What Is Hardest About The MBE?

What Is Hardest About The MBE?

Nobody ever said the bar exam would be easy, but does the bar exam have to be so difficult? Many students initially think that the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) containing 200 multiple-choice questions will be easier than the essays.  Once students start studying, however, they quickly notice that the MBE is actually quite difficult.  We discuss four common reasons that make the MBE so difficult.

What Is Hardest About The MBE?

1. The Time Limit

On the MBE, you have six hours total to answer 200 multiple-choice questions with only a lunch break after the first three hours. This leaves you with approximately one minute and forty-eight seconds to spend on each question. Many students find it difficult to stay on pace and complete 100 multiple-choice questions in that three-hour timeframe.  Having the material tested on the MBE memorized and in the forefront of your mind is crucial in order to stay on track to complete the exam in the allotted timeframe.  Likewise, staying focused so you don’t find yourself reading the same question over and over again is also important from a timing perspective.

If you have any kind of disability that keeps you from reading or processing as quickly as you need to on the MBE, we recommend looking into requesting accommodations for the bar exam.

2. Total Recall

If you don’t know the law, you will miss questions. You can use the process of elimination all day, you can make all of the “educated guesses” that you can, but absolutely nothing replaces a good, solid knowledge of the black-letter law. Not only do you need to have the rules memorized, but you need to recognize which rule the question is asking about so you can select the best answer. Flexibility and quick, accurate recall are very difficult to perfect, but they are integral to your success on the MBE.  If you’re having difficulty memorizing or remembering rules as you practice MBE questions, check out our blog post that contains some tips to help you memorize MBE material.

3. The Tricky Answers

Even when you know the law, you may still fall into the trap where you find yourself trying to pick between two answers. The bar examiners are known for creating tricky questions so it’s up to you to be on the lookout for and know how to answer these types of questions!  Make sure you read the question in full before moving onto the answer choices! This will help ensure you actually focus on the question instead of reading what you want the question to ask based on the answer choices.  Don’t let yourself be distracted or tricked!

4. The Pressure

Arguably, the most difficult part of the bar exam (MBE and essays) is the pressure associated with actually sitting down to take the exam.  After all, you’ve been psyching yourself up to take the bar exam for months. You feel like your career depends on passing this test. Most importantly, you don’t want to have to take it again. All of this pressure can be overwhelming and is enough to make anyone freeze on exam day. During those moments when you see a question you think you can’t answer or when you start to feel your mind getting tired, figure out a way to push through.  Rembmer, you’ve prepared for this. Lots of people pass the bar exam during each admiistration, and so can you!

• Looking to Pass the Bar Exam?

  Free Resources:

  • 🌟Bar Exam Free Resource Center: Access our most popular free guides, webinars, and resources to set you on the path to success.
  • Free Bar Exam Guides: Expert advice on the MBE, the MEE, passing strategies, and overcoming failure.
  • Free Webinars: Get insight from top bar exam experts to ace your preparation.

  Paid Resources:

  • 🏆One-Sheets: Our most popular product! Master the Bar Exam with these five-star rated essentials.
  • Bar Exam Outlines: Our comprehensive and condensed bar exam outlines present key information in an organized, easy-to-digest layout.
  • Exclusive Mastery Classes: Dive deep into highly tested areas of the MBE, MEE, MPT, and CA bar exams in these live, one-time events.
  • Specialized Private Tutoring: With years of experience under our belt, our experts provide personalized guidance to ensure you excel.
  • Bar Exam Courses: On Demand and Premium options tailored to your needs.
  • Bar Exam Crash Course + Mini Outlines: A great review of the topics you need to know!

  🔥 NEW! Check out our Repeat Taker Bar Exam Course and our new premier Guarantee Pass Program!