UBE read question stem first? Forum

[ConfusedL1]

Barbri suggests this, but it seems really distracting to me. Any other thoughts?

[cnk1220]

Barbri suggests this, but it seems really distracting to me. Any other thoughts?

I didn't do it this way and I still did well on the mbe. Find a way that works for you. Remember barbri tactics are for the avg student tailored based on what works for the majority of people, it may not necessairly work for you!

[B90]

To clarify, barbri suggests this for the MBE, meaning any multiple choice q's. It's not just for UBE states.
Here's my advice, after talking to a couple dozen exam takers, both those who passed and those who didn't pass the first time (but later did): try it both ways and see what works for you. I know people who swear by it and those who swear against it.
One advantage I found is that it does help with crim v. tort q's because the fact patterns are close or identical and you often can't tell which subject they are asking about until you get to the stem or answer choices.
For example assault, battery, kidnapping, etc. are both torts and crimes but the standards, defenses, etc. can be different.
The MBE has used this for trap answers in the past.

[SilvermanBarPrep]

I recommend it but I probably wouldn't go as far as Barbri has in saying that everyone should do it. I do think everyone should at least try this and only if it's really distracting then avoid it. Because by reading the question first you are given key information about what you should be looking for in the fact pattern. And you gain some control over it. Instead of reading the facts hoping to figure out what is being tested, you are reading for the purpose of answering the question you've already read prior to reading the facts. This takes practice, but it's a far more active approach and one that I have seen help quite a few students to raise their scores.

Sean (Silverman Bar Prep)
http://www.mbetutorial.blogspot.com

[LMMadison]

It's definitely helpful, because it clarifies the focus and subject matter of the question before reading the scenario. I started reflexively reading the stems when I started, but in time, it evolved into more of a quick scan through the stem and sometimes the answer choices as I became more experienced. Questions will begin seemingly as a contract dispute -- but are a tort. Or begin seemingly as a criminal issue -- but ultimately ask about evidence. Having that sense of what you're looking for in advance is helpful for most folks.