What If I Run Out Of Time On The MBE?

What If I Run Out Of Time On The MBE?

So you put away your bar prep materials, set that timer, and get ready for your MBE practice exam.  The problem, though, is that timer.  It always goes off before you’re done with those multiple-choice questions! After this happens a few times, you may be feeling somewhat discouraged and anxious. You might be wondering, “What if I run out of time on the MBE?” There are a lot of ways to improve your speed while you practice for the  MBE. This post, however, covers a few things to keep in mind on exam day if you run out of time on the MBE.

What If I Run Out Of Time On The MBE?

Each Question Is Worth The Same Amount of Points

No matter how hard the question seems, remember that it’s worth just as many points as all those questions you were able to breeze right through. Try not to waste time staring at the same question, working through it over and over, and worrying about it. Your time is much better spent answering questions where you know the answers. If you get stuck on a question, skip it (but don’t forget to keep track of it!).  You can always revisit it/take a guess once you’ve had time to visit all of the questions where you know the answer!

Always Guess

You will not be penalized for getting a question wrong, and there’s a 25 percent chance that you will get the question right just by randomly guessing. That chance goes up if you can get rid of one or two answers using the process of elimination. So don’t panic and leave questions blank just because you’re not sure of the answer. If you’re running short of time towards the end of the exam, remember that it only takes a second to fill in that bubble.  Your chances of getting a question correct are greater if you take a wild guess than if you leave the entire question blank!

Keep The Scoring In Mind

If you’re taking the UBE or the California Bar, the MBE is worth 50 percent of your total bar exam score.  The MBE might be worth more or less depending on whether you might be sitting for the bar exam in another jurisdiction.  The MBE contains 200 questions total and only 175 of them are scored. (The other 25 are experimental questions and are unscored.) So, if you don’t get to the last few questions, it will only cost a few percentage points off your total score. Considering you only need a 60 to 65 percent to pass the MBE in most states and assuming you’re answering the majority of the questions you do answer correctly, you can still pass the MBE even with some questions unanswered.  Plenty of test-takers run out of time on the MBE and still pass the bar exam!

Manage Your Anxiety

Your test-taking anxiety might be a big factor that’s holding you back from doing your best in terms of timing. The more mental energy you spend worrying about the time and trying to calculate how much you have left, the less attention you’re giving to actually answer the questions correctly and quickly. Practicing your timing before test day can help you know how many questions you need to have answered at any given time during the exam, which can help you avoid test-day anxiety. You’ve got this!

Remember, running out of time for a few multiple-choice questions is not the end of the world, and it certainly will not keep you from passing the bar. If you are struggling with time management as you approach the MBE, we’re here to help!

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