Tips for Answering MBE Questions If You Aren’t Sure

Tips for Answering MBE Questions If You Aren’t Sure

It happens to everyone during bar prep: you’re working your way through your MBE questions and feeling good about your progress when suddenly everything grinds to a halt. You stare at the question, but you’re drawing a blank. Should you skip it? Take a guess? To help you handle this situation, we’ve put together a list of tips for answering MBE questions if you don’t know the answer.

Tips for Answering MBE Questions If You Aren’t Sure

1. Practice With Old MBE Questions from Past Bar Exams

Did you know that most major bar prep companies create their own MBE questions instead of using actual questions from past bar exams? While these practice questions can help you test your understanding of different subjects, they may not be the best preparation for the actual MBE. If you practice with old MBE questions from the actual test, you’ll become familiar with the structure and learn to see different patterns. On the actual exam, this can help you answer MBE questions even if you don’t know the answer.

Learn more about why you should study with real MBE questions, where to find them, and check out 100 free MBE questions in our QBank.

2. Be Sure You’re Practicing Timing

Learning the material is the first step, but you should also practice your timing. On the MBE, you should answer around 33 MBE questions each hour, or about 9 every 15 minutes. If you become familiar with the time pressure during your bar exam preparation, you’ll feel more comfortable on the actual exam — and better able to strategize if you don’t know the answer.

If you’re struggling with timing, here are four tips to help you improve your time on the MBE and a detailed breakdown of how to spend your time on this section of the exam!

3. Choose the Best Answer

Even if you’re not sure what the right answer is, there’s no need to panic. You should be able to eliminate some of the answer choices that are definitely wrong. Then, take a deep breath, and reconsider your remaining answer choices. Which one is best? Often, a careful reread will reveal flaws that help you choose the best answer. Learn more about our advice on how to eliminate wrong answers on the MBE to improve your score.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Skip!

If you don’t know the answer to a question on the MBE, don’t be afraid to skip it and come back later. In fact, you can think about skipping as just another strategic tool in your arsenal. Just be sure you have a system for marking the question so that you remember to return to it.

If you run out of time before returning to these questions, don’t panic. Here’s what you should do! Know that this happens a lot of people and it’s okay. It doesn’t mean you failed the bar exam!

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