One of the most interesting things about chatting with people who graduate law school is their fear of the bar exam and also their “mockery” of the MPRE. When I ask people how much they studied for the bar exam, I usually hear “every day, 8-10 hours a day”. Or, “I had no life all summer except studying”. Interestingly enough, when I ask how much those same people studied for the MPRE I usually hear “I studied the night before”. Or, “I studied 2 days before”. It’s rare to hear someone even admit to studying 1 week for the MPRE. Is the MPRE really that easy? I don’t think the answer is a simple yes or no. It depends on the individual and the score they need for their particular jurisdiction. The mean score on the MPRE is 100, with jurisdictions requiring from a low of 75 to the most demanding jurisdictions requiring an 86. So if you only need a 75, then you can score 25 points below the mean and still pass. The mean score on the July MBE is usually around 145. The average “passing” score is hard to say, but 135 is about right. Only 10 points below the mean. Of course, the scores are on a different scale, the MPRE max is a 150 and the MBE is a 190.
So, maybe these numbers mean something or maybe they don’t. I will say this though: I have met many people who have passed the bar exam and failed the MPRE (several times). What does this mean? Well, next Saturday is the MPRE exam. With about 12 days to go, most people have not even started studying. My strategy is not to take any chances and to put in at least 40 hours studying and doing practice questions. Why take the chance of failing something “so easy”?
Good luck!
