Actual Feedback for March 2019 MPRE Forum

[HueyPLong]

Hello,

I want to provide some actual feedback concerning the MPRE. I hope this adds to reliable information out there for any future test takers.

I used the BarBri MPRE study book. It comes with an online lecture, "mini-quizzes" you can take after each section of reading, and four total practice exams.

My process was this: read the section assigned by BarBri, watch the lecture, and take the mini-quiz. I would take another mini-quiz if I got 8/10 or less. Then, I continued to the next section, watched the lecture, took the mini-quiz, etc...While reading, I did make my own outline. I'm just a person who memorizes better if I write it out at least once or twice.

Once I finished the readings, I worked solely off my outline. I found the BarBri video lectures to be ok at best as a summary of the reading. The lecturer makes a lot of generalizations that are just not accurate. I found their outline to be worthless. I personally recommend that future test takers make their own outline, unless they wait until the day of the test to study...

I would read my outline in full, then take a full practice exam. On the first three BarBri exams, I got ~45/60 - ~52/60. With one last practice exam left, I did purchase the NCBE practice exam. I took the last practice exam, and I got ~41/60. I got around 85% on the NCBE practice exam the night before the test.

Studied the night before, studied the morning before. Got through my outline before the actual exam.

I just received a score on the most recent MPRE that, as compared to available statistics from NCBE's statistics page, is within the top 5-10%.

Did I study a lot? Yes, obviously. My point in putting this up here, though, is to provide additional information for those who are actually studying. There are too many posts online that start with, "I didn't study, and now I'm super nervous, but I know 10 people that didn't study at all and aced it...AM I ALRIGHT?!?" I want to provide actual feedback to the majority of people out there who are mature enough to enter the test prepared.

Final note: I will say that I believe the BarBri practice exams get harder each time. The fourth exam is quite tricky, and it makes you really bring in different rules to pick "the best answer." Despite my views on the lecturer and their outline in the beginning of the book, I do recommend BarBri. I think that they do provide you pretty much everything that could be tested, and the book is written in a way that is very easy to follow.

If you study, you'll do fine. If you don't, you'll join the ~20-25% of test takers that have to take it again.

Additional reading: http://www.ncbex.org/statistics-and-res ... tatistics/.

[265489164158]

Congratulations on passing with flying colors, but it does seem like you overprepared a bit. Since it is a minimum competency test, it is more efficient to do less. I also used Barbri and watched all the videos about 2 1/2 weeks prior and took one full test to get a baseline. Then, I did 10 (occasionally 20) questions per day most every day and studied the answers I got wrong (I created a google doc for this). Before I did each set of questions, I would quickly read through the Google doc. The week before the exam I was consistently at 70-80%. I also did some Themis questions (which I found harder than the Barbri). The point is, I passed in about the 90th percentile and it was relatively painless (except for the half day I spent watching the videos).

[HueyPLong]

Congratulations on passing with flying colors, but it does seem like you overprepared a bit. Since it is a minimum competency test, it is more efficient to do less. I also used Barbri and watched all the videos about 2 1/2 weeks prior and took one full test to get a baseline. Then, I did 10 (occasionally 20) questions per day most every day and studied the answers I got wrong (I created a google doc for this). Before I did each set of questions, I would quickly read through the Google doc. The week before the exam I was consistently at 70-80%. I also did some Themis questions (which I found harder than the Barbri). The point is, I passed in about the 90th percentile and it was relatively painless (except for the half day I spent watching the videos).

Yea, I definitely didn't write this post to imply that I was the most efficient in my preparation for this exam. I'm headed to an AmLaw 50 firm (NYC office) after graduation, and I didn't want to put everything on the line for the August (or Sep?) MPRE...I was hoping to provide an example for future test takers to show that their grade should likely reflect their efforts.

It seems our approach is a little more similar than you write, too. I think that's also a good thing for future test takers to read. You too did BarBri prep readings, and took almost all practice test questions (in the broken up manner you state). I'm assuming you shifted to Themis after doing all or nearly all BarBri questions, just because I don't otherwise understand why you would pay two different companies without exhausting the test prep questions.

It seems the differences are: 1.) You didn't do the mini-quizzes, and 2.) You used another test prep company's materials (Themis) instead of the NCBE practice test. Thus, reading BarBri, doing their test questions, and perhaps using an additional, reliable resource will help future test takers feel more confident leaving the test! That effort got us both into scores that will be accepted anywhere, which is a win for both.