Three Tips For Better MBE Performance

The MBE portion of the bar exam is a daunting and challenging prospect, to say the least. Not only must you answer 100 questions in three hours (and then an additional 100 in another 3 hours) but there are also answer choices aplenty. Each MBE question comes with four possible answer options. For many students, eliminating two answer choices and deciding between the remaining two can feel like gambling. JD Advising has some more tips for better performance on the MBE. These tips are designed to help you during the preparation process for an upcoming administration of the bar exam. Let’s take a look at JD Advising’s tips for better performance on the MBE.

Three Tips For Better MBE Performance

1. Quality And Quantity Go Hand In Hand

For better performance on the MBE, consider both quality and quantity. You’ve probably heard some numbers of how many MBE questions need to be completed to pass the bar exam. While JD Advising recommends completing as many MBE practice questions as possible, the quality of your questions is also important. After all, there’s no point in practicing hundreds of MBE questions if they’re nothing like what’s actually tested on the bar exam! That’s why, along with a generous number of practice MBE questions, we also recommend high-quality questions. What defines high quality? In short, students should practice as many previously released MBE questions as they can find. These questions are released by the NCBE each year and each has been previously used on the actual MBE! We have a prior post describing where you can find real MBE questions. We offer access through our QBank!

2. Pattern Recognition

Pattern recognition as another way to achieve better performance on the MBE. At the end of the day, there’s only so many ways that bar examiners can test things using a mulitple-choise system. Before long, they run out of ways to ask if Blackacre belongs to Bob or if Carl breached the contract. The more practice MBE questions you complete, the more you’ll recognize certain patterns in how questions are asked. Certain patterns can be recognized within different subject matter questions. Additionally the more practice questions you complete, you’ll also develop your own pattern in how you evaluate questions and pick an answer.

3. Know Why You’re Right/Wrong

You wouldn’t make a mistake at work and not take the time to determine why a course of action constituted a mistake. Instead, you might ask yourself “what did I do wrong and how can I avoid doing it in the future.” The same reasoning applies to the MBE portion of the bar exam. For better performance on the MBE, you have to understand why a selected answer choice was wrong. The same reasoning applies when you select a correct answer choice. The easiest way to do this is by reading the explanations that accompany most practice MBE questions. Knowing why you chose an answer choice and why it was right or wrong can help you improve on future questions!

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Three Tips For Better MBE Performance