March 2017 MPRE Forum

[Thrive]

There was a question about an associate sleeping with the client but the partner did not tell the associate to stop... he can be disciplined to tell the association not to sleep with her?

I think that's right. Atleast that was my answer.

One of the trickier ones for me was the hotel safe question.

Yes!! You do have to put the items in the bank locker, correct?

Idk but that's what I picked. But, the question almost seemed to imply that the circumstances were weird (i.e., hinting that it was late in the day or something) that may have made what the lawyer did more reasonable.

I said that by putting the client's stuff in an envelope with the client's name on it and putting it in the safe, the attorney did the right thing.

oh no... I changed my answer to the bank deposit one.... I failed.

I thought it was because it was late in the evening hours once retrieved....bank may have been closed.

The fact pattern implied that the bank may have been closed. But it never said that and it never actually said it was evening if IIRC. It just said the lawyer would get back to the client late. So who knows.

[AdInfinitum]

I was feeling good going into the test based on the Themis PQs. Thought the real thing was much harder and started to doubt the decision to use Themis for the bar. Seems like it was a pretty universal feeling regardless of prep company though. There were a few questions I was totally unprepared for.

[lolabear727]

I thought this was pretty difficult. Studied for about 6 hours. Watched the Kaplan lecture video. Took a barbri prep test and read over the outlines and and ABA rules. This is my second time taking this. Getting barred in another jurisdiction and my old score expired. Got an 87 last time. Need 85 this time as well as last time. Did a little bit more studying last time and I was in school and wasn't that far from taking Professional Responsibility in school at that time. I'm actually kind of worried about this. I starred so many questions and then ran out of time on the last 2 questions. So much for all my "wtf stars"...

For questions that asked "would the court Order" etc.. I tried to pick the legal rule versus the actual PR rule type of answer eventhough they both looked good. Got hung up on the questions about gifts and other issues regarding consent and whether oral consent only was enough, or even if there was a writing, if that would be valid considering the circumstances. 2 of the questions looked like MBE questions..

[lolabear727]

This was my 2nd mpre.
It was nothing like the first one. It was sooooooo difficult and some questions were really difficult to follow.
What's up with the general partnership question. Sigh

Thank you! I was thinking the same thing.. like is this the MBE right now??

[sublime]

Don't discuss actual questions. Further content discussion will result in bans.

[lolabear727]

There was a question about an associate sleeping with the client but the partner did not tell the associate to stop... he can be disciplined to tell the association not to sleep with her?

I think that's right. Atleast that was my answer.

One of the trickier ones for me was the hotel safe question.

Yes!! You do have to put the items in the bank locker, correct?

Idk but that's what I picked. But, the question almost seemed to imply that the circumstances were weird (i.e., hinting that it was late in the day or something) that may have made what the lawyer did more reasonable.

I said that by putting the client's stuff in an envelope with the client's name on it and putting it in the safe, the attorney did the right thing.

Me too.

[Apsara]

There was a question about an associate sleeping with the client but the partner did not tell the associate to stop... he can be disciplined to tell the association not to sleep with her?

I think that's right. Atleast that was my answer.

One of the trickier ones for me was the hotel safe question.

Yes!! You do have to put the items in the bank locker, correct?

Idk but that's what I picked. But, the question almost seemed to imply that the circumstances were weird (i.e., hinting that it was late in the day or something) that may have made what the lawyer did more reasonable.

I said that by putting the client's stuff in an envelope with the client's name on it and putting it in the safe, the attorney did the right thing.

Yea. Hence why I struggled with it. The bank deposit answer is technically correct (according to barbri) for small items but its hard not to think what the attorney did was reasonable. So I have no clue which one is right.

Really weird question.

According to Barbri:

"When the lawyer comes into possession of property (other than money) to be held on a client's behalf, the lawyer must identify it as belonging to the client and must put it in a safe place" (Rule 1.15(a)).

The attorney did this.

[Apsara]

Don't discuss actual questions. Further content discussion will result in bans.

Editing now.

[sublime]

Don't discuss actual questions. Further content discussion will result in bans.

Editing now.

Np. Thanks.

[Sprout]

This was my 2nd mpre.
It was nothing like the first one. It was sooooooo difficult and some questions were really difficult to follow.
---

Thank you! I was thinking the same thing.. like is this the MBE right now??

I felt the same way. I studied all the barbri stuff and thought a lot of the questions were really weird. I am also horrible at multiple choice exams so that's good. But yeah, some of the questions seemed super specific to me in terms of being more about certain types of law and less about ethics/PR. Ugh.

[lolabear727]

There was a question about an associate sleeping with the client but the partner did not tell the associate to stop... he can be disciplined to tell the association not to sleep with her?

I think that's right. Atleast that was my answer.

One of the trickier ones for me was the hotel safe question.

Yes!! You do have to put the items in the bank locker, correct?

Idk but that's what I picked. But, the question almost seemed to imply that the circumstances were weird (i.e., hinting that it was late in the day or something) that may have made what the lawyer did more reasonable.

I said that by putting the client's stuff in an envelope with the client's name on it and putting it in the safe, the attorney did the right thing.

Yea. Hence why I struggled with it. The bank deposit answer is technically correct (according to barbri) for small items but its hard not to think what the attorney did was reasonable. So I have no clue which one is right.

Really weird question.

According to Barbri:

"When the lawyer comes into possession of property (other than money) to be held on a client's behalf, the lawyer must identify it as belonging to the client and must put it in a safe place" (Rule 1.15(a)).

The attorney did this.

Whew!!

[lolabear727]

There was a question about an associate sleeping with the client but the partner did not tell the associate to stop... he can be disciplined to tell the association not to sleep with her?

I thought it was an employee of the client and not the client itself?

I remembered it as an associate sleeping with a VP of a client corporation.

Rules state that as long as someone is screened off, and it isn't a personal business type of conflict for the attorney, then the conflict is not imputed to the firm.

[lolabear727]

This was my 2nd mpre.
It was nothing like the first one. It was sooooooo difficult and some questions were really difficult to follow.
---

Thank you! I was thinking the same thing.. like is this the MBE right now??

I felt the same way. I studied all the barbri stuff and thought a lot of the questions were really weird. I am also horrible at multiple choice exams so that's good. But yeah, some of the questions seemed super specific to me in terms of being more about certain types of law and less about ethics/PR. Ugh.

Agree 100%

[pvnyc]

wow.. I answered wrong on so many questions... on to August them...
I assume for an 85.. you have to get around 35 correct I assume.. not happening here I wish I was smarter.... I am a 3L (with no post grad job yet)--- this really lowers my morale for the bar.

[Sprout]

wow.. I answered wrong on so many questions... on to August them...
I assume for an 85.. you have to get around 35 correct I assume.. not happening here I wish I was smarter.... I am a 3L (with no post grad job yet)--- this really lowers my morale for the bar.

You're not alone

[Thrive]

wow.. I answered wrong on so many questions... on to August them...
I assume for an 85.. you have to get around 35 correct I assume.. not happening here I wish I was smarter.... I am a 3L (with no post grad job yet)--- this really lowers my morale for the bar.

I would relax. I went through a similar freak out yesterday when I decided to check some of my answers with barbri. And the MPRE clearly isn't there to test smartness.

[Thrive]

Don't discuss actual questions. Further content discussion will result in bans.

Sublime, that sounds good and probably a most healthy rule. My only question is don't the rules of this forum only specifically ban discussions of MBE-related questions? Are all other bar-related questions kind of imputed (sorry, couldn't help myself) into that rule?

[sublime]

Don't discuss actual questions. Further content discussion will result in bans.

Sublime, that sounds good and probably a most healthy rule. My only question is don't the rules of this forum only specifically ban discussions of MBE-related questions? Are all other bar-related questions kind of imputed (sorry, couldn't help myself) into that rule?

Mbe, mpre, lsat, basically any test you sign something that says you won't discuss it.

[MrWhitman]

wow.. I answered wrong on so many questions... on to August them...
I assume for an 85.. you have to get around 35 correct I assume.. not happening here I wish I was smarter.... I am a 3L (with no post grad job yet)--- this really lowers my morale for the bar.

I wouldn't count yourself out. I took the test yesterday and my friends (who are much smarter than me) found the test just as difficult. The test was bizarre--I took all the Barbri practice tests and they did not really help. It's kind of a crap shoot at this point.

[dreamofNYC]

I said that by putting the client's stuff in an envelope with the client's name on it and putting it in the safe, the attorney did the right thing.

+1

[rcharter1978]

I felt like it was significantly harder. I bought the sample NCBE exam (so closest to a "true" previous exam) and got an 85%~. No chance I got an 85% on yesterday's test.

Don't count yourself out, you only have to get like 35 right.

I'm sorry to hear it got harder, the examiners must have heard about people studying for it for like an hour and just doing practice exams. When I took it last year, it was pretty relaxed. Most of the questions were exactly like Barbri, and I was done with 1/2 an hour left on the clock which NEVER happens to me.

[dreamofNYC]

I felt like it was significantly harder. I bought the sample NCBE exam (so closest to a "true" previous exam) and got an 85%~. No chance I got an 85% on yesterday's test.

Don't count yourself out, you only have to get like 35 right.

I'm sorry to hear it got harder, the examiners must have heard about people studying for it for like an hour and just doing practice exams. When I took it last year, it was pretty relaxed. Most of the questions were exactly like Barbri, and I was done with 1/2 an hour left on the clock which NEVER happens to me.

Same here. I thought it was decent. But I studied for the entire length of my Spring break. I really didn't want to fail it and let it kill my morale for the Bar, and also have to take it again in August...

[rcharter1978]

wow.. I answered wrong on so many questions... on to August them...
I assume for an 85.. you have to get around 35 correct I assume.. not happening here I wish I was smarter.... I am a 3L (with no post grad job yet)--- this really lowers my morale for the bar.

do not let this happen. The bar exam is the worst ever, and even under the best circumstances it will take a toll on your psyche.

Don't go in already handicapped.

The MPRE, at least when I took it, was more about kinda memorizing the Barbri fact patterns and less about really doing much in the way of analysis. Its not your fault they changed the game on you and it says nothing about your intelligence.

Had you known the exam was going to change, you would have likely changed your study habits in order to pass.

[Toubro]

I find this whole "more difficult" thing hard to buy . . . The MPRE scaled score is the result of statistical equating, which means that the score on any one test needs to be comparable to the score on another test, accounting for varying difficulty. If the test randomly became "more difficult" in March 2017, does that mean an 86 in March isn't the same as an 86 from November 2016?

Even if the test was substantively harder, I think the equating will make it so that the the amount of knowledge/performance required to get any one scaled score would remain the same regardless of which test you took. That's the whole point of equating.

[Thrive]

I find this whole "more difficult" thing hard to buy . . . The MPRE scaled score is the result of statistical equating, which means that the score on any one test needs to be comparable to the score on another test, accounting for varying difficulty. If the test randomly became "more difficult" in March 2017, does that mean an 86 in March isn't the same as an 86 from November 2016?

Even if the test was substantively harder, I think the equating will make it so that the the amount of knowledge/performance required to get any one scaled score would remain the same regardless of which test you took. That's the whole point of equating.

Right. So theoretically, if it is indeed harder, then perhaps a 28-30 out of 50 gets you the 85. But I don't know about that. I thought the exam was very chill and I did it faster than I had ever completed a practice exam. I know for a fact a got a few wrong but the general feeling from others about the exam makes it seem like maybe it was indeed more difficult and I just missed important nuances.

Guess we'll find out soon enough