The fifth edition of Emanuel’s Strategies and Tactics for the MBE was published this past October (2012) and, as many of you know, is my favorite book for MBE prep. A new edition is usually published every 3 years or so, with only minor changes. The biggest change was in the last edition, the questions were re-written and updated to reflect the new style of MBE questions in 2009, while the content of the subject matter outlines (Study strategies and exam tactics) was left unchanged. This newest edition with the purplish cover actually does have some new content in the subject matter outlines, although mostly the book is unchanged. If you already own an earlier edition
Category: MBE
With 42 days remaining, we’re at the 6 week marker until the Feb 2013 bar exam. Most folks are totally immersed in studying right now, a trip to the law library confirmed that for me today. I talked to a guy who is working full time but has Monday’s off until the bar exam. We were discussing how it’s hard to get in enough study hours while also working a full-time job. I gave him the best advice I know of, which is just do the best you can with the time you have.
Check my twitter feeds for daily MBE and Virginia bar exam tips during the weekdays as well.
On an MBE note, I’m going to post a mini-review of the latest edition of one of my favorite bar prep books, Strategies and Tactics for the MBE. The 5th edition (2012) has a purplish-reddish color and a few nice updates. I’ll write that up and publish it soon.
It’s time for a quick breakdown of the July 2012 MBE. Many were talking about the mortgage heavy, real property questions. Yes, there were a bunch of them and they were pretty tough. Here’s how the national numbers came out:
The national mean for the July 2012 MBE was 143.4, right around where we typically see it for July. The range of scores nationally went from a low of 58 to a high score of 188 (kudos to those select few who broke the 185 barrier). Overall, no surprises.
For PA takers, the July 2012 bar exam results have been posted here:
http://www.pabarexam.org/bar_exam_information/results/be_results.htm
Happy 4th of July to everyone! Maybe if you’re feeling a little patriotic you can study some con law and focus on 1st amendment rights :-) Great day to celebrate everything freedom brings with it including studying the area of constitutional law. Have a safe and happy holiday!
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MBE facts and tips for the bar exam
Unless you are taking the Louisiana or Washington state bar exam, you will be taking the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) when you take your bar exam (although starting July 2013, Washington state will begin using the MBE, leaving only Louisiana without the MBE). It’s a six-hour, 200 multiple-choice question test and is administered each year on the last Wednesday in February and July. For those interested in timing, 6 hours for 200 questions equates to 1.8 minutes (1 minute and 48 seconds) per question.
As for the subjects tested, it is a 6 subject test, pretty much equally distributed as there are 33 questions each of contracts and torts and for the rest of the subjects (con law, crim law and procedure, evidence and real property) there are 31 questions each. This adds up to 190 questions. “But, you said it was a 200 question test! What about the remaining 10 questions?”
We have the Feb 2012 MBE mean and range scores to share with everyone:
Mean MBE Scaled Score for Total Population (National): 136.980
Range of MBE Scaled Scores for Total Population (National): 74.300-183.900
So, a mean score of about 137 (scaled) with the worst score being a 74 and a fantastic high score of almost 184. This is a typical mean for a February MBE administration.
As for upcoming (projected) results, here are the dates we have so far:
VA – Projected April 26, 2012
DC – Projected Early May 2012
MD – Projected May 4, 2012
NY – Projected Late April / Early May 2012