recently taken the MBE could prove invaluable in such situations. While it doesn’t guarantee automatic acceptance in every jurisdiction, there’s a good chance it could be recognized, offering flexibility and aid you along your career path.
Optimizing Your Performance – Lessons from Early Pioneers
Reflecting on the pioneers’ journeys, the early ones faced unknown dangers due to lack of preparation, while later pioneers succeeded through readiness. Similarly, bar examinees can learn from shared experiences, anticipating challenges and preparing strategically. We encourage you to leverage collective wisdom, dispelling the myth that learning only happens through personal failure.
Tailoring Your MBE Preparation: Know Thyself
At Ameribrights, we steer clear of the kool-aid and instead advocate for a personalized approach to bar exam preparation (FN1). The belief that success demands live lectures or exorbitant expenses is debunked, emphasizing that only you truly understand your learning style and needs.
In the coming months, we’re crafting resources designed to assist you in uncovering your unique learning preferences, whether you lean towards auditory, visual, read/write, or logical/analytical methods.
Currently, our focus is on developing tools tailored for visual and logical/analytical learners. However, if these styles don’t resonate with you, we wholeheartedly encourage you not to invest in unnecessary resources. Your study approach should be as unique as you are, ensuring you derive the maximum benefit from your preparation.
As you embark on your bar exam expedition, draw inspiration from the pioneers, embrace the spirit of resilience, innovation, and the pursuit of success. The journey may be challenging, but know that you can confidently navigate the bar exam frontier and conquer the challenges that lie ahead. We have faith in you.
Footnotes
FN1 –To be clear, we are referring to the Jonestown massacre kool-aid, not the general kool-aid brand.
