With the MPRE coming up this Saturday, no doubt many of you will be studying this week. Many of you will probably start to study this Thursday/Friday as the MPRE has a reputation as being one of those exams that you can study for in 1 day and pass. While it’s true that some people are able to study in just one evening and pass, this is not true for a large number of folks. In fact, there are many people who pass the bar but struggle with the MPRE. The mean score on the MPRE is usually somewhere in the high 90s, around 96-97. The “passing” score is different for every state, but the highest required score in most states is an 85. Looking at the distribution, that leaves roughly 1/3 of test takers failing the exam, so we’ve got a pass rate of about 70%, definitely lower than many bar exams. So why is this? It’s not because Professional Responsibility is a more difficult subject than any of the MBE subjects. I feel it is because many take the MPRE for granted.
Here’s the strategy if you need to pass: Treat the MPRE like you would a single subject on the MBE. So, if you made flash cards for evidence, make them for the MPRE. If you did 200 practice questions for torts, do the same for the MPRE. If you made an outline for real property, do the same for the MPRE. This should only take you 1-2 weeks time since we are only talking about a single subject here. And no doubt, PR is less voluminous than the MBE subjects. Yes, on the MBE you only have approx 33 questions per subject and the MPRE is 60 questions, but still, it’s just one subject, with a dash of judicial code thrown in for good measure. So, if you “need” to pass, I recommend you follow the above advice and not skimp on your studying. If you only “want” to pass, or really don’t care, then rolling the dice and taking your chances is probably a fine approach. Good luck this Saturday.
