MPRE August 2016 Forum

[sanetzba]

I'm taking the MPRE this August and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how they studied, what materials they used, etc. I'm taking Professional Responsibility this summer so I'm hoping taking the exam right after taking PR will be helpful. Any advice is appreciated.

[ScottRiqui]

I'm taking the MPRE this August and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how they studied, what materials they used, etc. I'm taking Professional Responsibility this summer so I'm hoping taking the exam right after taking PR will be helpful. Any advice is appreciated.

I used the Barbri prep book. It's got about 150 pages of material to read, a condensed outline, and four practice exams. I read the material, skipped the outline, and took three of the four practice tests, all over the course of two days (maybe 8-10 hours total). Passed with room to spare.

[mvp99]

I did themis and barbri and thought barbri's outline was way better organized. I thought the video was a waste of time. Just learn the outline, do the MC questions, review the questions (all in less than 12 hours of study) and you'll be fine.

[mister logical]

I read the free Barbri online thing, didn't think it was good but still did a few of the practice question.

I read the Themis outline book next for around 6 hours the night before and ended up with a 97. I found the Themis outline was far superior to Barbri. Barbri felt like a giant mess, but different strokes for different MPRE folks.

[Avian]

I did themis and barbri and thought barbri's outline was way better organized. I thought the video was a waste of time. Just learn the outline, do the MC questions, review the questions (all in less than 12 hours of study) and you'll be fine.

I agree with the video being a waste of time. Everyone was like "You've got to watch the video" but it's just some highlights from the outline that takes three hours to get through. If you've already taken professional responsibility at that point, you don't need to read the full materials either, just the outline should be enough. Then do all of the practice problems and be sure to read the explanations for the ones that you get wrong. Even if you only score like 60-70% on the practice exam, you'll have read the explanation for the correct answer so you (hopefully) won't make the same mistake on the actual test. Maybe 6-8 hours of studying (including the video) and I got a 122.

[cannibal ox]

If you're taking the MPRE after taking a PR exam, I have a hard time believing you won't pass easily.

Just do the practice tests and read the explanations for both correct and incorrect answers. The outline and video set a good base if you have absolutely no knowledge, but after taking PR you can skip them (can arguably skip them even if you haven't taken PR, for people reading this in the future) Should be under 10 hours. Cop dat 86 and move on with your life.

[twenty]

Got an A in PR. Have failed the MPRE twice.

I would take it more seriously than TLS suggests you should.

[Londonbear]

Got an A in PR. Have failed the MPRE twice.

I would take it more seriously than TLS suggests you should.

Can understand this. My PR class focused more on theories than on knowing most of the rules. I don't even think we went through half the rules that are tested on the MPRE. Would have likely failed if I just relied on PR.

Will emphasized again, do the Barbri free exams, read and know why you are getting certain answers wrong, if you're still get low scores, read the Themis outline. These two should be more than enough. Don't need the Barbri video.

[Nebby]

I'm taking the MPRE this August and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how they studied, what materials they used, etc. I'm taking Professional Responsibility this summer so I'm hoping taking the exam right after taking PR will be helpful. Any advice is appreciated.

Don't listen to anyone that says they didn't study or that they "just watched a video" or "just read the outline." Some people may have done this, but don't assume you can too. The first time I took the MPRE I failed, because I "just watched a video."

I recommend Themis. The outline was amazingly intuitive. I did the whole course (~20 hours), though if you're looking to save time then you can save a couple hours by skipping the videos. It takes about ~15 hours to do all of the other parts of the course, which are mainly practice questions. All of Themis' practice questions are reused MPRE questions, so they're worded and structured exactly like they will be on the test. By the time you finish the course, you will have done about 300 practice questions. My first MPRE score was 74 with no study, and my second MPRE score was 100 after doing the whole Themis course. I highly, highly recommend.

If you're looking to just do enough to pass, then I recommend doing just the "Interactive practice questions." It should take about 10 hours to do them all (~175 questions). The interactive practice questions are the best because you answer each question at a time and it immediately tells you if you got it right, why the correct answer is right, and why the other three answers are incorrect.

There are also milestone exams and the simulated MPRE, which do explain the answer to each question, but it isn't until the exam is over.

[pancakes3]

tag

[marmarmv]

I'm taking the MPRE this August and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how they studied, what materials they used, etc. I'm taking Professional Responsibility this summer so I'm hoping taking the exam right after taking PR will be helpful. Any advice is appreciated.

Don't listen to anyone that says they didn't study or that they "just watched a video" or "just read the outline." Some people may have done this, but don't assume you can too. The first time I took the MPRE I failed, because I "just watched a video."

I recommend Themis. The outline was amazingly intuitive. I did the whole course (~20 hours), though if you're looking to save time then you can save a couple hours by skipping the videos. It takes about ~15 hours to do all of the other parts of the course, which are mainly practice questions. All of Themis' practice questions are reused MPRE questions, so they're worded and structured exactly like they will be on the test. By the time you finish the course, you will have done about 300 practice questions. My first MPRE score was 74 with no study, and my second MPRE score was 100 after doing the whole Themis course. I highly, highly recommend.

If you're looking to just do enough to pass, then I recommend doing just the "Interactive practice questions." It should take about 10 hours to do them all (~175 questions). The interactive practice questions are the best because you answer each question at a time and it immediately tells you if you got it right, why the correct answer is right, and why the other three answers are incorrect.

There are also milestone exams and the simulated MPRE, which do explain the answer to each question, but it isn't until the exam is over.

How long in advance did you study? In Puerto Rico we have our own Rules of PR so its like im starting from scratch. The Thermis outline seems good. Are the videos worth my time or are they just repeating the information from the outline?

[marmarmv]

I'm taking the MPRE this August and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how they studied, what materials they used, etc. I'm taking Professional Responsibility this summer so I'm hoping taking the exam right after taking PR will be helpful. Any advice is appreciated.

how are you studying?

[hipcatdaddio]

Anybody have any thoughts about the free Kaplan course/outline/etc.?

[cannibal ox]

Forget courses and outlines. Do the practice tests and read the answers after you do each question (even if you got it right). Repeat this for like 3 to 5 tests and you'll be good. The end.

[Cat-Lady-Esquire]

I'm taking the MPRE for the first time this August. I'm trying to use this as an opportunity to compare services like Barbri and Themis before I decide what to buy for the Bar since most of them give the MPRE stuff for free. I'm not sure whether that always translates to how good their bar prep stuff is but at least I should be well prepared for the MPRE!

[brorepresentation1]

Got an A in PR. Have failed the MPRE twice.

I would take it more seriously than TLS suggests you should.

Agreed. It is harder than people on this forum make it appear. Take both Themis and Barbri. It is free and it is the best shot you have to passing on your first try.

[theInnerCircle]

I also agree that it is more difficult than it appears. Study for it seriously and no, taking PR beforehand does not necessarily help. The big 3 bar prep companies offer free study materials.

[Susiep123]

I just took the August 2016 MPRE and thought it was pretty hard - I was surprised at some of the questions that were on topics that I had never seen a practice question about. How does anyone else think they did or how the test was? People walked out 1 hour in and I can't imagine how they could have done more than just guess. I'm a very fast reader and I was only on question 40-something at the 60 minute mark.

[texas1100]

This same reaction happens literally every MPRE session. You probably missed a ton of questions, but still easily passed. You'll know in a month-ish

[john_brown]

I think I will probably pass (if only barely), but just in case: if I have to rewrite in November, will that cause a serious delay for NY bar admission?

[rcharter1978]

I just took the August 2016 MPRE and thought it was pretty hard - I was surprised at some of the questions that were on topics that I had never seen a practice question about. How does anyone else think they did or how the test was? People walked out 1 hour in and I can't imagine how they could have done more than just guess. I'm a very fast reader and I was only on question 40-something at the 60 minute mark.

It was tougher than I thought -- I have no idea how I did at all. According to the Barbri lecturer you can miss like 25 questions and still pass in most jurisdictions, so that makes me feel the tiniest bit better. It would suck to have to take it in November

I was between two answers for quite a few questions, a few of the fact patterns seemed to be exactly what was on the Barbri practice exam.

[Stressedout2016]

Does anyone know when the results come out? The website said 4-5 weeks but I've heard from others that it could be sooner.

[hipcatdaddio]

I also thought it was pretty tough. The fact patterns were really reminiscent of some of the Barbri questions, but the answer choices were definintely more reminiscent of the Kaplan practice problems. I was trying to determine which service to use for bar prep by comparing them both for the MPRE....results inconclusive. Took me about 1:25 to finish the exam, earliest person in our room left at about 1:10. I knew people who took the March test and several said it took less than an hour. Seems strange.

[Nebby]

I also thought it was pretty tough. The fact patterns were really reminiscent of some of the Barbri questions, but the answer choices were definintely more reminiscent of the Kaplan practice problems. I was trying to determine which service to use for bar prep by comparing them both for the MPRE....results inconclusive. Took me about 1:25 to finish the exam, earliest person in our room left at about 1:10. I knew people who took the March test and several said it took less than an hour. Seems strange.

Themis

[hipcatdaddio]

I also thought it was pretty tough. The fact patterns were really reminiscent of some of the Barbri questions, but the answer choices were definintely more reminiscent of the Kaplan practice problems. I was trying to determine which service to use for bar prep by comparing them both for the MPRE....results inconclusive. Took me about 1:25 to finish the exam, earliest person in our room left at about 1:10. I knew people who took the March test and several said it took less than an hour. Seems strange.

Themis

Themis just got to my state for bar prep, so I'm waiting to see how the people who just took the bar found it.