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NoBladesNoBows

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by NoBladesNoBows » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:07 am

White Dwarf wrote:Finished around 30 minutes early on both. I may have rushed a little in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave just so my fried brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on.
Exactly this.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by estefanchanning » Wed Aug 01, 2018 1:50 pm

NoBladesNoBows wrote:
White Dwarf wrote:Finished around 30 minutes early on both. I may have rushed a little in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave just so my fried brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on.
Exactly this.
I don't understand this logic. If you're super smart and confident about your answers, then sure leave early? But I would hate to fail the bar by 3-4 MBE Qs because "no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave so my friend brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on."

I would infinitely rather fry my brain going over problems despite how sure I am if it means getting one extra question right. Spending an extra hour in the testing center pales in comparison to the prospect of having to repeat the study process and taking the exam again.

So, future bar takers, I urge you to not follow these guys' habits. They are likely extremely intelligent and probably score in the 99th percentile, hence their confidence. I have many friends from different states who literally failed by 9-10 points. You don't want that to be you.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by Lord Blackstone » Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:28 pm

The first exam I took was in DC. I finished each section with time to spare (around 20 min for the MBE,) and turned in my test early.

The second exam I took was in GA. I finished both halves of the MBE with 20 minutes to spare. But, unlike in DC, I had to sit there like a schmo with literally nothing to do until time ran out.

I answered about 2,500 practice questions in preparation for each exam and I passed both. But it was a close score in each instance.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by NoBladesNoBows » Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:31 pm

estefanchanning wrote:
NoBladesNoBows wrote:
White Dwarf wrote:Finished around 30 minutes early on both. I may have rushed a little in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave just so my fried brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on.
Exactly this.
I don't understand this logic. If you're super smart and confident about your answers, then sure leave early? But I would hate to fail the bar by 3-4 MBE Qs because "no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave so my friend brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on."

I would infinitely rather fry my brain going over problems despite how sure I am if it means getting one extra question right. Spending an extra hour in the testing center pales in comparison to the prospect of having to repeat the study process and taking the exam again.

So, future bar takers, I urge you to not follow these guys' habits. They are likely extremely intelligent and probably score in the 99th percentile, hence their confidence. I have many friends from different states who literally failed by 9-10 points. You don't want that to be you.
Ehh I don't really feel awesome about the test, I just didn't feel like I had anything more beneficial that I could do by the time I got to the end. I checked back through all my AM answers at the end and only changed a few, and wasn't sure that those needed to be changed anyway. I was so exhausted and drained by the end of PM that I felt like checking back over everything would have a very low chance of improving my score and a similar chance of lowering it, so why bother. I read carefully and thoughtfully as I answered them and did one last smell-test before I moved on.

But this certainly wasn't meant as advice for anyone else or anything, do what works for you. If you find that you catch mistakes and do better when you check back over, no matter how tired you are, go for it. I was just completely spent at the end and had pretty much accepted that I'd done the best I could and there was nothing more to do at that point.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by White Dwarf » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:39 pm

Yeah, I tanked my LSAT score the first time I took it because I went back at the end of sections and wound up changing 7 answers from right to wrong. Having extra time just gave me time to over-analyze things. Unless you misread the prompt or made some obvious error, I don't think spending significantly more time on a multiple choice question helps you get it right.

I don't think I ever went back and changed an answer during the practice MBE sets. It didn't make sense to start on test day. Stick with what works for you.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by Pneumonia » Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:13 pm

I finished both sections 30+ minutes early last year and passed comfortably. You either know the answers or you don't. If I had to guess on a question (probably about 40% of them—I only got to 50% or so on BARBRI), I made my best guess and moved on. Most people feel pretty bad about the MBE walking out, so if you felt ok then that's a good sign.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by 4LTsPointingNorth » Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:18 pm

estefanchanning wrote:
NoBladesNoBows wrote:
White Dwarf wrote:Finished around 30 minutes early on both. I may have rushed a little in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave just so my fried brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on.
Exactly this.
I don't understand this logic. If you're super smart and confident about your answers, then sure leave early? But I would hate to fail the bar by 3-4 MBE Qs because "no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave so my friend brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on."

I would infinitely rather fry my brain going over problems despite how sure I am if it means getting one extra question right. Spending an extra hour in the testing center pales in comparison to the prospect of having to repeat the study process and taking the exam again.

So, future bar takers, I urge you to not follow these guys' habits. They are likely extremely intelligent and probably score in the 99th percentile, hence their confidence. I have many friends from different states who literally failed by 9-10 points. You don't want that to be you.
There is a high degree of risk in changing answers you were 50/50 on. Your brain only gets more tired during the test, and you likely made your initial answer choice for a reason. If you often went back and changed answers during your prep, then great, maybe that's just your process. But like the above poster said, definitely don't start doing that for the first time on exam day.

That said, it is always worth the extra 10-20 minutes to triple check that you bubbled everything in exactly as you intended to, and that there are no stray marks or partially bubbled answers. It's also worth taking the time to re-read all of the questions and to make sure that the answer choices you selected are actually responsive to the call of the question (e.g., that you didn't miss a negative or qualifying word in the call of the question or that you didn't select an obvious distractor after failing to read the choices closely enough).

But after all that is done, I definitely think it's wiser to just leave early than to start switching from option A to option B when you were originally 50/50 between them.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by estefanchanning » Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:27 pm

4LTsPointingNorth wrote:
estefanchanning wrote:
NoBladesNoBows wrote:
White Dwarf wrote:Finished around 30 minutes early on both. I may have rushed a little in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave just so my fried brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on.
Exactly this.
I don't understand this logic. If you're super smart and confident about your answers, then sure leave early? But I would hate to fail the bar by 3-4 MBE Qs because "no way I was going to sit around for another hour waiting to leave so my friend brain could reconsider a couple problems that I was 50/50 on."

I would infinitely rather fry my brain going over problems despite how sure I am if it means getting one extra question right. Spending an extra hour in the testing center pales in comparison to the prospect of having to repeat the study process and taking the exam again.

So, future bar takers, I urge you to not follow these guys' habits. They are likely extremely intelligent and probably score in the 99th percentile, hence their confidence. I have many friends from different states who literally failed by 9-10 points. You don't want that to be you.
There is a high degree of risk in changing answers you were 50/50 on. Your brain only gets more tired during the test, and you likely made your initial answer choice for a reason. If you often went back and changed answers during your prep, then great, maybe that's just your process. But like the above poster said, definitely don't start doing that for the first time on exam day.

That said, it is always worth the extra 10-20 minutes to triple check that you bubbled everything in exactly as you intended to, and that there are no stray marks or partially bubbled answers. It's also worth taking the time to re-read all of the questions and to make sure that the answer choices you selected are actually responsive to the call of the question (e.g., that you didn't miss a negative or qualifying word in the call of the question or that you didn't select an obvious distractor after failing to read the choices closely enough).

But after all that is done, I definitely think it's wiser to just leave early than to start switching from option A to option B when you were originally 50/50 between them.
Yes I agree with all that. I don't think my post was contrary? But also on that note, I really don't see how someone can answer 100 Qs and do all you stated and still finish early. Unless that person is a genius.

Also, changing your answer on questions you were 50/50 on isn't necessarily a bad thing. I agree you shouldn't make it a habit, but there have been multiple times where I changed my answer because I skipped a word in the question in my haste to finish on time.

Maybe I'm sounding like an old broken record, but I just feel the stakes are so incredibly high on this exam that I wouldnt want the act of leaving early to haunt me if I fail (I just took the July exam). And I tend to impute my fear onto others because I know how hard they studied and would hate for them to fail because they missed 2-3 questions and left an hour early.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by kyle010723 » Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:11 am

Agree with the above poster regarding better to leave early.

After months long training, I would trust your instinct in answering questions. Going back after going through 100 questions not only means you would likely over analyze the question, you would also second guess your instinctive answers—with a burnt out brain by the point.

Now if there were some super complicated long questions, sure, go back and reread it to be sure you didn’t miss something. But otherwise, for Barbri and for the real MBE, I only went back to ensure I filled in the scantron correctly.

Again, totally a personal preference. But I am in the trust your instinct camp. I left with close to an hour to spare and still did decently well on the MBE.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by nixy » Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:36 am

estefanchanning wrote:But also on that note, I really don't see how someone can answer 100 Qs and do all you stated and still finish early. Unless that person is a genius.
I'm absolutely not a genius, but I did all that. I just read quickly. It doesn't take very long to read 100 questions. I always finished the LR and RC sections of the LSAT early, too, and finished the MPRE early. Purely reading speed.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by justanotheruser » Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:48 pm

Granted, the MBE was a huge strength for me when I passed (confirmed I got 150+ on the 2/18 CA bar), but I was finishing early in almost every mixed MBE set. Finishing early on the actual MBEs would have bothered me more if (1) I didn't trust my instincts or process and/or (2) I never finished early during studying.
nixy wrote:
estefanchanning wrote:But also on that note, I really don't see how someone can answer 100 Qs and do all you stated and still finish early. Unless that person is a genius.
I'm absolutely not a genius, but I did all that. I just read quickly. It doesn't take very long to read 100 questions. I always finished the LR and RC sections of the LSAT early, too, and finished the MPRE early. Purely reading speed.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by Auxilio » Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:47 am

I did 20 questions -> get up piss/grab a cup of water, slowly drink it (probably about 4 minutes break) -> 20 questions etc.

Still finished with about 50-60 minutes left for both, went back and reread a few that I was really uncertain of, but generally I wanted to trust my gut on difficult questions. Walked out about 40 minutes early. I was doing practice sets in about 40-50% of the allowed time (except for when I would just get up mid set and cook dinner or something). I read fast and generally believe in trusting instinct. Think I would have done worse if I went back and changed stuff.

Was getting about 74-80% on later practice set questions, so have some faith.

re: the above discussions, I think you have to know yourself if it's better to walk up and leave or go back and deep-analyse, but I strongly suggest anyone who doesn't feel crunched for time do the brief walk/break every 20 or so questions. I noticed when going through practice sets that I almost always did best at the beginning or when returning from a break.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by Findedeux » Fri Aug 03, 2018 10:21 am

I understand the reluctance to change answers especially if you never changed answers during practice tests.

However, I also know that every test I would get some easy answers wrong and always wished that I could at least stop getting easy answers wrong.

Easy answers or trick questions are the types of answers you have a decent chance of fixing on a review.

That said, some answers I just wasn't sure. One of the questions that dealt with amendments I got wrong and then changed my answer and still got it wrong.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by dudders » Fri Aug 03, 2018 10:28 am

Amount of time it takes you to finish is not an indicator of how you did. Some people, like me, are extremely fast readers and test takers. I finished both sections 60-90 mins early. It doesn't mean I knew EVERY answer, I just recognize quickly if I know it or I don't. I passed with flying colors. I had friends who didn't even finish the MBE who also passed.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by pfunkera » Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:05 pm

took it in February. I probably had about 30-40 minutes left after the morning and afternoon session. As I took the test, I answered every question but marked down the ones I wanted to come back to on the front inside cover. I probably had about 20-25 questions from each session that I went back to and I definitely changed some answers. I ended up scoring really well but it is impossible to say if changing those answers helped or hurt me but I only changed them if I truly felt better about the new answer choice.

I took the entire time for every single session of the Bar exam. I put way too much time, money, and stress into that test to leave early. However, the guy next to me left with an hour left for each session of the MBE but he passed because I saw him at the C&F interviews :)

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by rinel57 » Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:04 pm

scard wrote:Anyone else finish early for both sessions?

Morning session I finished maybe 20 minutes early and after noon session I finished 30 minutes early.

I did 3100 practice mbe questions and was finishing them in the 85% range but the bar exam was Slightly different than what was offered by the mbe practice questions as others have noted. I still feel confident about it but what about others?

Also if any passers are still around I’d like to know if you passed after finishing early

Just popping in here to say that I finished the MBE with at least an hour left on both sessions AND passed the bar ~comfortably~. If you are a fast test taker, don't double question it, take this test like you've taken other tests. Obviously it's worked so far.

I only changed one answer and again, did well on the MBE. Every one's experience is different so trust yourself!

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by scard » Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:52 am

rinel57 wrote:
scard wrote:Anyone else finish early for both sessions?

Morning session I finished maybe 20 minutes early and after noon session I finished 30 minutes early.

I did 3100 practice mbe questions and was finishing them in the 85% range but the bar exam was Slightly different than what was offered by the mbe practice questions as others have noted. I still feel confident about it but what about others?

Also if any passers are still around I’d like to know if you passed after finishing early

Just popping in here to say that I finished the MBE with at least an hour left on both sessions AND passed the bar ~comfortably~. If you are a fast test taker, don't double question it, take this test like you've taken other tests. Obviously it's worked so far.

I only changed one answer and again, did well on the MBE. Every one's experience is different so trust yourself!
Great news! Congrats! What was your scaled mbe score if you don’t mind me asking?

Also if anyone else would chime in about finishing early and their scaled mbe scores if they have them, that would be great..

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by Calbears123 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 12:16 pm

Finished morning and afternoon with 25 minutes to spare. Left immediately after I was done and didn’t review any problem.

Scaled MBE score was 175.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by MAwannabeCAatty » Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:23 pm

I finished the morning session slightly early (10-15 min, but took multiple bathroom/take a deep breath breaks) and the afternoon session by at least half an hour. Only checked to make sure every question was bubbled; did NOT check/change answers. I've always been a fast test taker, for multiple choice tests at least.

170.5 scaled MBE, which was definitely higher than I expected.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by scard » Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:41 pm

Oh the things I would do to score a 170+ on the mbe section.. congrats you guys.. I find out Nov 16

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by notrub14 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 2:21 pm

masterherm wrote:That’s a pretty bad sign. Most people I’ve talked to who passed took all their time, and the ones I know who failed finished early and felt confident.
I'm betting that the score distribution for people who finish with a lot of time to spare is bimodal.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by mathandthelaw » Thu Nov 01, 2018 4:47 pm

I'm in the one-size-does-not-fit-all approach.

Both sides have great points. I believe it depends on your consistency with practice MBE questions/tests. If you regularly finish early, I think it is okay. If you regularly cut it close, then obviously a drastic change on MBE day of ending early may be a concern.

I'm a medium-paced reader. That's always been my weakness. I do not read fast. I realized this all has to do with medical conditions that affect my ability and endurance to read for long periods of time. Luckily it doesn't affect me in legal practice.

My last few MBEs I was finishing with around 15-20 minutes to spare, and the same thing happened on MBE day. I answered all of them, but I had 20 questions per set I had no idea about or was stuck on. I went back to them to ensure I read them correctly and gave them more time. I only changed 1 or 2 answers, but I felt good about being able to re-read them to make sure I didn't make a mental mistake. For me, sometimes going too quickly with my instinct would lead me to thinking of the applicable rule but not ensuring that an exception didn't apply and under-thinking it.

My advice: do what works for you and practice that multiple times before the real day. I am NOT the person who would ever leave early. But that works for other people that I am jealous of that whom are fast readers. But it's okay because I have other strengths and was still able to succeed in law school without being a fast reader.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by L_William_W » Fri Nov 02, 2018 1:17 pm

I took the bar exam multiple times in two states:

February 2014 (NY)- didn't finish due to medical emergency

July 2014 (NY, NJ)- 118.6 MBE

February 2015 (NJ)- 123.2 MBE

July 2015 (NJ)- 130.2 MBE (passed)

July 2017 (NY)- 149.3 MBE (passed)

In July 2017, I finished 20 minutes early in both the AM and PM session. However, I wasn't willing to take a chance, especially after flunking all of those times. Furthermore, you don't extra points for finishing early. Assuaging your ego isn't worth having to take the bar all over again. I used every millisecond I had left to OCD review the questions.

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by rcharter1978 » Thu Nov 15, 2018 10:58 pm

I had an AP English teacher who used to say "you changa your answers, I breka your fingers" because it was so easy to go over your answers, overthink your first instinct and change to the incorrect answer.

I've never really gotten much out of going back over questions I wasn't sure about. I still do it because I can't help myself but I don't particularly think it's a good thing.

The only exam I ever legitimately walked out of early was the mpre

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Re: Anyone else finish the mbe really early?

Post by scard » Sat Nov 17, 2018 3:43 am

OP here.. just wanted to revive this thread to let whoever is interested in k owing that this July 2018 exam was the first time Iv ever had extra time (walked out 25-30 min early each session) and this time, after 6 attempts, finally passed the CBX!

So I will conclude that finishing early is probably an indicator of doing well

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