Best Study Aids for the MPRE Forum

[Tobias Funke]

Hey everyone. I'm planning on taking the MPRE this August and I was hoping to get some input on which study guides are the best. I already signed up with BARBRI, so I know they offer a book and a class. Is it worth it to get a different guide to study on my own? If so, which books are the best?

[yabbadabbado]

The MPRE is not worth spending a ton of time on. It is ridiculously easy to pass. You should be able to pass (for every jurisdiction) with 8-10 hours study time max. Use whatever materials you have and don't bother going back to the stuff you learned in your Professional Responsibility class. My guess is you get some kind of online lecture with that Barbi thing right? Watch the lecture and use the fill in the blank outline. Do some practice questions. The end.

[LurkerNoMore]

Above is correct.

4 hour BarBri video + quick read through the *short* outline + a couple of practice tests = entirely too much studying

Oh, and don't bother to start studying until after they have the class (which I, if I recall, is the weekend or two before the exam).

[Tobias Funke]

Wow.. really? Awesome. Thanks guys, you just made my day! haha

[yabbadabbado]

Yes, I'm not kidding.

I probably spent 6 or 7 hours preparing and did not start prepping until a few days before the test. I did an online lecture, filled in an outline while watching it and did two online practice quizzes. I didn't take a single timed practice test. Result: passed in every jurisdiction. The thing about the MPRE is that the scoring is very generous. You can miss a bunch of questions and still be way above passing. What grade you got in PR also has no bearing on whether or not you pass.

[gollymolly]

.

[Leeroy Jenkins]

When I take the test I'm going to read each question, then think about what I would do in that situation. I will then look at the answer choices and pick the one most contrary to that.

[LurkerNoMore]

When I take the test I'm going to read each question, then think about what I would do in that situation. I will then look at the answer choices and pick the one most contrary to that.

Hahaha!

If you are guessing, the correct answer is usually the second most ethical (ethical, but still lets lawyers make money).

[futurelawyer413]

0L here sorry, but when can one take the MPRE? is it after taking Pro Res or only during 3L? it looks like some states don't even require it.

thx!

[yabbadabbado]

You can take the MPRE any time after 1L, I believe. You don't need to take Professional Responsibility to sign up for it. The test is only given a few times a year though, so you'd have to take it on one of those dates. Most people take it sometime during 2L. Though you could take it during 3L or after the bar exam if you want. Best thing to do is just get it out of the way when you can.

See here:

--LinkRemoved--

[futurelawyer413]

You can take the MPRE any time after 1L, I believe. You don't need to take Professional Responsibility to sign up for it. The test is only given a few times a year though, so you'd have to take it on one of those dates. Most people take it sometime during 2L. Though you could take it during 3L or after the bar exam if you want. Best thing to do is just get it out of the way when you can.

See here:

--LinkRemoved--

Thank you! Do you think employers care if you pass it during 2L instead of 3L, or they just want to see you have taken it?

[yabbadabbado]

I've never heard of any potential employer asking about it, either for post-grad jobs or summer internships, so I would assume they do not care.

Thank you! Do you think employers care if you pass it during 2L instead of 3L, or they just want to see you have taken it?

[futurelawyer413]

Gracias!

[Charraj]

What if you don't have BarBri? Any suggestions on alternative study books? I'm looking at Kaplan, but I'd like some input before I put down any change.

[Ender Wiggins]

What if you don't have BarBri? Any suggestions on alternative study books? I'm looking at Kaplan, but I'd like some input before I put down any change.

I am taking the August test...I think Kaplan gives you the MPRE free if you do it online.

[NewHere]

Do you think employers care if you pass it during 2L instead of 3L, or they just want to see you have taken it?

Employers don't care. It's a bar requirement in most states, meaning you can't be sworn in if you haven't passed both the bar exam and the MPRE. In a state that requires the MPRE, you can take the test almost at any time, but most students would want to take it before the bar, just because you don't want to sit for the bar exam in July and then have to show up for another test in August. Easy as the test is, you might as well just get it out of the way.

Maybe it differs from school to school, but at my school most students took the MPRE either in November or March of 3L year.

What if you don't have BarBri? Any suggestions on alternative study books? I'm looking at Kaplan, but I'd like some input before I put down any change.

I am taking the August test...I think Kaplan gives you the MPRE free if you do it online.

Yes, that's right. I did the free Kaplan thing for the MPRE and it was enough to pass comfortably. (4 hours of video, a few hours of self-study doing the practice multiple choice.) It didn't cost anything, and it didn't require signing up for Kaplan bar review.

[yabbadabbado]

The free Kaplan course is fine, passed by a comfortable margin and that's all I used.