July 2015 MBE Scores/Results Forum

[zot1]

Got my results today. passed. 167 on essays and 151 on MBE. FWIW, I guessed between two answers on well over half the MBE questions (I stopped counting after I flagged 60 on each section), so hopefully that's a good sign. Average was 138 on each section

I took Wisconsin, and the pass rate is 65%, which is down 5-10% from last year I think

ETA: If it helps, Wisconsin is 50% MBE with 8 essays. The MPT is weighted twice as much as the other essays.

Congrats, buddy! Good to see some good news coming out from fellow TLSers

Here's an updated list:
Random Numbers: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 153; Was scoring 138’s raw w/Barbri; State: WI
WVU Mountaineer: Course: Kaplan; Scaled MBE Score: 152; Thought MBE was hard as shit; State WV
Topper: Course: Unknown; Scaled MBE Score: 138; State: WI
BuckinghamB: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 151; Estimated he guessed on over half of MBE Q’s; State: WI

Thanks!

Also forgot to mention towards the end of my prep course I was about 70th percentile (around 60th for the mid-term). They must have thrown a lot of questions out on the MBE. I'm really shocked

oh how I hope that's true.

[mike.alexander23]

Can someone put this into context for me? I know the sample size is small, but are all these high scaled scores good news? I'm preaching to the choir about feeling like shit after the MBE day, but now I have the feeling that the scores might be better.

[robinhoodOO]

Can someone put this into context for me? I know the sample size is small, but are all these high scaled scores good news? I'm preaching to the choir about feeling like shit after the MBE day, but now I have the feeling that the scores might be better.

It's not conclusive by any means, but it is starting to confirm earlier suspicions of other posters and past takers that "even if you felt like shit after taking the MBE, that doesn't necessarily mean you failed."

It's a bit comforting, if anything. And, I'm hoping many more people report in. And, if you don't want to report your info publicly or failed, feel free to PM and I'll make your info anonymous. My hope is that by reporting this information, you'll get something out of knowing others might feel better while they wait, etc. In other words: Please feed our neuroticism!!!!!!

Thanks!

[robinhoodOO]

Here's an updated list:
Random Numbers: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 153; Was scoring 138’s raw w/Barbri; State: WI
WVU Mountaineer: Course: Kaplan; Scaled MBE Score: 152; Thought MBE was hard as shit; State WV
BuckinghamB: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 151; Estimated he guessed on over half of MBE Q’s & at 70 percentile w/Barbri; State: WI
*Anonymous 1: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 156; Raw score of 123 on Barbri Practice Test; State: WI


*Confirmed via PM from known TLSer.

[ixwad]

Average was 138 on each section

I took Wisconsin, and the pass rate is 65%, which is down 5-10% from last year I think

This is interesting -- wasn't the pass rate 75% last year with the same averages (138 on MBE and essays)?

Also, did WI provide score breakdowns this year?

EDIT: looks like the averages were 139 on each last year. 10% still seems like a huge drop.

[BuckinghamB]

Average was 138 on each section

I took Wisconsin, and the pass rate is 65%, which is down 5-10% from last year I think

This is interesting -- wasn't the pass rate 75% last year with the same averages (138 on MBE and essays)?

Also, did WI provide score breakdowns this year?

EDIT: looks like the averages were 139 on each last year. 10% still seems like a huge drop.

Yeah I was surprised by that too. I'm not sure, maybe the essays were harder than last year's or something. A one-point drop on the MBE average doesn't seem like it would result in that big of a drop in pass rate

They didn't break down raw scores for MBE but for essays they did. Most essays were MPT/MEE, maybe 2-3 state-specific topics, I can't remember the exact numbers.

[ixwad]

Yeah I was surprised by that too. I'm not sure, maybe the essays were harder than last year's or something. A one-point drop on the MBE average doesn't seem like it would result in that big of a drop in pass rate.

Yeah it seems like it almost has to be that (a drop in the essay scores), but that surprises me too, because most states scale essay scores against the MBE scores (e.g. https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/feb-201 ... ent-charts)

[Mountaineer4Life]

I also received my scores today. I used barbri and had a 118 on the practice test. My scaled MBE score was a 147. I thought I killed the essays and worried about the MBE, but my essay score was 4 points lower than my MBE. Take that fwiw. Just glad I don't have to do it again. Good luck to everyone still waiting.

[Randomnumbers]

Wisconsin had an average of 138 on both the Essay and the MBE portion. So there wasn't a drop in the essay scores. My only guess for the passage rate reduction (65% overall, from 75% last year, and 87% in 2012) is that the curve must be flattening somehow. Admittedly I think there were only ~150 people taking it in Wisconsin so the statistical swing isn't too vicious.

Also, for the MBE score/result list, I didn't use Barbri, I self-studied. I just took the Barbri MBE exams to see where I was (I obtained the book copies for free from classmates). Ended up paying zero dollars for bar prep.

And as far as what people here care about - what does this mean for my MBE score - I think you can take faith that a barbri test score translates pretty well. That being said, it doesn't translate at all for Civ Pro, I imagine - I was very grateful for taking Fedjur and Appellate Adv. as a 3L, because that stuff was a lot more prevalent than what I was seeing on the Barbri practice exams. But that bar passage rate has to mean that for most people, the MBE was harder. Whether or not the MBE was harder than in past years or it's just how stupid us law students are getting, who knows.

[robinhoodOO]

I also received my scores today. I used barbri and had a 118 on the practice test. My scaled MBE score was a 147. I thought I killed the essays and worried about the MBE, but my essay score was 4 points lower than my MBE. Take that fwiw. Just glad I don't have to do it again. Good luck to everyone still waiting.

Congrats, buddy! So far it looks like Barbri did a decent job of prepping people for the MBE (I took Kaplan).

Here's an updated list:
Random Numbers: Course: N/A Self Study; Scaled MBE Score: 153; Was scoring 138’s raw w/Barbri; State: WI
WVU Mountaineer: Course: Kaplan; Scaled MBE Score: 152; Thought MBE was hard as shit; State WV
BuckinghamB: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 151; Estimated he guessed on over half of MBE Q’s & at 70 percentile w/Barbri; State: WI
Mountaineer4Life: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 147; Had 118 Raw on Barbri practice final; State: WV
*Anonymous 1: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 156; Raw score of 123 on Barbri Practice Test; State: WI

*Confirmed via PM from known TLSer.

[buckythebadger]

I'm also one of the lucky ones that got results yesterday from WI. My percentiles varied quite significantly in Barbri's questions. I think I was at the 30% for Torts, and then in the 95% for Civil Procedure with all the others around 65-75% percentile. In the final 2-3 weeks before the exam, I was hitting around 60-75% pretty consistently. I think I had one Barbri mixed set where I hit 40/50, but that was the only score I had like that.

I thought the MBE was significantly harder after leaving the exam room. I thought I had crushed the essay, which gave me enough confidence that I had passed. Like others have posted in the Barbri thread, I had a big stretch of like 12/15 that were D's, which freaked me out a little. I ended up scoring a 171 on the MBE. I guess I was just on my game, with likely some luck involved.

[nyny]

I'm also one of the lucky ones that got results yesterday from WI. My percentiles varied quite significantly in Barbri's questions. I think I was at the 30% for Torts, and then in the 95% for Civil Procedure with all the others around 65-75% percentile. In the final 2-3 weeks before the exam, I was hitting around 60-75% pretty consistently. I think I had one Barbri mixed set where I hit 40/50, but that was the only score I had like that.

I thought the MBE was significantly harder after leaving the exam room. I thought I had crushed the essay, which gave me enough confidence that I had passed. Like others have posted in the Barbri thread, I had a big stretch of like 12/15 that were D's, which freaked me out a little. I ended up scoring a 171 on the MBE. I guess I was just on my game, with likely some luck involved.

Posts like these ease my mind! I stated this in one of the earlier threads but I also had a string of D's in the first column of my answer sheet in the AM, that really freaked me out... But a lot of people said the same thing, and you and your score just confirmed it.

[BuckinghamB]

I'm also one of the lucky ones that got results yesterday from WI. My percentiles varied quite significantly in Barbri's questions. I think I was at the 30% for Torts, and then in the 95% for Civil Procedure with all the others around 65-75% percentile. In the final 2-3 weeks before the exam, I was hitting around 60-75% pretty consistently. I think I had one Barbri mixed set where I hit 40/50, but that was the only score I had like that.

I thought the MBE was significantly harder after leaving the exam room. I thought I had crushed the essay, which gave me enough confidence that I had passed. Like others have posted in the Barbri thread, I had a big stretch of like 12/15 that were D's, which freaked me out a little. I ended up scoring a 171 on the MBE. I guess I was just on my game, with likely some luck involved.

Grats dude. Crushed it! I also had that string of D's.

[robinhoodOO]

I'm also one of the lucky ones that got results yesterday from WI. My percentiles varied quite significantly in Barbri's questions. I think I was at the 30% for Torts, and then in the 95% for Civil Procedure with all the others around 65-75% percentile. In the final 2-3 weeks before the exam, I was hitting around 60-75% pretty consistently. I think I had one Barbri mixed set where I hit 40/50, but that was the only score I had like that.

I thought the MBE was significantly harder after leaving the exam room. I thought I had crushed the essay, which gave me enough confidence that I had passed. Like others have posted in the Barbri thread, I had a big stretch of like 12/15 that were D's, which freaked me out a little. I ended up scoring a 171 on the MBE. I guess I was just on my game, with likely some luck involved.

Congrats!!! Same deal for me with the string of D's in the AM section. I remember looking down at the score sheet and thinking, this is either meant to screw with me or I've failed. Hopefully that means good news


Here's an updated list:
Random Numbers: Course: Self Study; Scaled MBE Score: 153; Was scoring 138’s raw w/Barbri; State: WI
WVU Mountaineer: Course: Kaplan; Scaled MBE Score: 152; Thought MBE was hard as shit; State WV
BuckinghamB: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 151; Estimated he guessed on over half of MBE Q’s & at 70 percentile w/Barbri; State: WI
Mountaineer4Life: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 147; Had 118 Raw on Barbri practice final; State: WV
BuckytheBadger: Course: Barbi; Scaled MBE Score: 171; Thought MBE's were difficult and was hitting 65-70% w/Barbri; State: WI
*Anonymous 1: Course: Barbri; Scaled MBE Score: 156; Raw score of 123 on Barbri Practice Test; State: WI

*Confirmed via PM from known TLSer.

Again, thanks to all those reporting so far! PM for edits or if you want to be listed anonymously.

[Randomnumbers]

I've been noticing that in general, people seem to be doing significantly better on the MBE than their Barbri scaled test scores. My score is the biggest outlier there - everyone else has improved much more on their raw barbri exam scores. Admittedly, this is a TINY sample size, but in an effort to make everyone waiting feel a little better, I'll make a stab at why.

I self-studied. My entire studying for the MBE was to flip through a set of MBE flash cards probably twice total(the critical pass flash cards, that I obtained from a friend who graduated the year before). I then took ~800 barbri MBE questionss - including the midterm, final, and supllementary exams, which were the ~200 question ones. I scored ~58% raw on the first set, and the last 400 questions (the final and supplementary one) I was up to ~138 raw. Seeing that I was getting ~138 raw on the barbri, I figured that was good enough, so I decided I was ready for the MBE. So my raw score was inflated by the fact that I never made the same mistake twice on the barbri exams, while I wasn't learning anything not specifically tested by the barbri exams. For people who actually did bar prep beyond that, it appears that this MBE was actually testing things not as directly on the barbri exams, but which were taught *by* barbri.

This is why we have a 118 raw going to 147, 123 raw going to 156, and a 65-70% barbri guy getting 171 - while my raw 138 barbri only went to 153. So if you aren't normally a test-anxiety person, and you were getting ~120 raw on the last two barbri exams, you should be feeling pretty secure on the MBE portion now, based on this INCREDIBLY SMALL SAMPLE.

[Outis Onoma]

I don't remember much in the lectures / lecture notes that wasn't covered in the critical pass flashcards. (only bothered with the CMR on torts).


I didn't put my middle name on the AM scantron sheet. I wonder if my entire AM scantron sheet was rejected because of that.

[History_Buff]

I'm also one of the lucky ones that got results yesterday from WI. My percentiles varied quite significantly in Barbri's questions. I think I was at the 30% for Torts, and then in the 95% for Civil Procedure with all the others around 65-75% percentile. In the final 2-3 weeks before the exam, I was hitting around 60-75% pretty consistently. I think I had one Barbri mixed set where I hit 40/50, but that was the only score I had like that.

I thought the MBE was significantly harder after leaving the exam room. I thought I had crushed the essay, which gave me enough confidence that I had passed. Like others have posted in the Barbri thread, I had a big stretch of like 12/15 that were D's, which freaked me out a little. I ended up scoring a 171 on the MBE. I guess I was just on my game, with likely some luck involved.

Grats dude. Crushed it! I also had that string of D's.

This is like a cool drink of water on a 115 degree day in the desert.

[trustmouse83]

Anyone reporting in from Adaptibar?

[topper10s]

I've been noticing that in general, people seem to be doing significantly better on the MBE than their Barbri scaled test scores. My score is the biggest outlier there - everyone else has improved much more on their raw barbri exam scores. Admittedly, this is a TINY sample size, but in an effort to make everyone waiting feel a little better, I'll make a stab at why.

I self-studied. My entire studying for the MBE was to flip through a set of MBE flash cards probably twice total(the critical pass flash cards, that I obtained from a friend who graduated the year before). I then took ~800 barbri MBE questionss - including the midterm, final, and supllementary exams, which were the ~200 question ones. I scored ~58% raw on the first set, and the last 400 questions (the final and supplementary one) I was up to ~138 raw. Seeing that I was getting ~138 raw on the barbri, I figured that was good enough, so I decided I was ready for the MBE. So my raw score was inflated by the fact that I never made the same mistake twice on the barbri exams, while I wasn't learning anything not specifically tested by the barbri exams. For people who actually did bar prep beyond that, it appears that this MBE was actually testing things not as directly on the barbri exams, but which were taught *by* barbri.

This is why we have a 118 raw going to 147, 123 raw going to 156, and a 65-70% barbri guy getting 171 - while my raw 138 barbri only went to 153. So if you aren't normally a test-anxiety person, and you were getting ~120 raw on the last two barbri exams, you should be feeling pretty secure on the MBE portion now, based on this INCREDIBLY SMALL SAMPLE.

Don't forget, the Barbri midterm test only gave us raw scores, not scaled scores. I wonder if scaling adds something like 5 pts or 20 pts to the raw total. That might explain large bumps in peoples scores on the real thing.

Do we ever find out how many questions get thrown out on any given MBE?

[RaleighStClair]

I've been noticing that in general, people seem to be doing significantly better on the MBE than their Barbri scaled test scores. My score is the biggest outlier there - everyone else has improved much more on their raw barbri exam scores. Admittedly, this is a TINY sample size, but in an effort to make everyone waiting feel a little better, I'll make a stab at why.

I self-studied. My entire studying for the MBE was to flip through a set of MBE flash cards probably twice total(the critical pass flash cards, that I obtained from a friend who graduated the year before). I then took ~800 barbri MBE questionss - including the midterm, final, and supllementary exams, which were the ~200 question ones. I scored ~58% raw on the first set, and the last 400 questions (the final and supplementary one) I was up to ~138 raw. Seeing that I was getting ~138 raw on the barbri, I figured that was good enough, so I decided I was ready for the MBE. So my raw score was inflated by the fact that I never made the same mistake twice on the barbri exams, while I wasn't learning anything not specifically tested by the barbri exams. For people who actually did bar prep beyond that, it appears that this MBE was actually testing things not as directly on the barbri exams, but which were taught *by* barbri.

This is why we have a 118 raw going to 147, 123 raw going to 156, and a 65-70% barbri guy getting 171 - while my raw 138 barbri only went to 153. So if you aren't normally a test-anxiety person, and you were getting ~120 raw on the last two barbri exams, you should be feeling pretty secure on the MBE portion now, based on this INCREDIBLY SMALL SAMPLE.

Don't forget, the Barbri midterm test only gave us raw scores, not scaled scores. I wonder if scaling adds something like 5 pts or 20 pts to the raw total. That might explain large bumps in peoples scores on the real thing.

Do we ever find out how many questions get thrown out on any given MBE?

It's 10 every year I believe. 190 are graded.

[xChiTowNx]

Just posting here that I got my WI results as well and I PASSED! While I wont post my score breakdowns here, I will say that I crushed the MPTs and essay section, which saved me. I made up several rules on the essay portion, but did not fail any question, so there is some credence (small sample size) to the BS'ing strategy.

[rcharter1978]

Just posting here that I got my WI results as well and I PASSED! While I wont post my score breakdowns here, I will say that I crushed the MPTs and essay section, which saved me. I made up several rules on the essay portion, but did not fail any question, so there is some credence (small sample size) to the BS'ing strategy.

Congratulations! I can tell you're super hyped Must feel great, I'll have to learn how to make up rules.

[zot1]

Anyone passed with Themis yet?

[robinhoodOO]

I've been noticing that in general, people seem to be doing significantly better on the MBE than their Barbri scaled test scores. My score is the biggest outlier there - everyone else has improved much more on their raw barbri exam scores. Admittedly, this is a TINY sample size, but in an effort to make everyone waiting feel a little better, I'll make a stab at why.

I self-studied. My entire studying for the MBE was to flip through a set of MBE flash cards probably twice total(the critical pass flash cards, that I obtained from a friend who graduated the year before). I then took ~800 barbri MBE questionss - including the midterm, final, and supllementary exams, which were the ~200 question ones. I scored ~58% raw on the first set, and the last 400 questions (the final and supplementary one) I was up to ~138 raw. Seeing that I was getting ~138 raw on the barbri, I figured that was good enough, so I decided I was ready for the MBE. So my raw score was inflated by the fact that I never made the same mistake twice on the barbri exams, while I wasn't learning anything not specifically tested by the barbri exams. For people who actually did bar prep beyond that, it appears that this MBE was actually testing things not as directly on the barbri exams, but which were taught *by* barbri.

This is why we have a 118 raw going to 147, 123 raw going to 156, and a 65-70% barbri guy getting 171 - while my raw 138 barbri only went to 153. So if you aren't normally a test-anxiety person, and you were getting ~120 raw on the last two barbri exams, you should be feeling pretty secure on the MBE portion now, based on this INCREDIBLY SMALL SAMPLE.

Don't forget, the Barbri midterm test only gave us raw scores, not scaled scores. I wonder if scaling adds something like 5 pts or 20 pts to the raw total. That might explain large bumps in peoples scores on the real thing.

Do we ever find out how many questions get thrown out on any given MBE?

It's 10 every year I believe. 190 are graded.

I believe only 190 are scored and the scale adds approximately 5-15 to your raw score out of the 190. It's not a static number.

[xChiTowNx]

Just posting here that I got my WI results as well and I PASSED! While I wont post my score breakdowns here, I will say that I crushed the MPTs and essay section, which saved me. I made up several rules on the essay portion, but did not fail any question, so there is some credence (small sample size) to the BS'ing strategy.

Congratulations! I can tell you're super hyped Must feel great, I'll have to learn how to make up rules.

Thanks! Hopefully I'll never have to make it up again

EDIT: Read Tanicius' sticky on BS'ing topics - I wish i had found it sooner!