What To Do If You Blank On An MPT

What To Do If You Blank On An MPT

The bar exam comes with pressure. Job offers, memorizing large amounts of material, financial stress, and more are often on the line when students take the bar exam. In talking about pressure, it’s important to note how pressure impacts students differently. Some students may suffer from anxiety leading up to and during the exam. Others may double down on preparation efforts leading up to the exam. However, all of this pressure can lead some students to completely draw a blank during the bar exam, including the Multistate Performance Test. Here are JD Advising’s top tips for what to do if you draw a blank on the Multistate Performance Test.

What To Do If You Blank On An MPT

Don’t Panic

Easier said than done right? Drawing a blank on an MPT question can inevitably lead to panic. “How could this happen?” “Why now?” “I’m going to fail this test.” Those are all thoughts that commonly associate themselves when you draw a blank. No matter how much you’ve prepared for the bar exam, you need to be in the right state of mind: cool, calm, and collected. Let the initial shock of realizing you have no idea how to approach the MPT set in. After that, it’s time to go into recovery mode and push forward. Allow yourself thirty seconds or one minute to freak out but after that, it’s time to get moving. The great thing about the MPT is that it operates in a limited universe. What does that mean for you? It means you don’t have to rely on all of the law you memorized when drafting your answer. This brings us to our next piece of advice. 

Focus On What’s In Front Of You

Your answer to an MPT will be based on laws, statutes, regulations, and documents that are provided to you. You have all of the materials you need to craft a successful answer. If you’re drawing a blank on the MPT, focus on the materials in front of you, namely, the file and the library.  The file includes different documents you can use in your answer to support your answer. Some examples of file documents might include medical records, contracts, police reports, or documents provided by your hypothetical client. The library on the other hand is where you’ll find the law you can rely upon when answering the question. The examiners are presenting you with what they believe are the resources necessary to produce a thorough and correct answer.

Read Everything Two Times

It’s common for students to read something on the bar exam once and not grasp the question on the first try. That’s even more true for the MPT. MPT questions are complex, intricate, and often contain several moving parts. That’s why it’s important to read the question at least twice, especially if you’re drawing a blank. Reading everything twice allows you to avoid missing any important details and gain a better understanding of the assignment. It also allows you to tailor your reading the second time based on the assignment in the memorandum. In other words, you’ll have a better idea of what to look out for the second time around! After reading the memorandum, the file, and the library, you should be able to come up with a plan and write a successful answer!

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