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[BVest]

(Mods, let me know if this isn't kosher, but since it's publicly available at http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpt/preparing/ and since I'm not copying anything nor revealing any information that's not available for free on their website, just listing the types of assignments, I thought it was probably okay.)

General Information
The MPT is a skills-based exam created and distributed by NCBEx (the same folks who do the MBE, MEE, UBE, and MPRE). NCBEx produces two for each exam administration. State bar examiners, however, may administer two exams, only one exam, or zero. Each MPT is a 90-minute exam that includes a memo from your fictional partner or judge giving you an assignment, general instructions for completing such an assignment, a "case file" with relevant facts about your case, and a library of two or three authorities (fake statutes or short judicial opinions).


Here are the past few years of MPTs:

SUMMARY (parenthetical number = Texas administrations):
8.5 (4) X Objective/Partner memo (including 2 (0 in Texas) that had an extra assignment (Arbitration clause language; Closing argument))
4 (3) X Brief/Arguments for brief
4 (3) X Client/Opinion Letter
1.5 (1) X Demand Letter
1 X Response Letter
1 X Contract Provisions Redraft
1 X Bench Memo
1 X Persuasive Legislative document

BY EXAM (Texas administrations noted with a star):

2016
February
Objective Memo *
Objective Memo + Demand Letter

2015
July
Client Letter *
Client Letter
February
Objective Memo *
Response letter to regulatory agency

2014
July
Objective Memo
Demand Letter *
February
Brief for hearing appealing administrative decision *
Objective Memo

2013
July
Arguments for MSJ Brief *
Redraft contract provisions with notes as to why changes made
February
Opinion Letter *
Brief for Mot. to Transfer

2012
July
Bench Memo
Arguments for brief on preliminary injunction *
February
Persuasive document advocating legislation
Client letter for partner's signature *

2011
July
Objective memo re Arbitration clauses AND an arbitration clause
Objective memo *
February
Objective memo AND closing argument
Objective memo *


NOTE: None of those are freely available beyond just the NCBE summaries of them, but they are apparently available for purchase. NCBE does have a number of free ones dating prior to 2011 on their site though. http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpt/preparing/

[Edited: I left one item out of the summary previously]
[Edited March 2016 to add February exam]

[myrtlewinston]

This helps. Thanks!

[Nybar2015]

Thank you

[KirbyKager]

This is very helpful. I will plan on looking at those earlier samples that the ncbe has put out. I am self-studier for Feb 2016 and have never had a real legal job and was wondering if you all might know of a resource I could look at to get a gist of the different formats you listed. I heard you get points for just putting it in the right format, and I will need all the points I can get!!!

[bluewin888]

Any good model mpt sample finished written works?

[BVest]

Any good model mpt sample finished written works?

f you all might know of a resource I could look at to get a gist of the different formats you listed

See Selected Answers tab here

It only has actual answers since 2011. Before that it only has a description of the correct answer.

[myrtlewinston]

Many thanks, Bvest.

[KirbyKager]

Thanks Bvest.....

[BVest]

Bump with 2016 Feb exams.

[BVest]

I'm going to bump this with a post I wrote in another thread. It seems applicable here and ripe for consolidation:

Like someone said : write the conclusion first because your MPT will look finished.

After talking with people who didn't perform well about what they did, I think this is even more critical. Here's what they (at least Texas, and I think all states use the same grading rubric) look for:

The MPT requires examinees to: (1) sort detailed factual materials and separate relevant from irrelevant facts; (2) analyze statutes, cases, and administrative materials for principles of law; (3) apply the law to the relevant facts in a manner likely to resolve a client’s problem; (4) identify and resolve ethical dilemmas, when present; (5) communicate effectively in writing; and (6) complete a lawyering task within time constraints. The MPT is graded on a scale where a 6 is the highest possible score and 0 is the lowest possible score. These grades are converted to the same scale of measurement as that used for the MBE.

As you'll see, completing it is one of the 6 things they look for. You'll also notice that they look for 6 things and they grade on a (ridiculous, IMO) 6-point scale. So giving the appearance of completing your task is not only one of the six most important things you can do, it's also the least subjective.

While they do not list it here explicitly, I think that formatting falls under #5. It is very important that if they ask you to write a client letter, that it start with the date and Dear Mr. Jones and end with Sincerely, Jane Partner and otherwise be written as a letter would be. If they ask for a memo, include a memo header, etc.

BTW, I hope it's not scored on those six things they look for (i.e. each one is a check box and your score is just a total of the number of boxes you get checked). Either way it's ridiculous because (a) they only give whole number grades and (b) they then take that score and scale it up to the MBE scale. Thus if you score a 1 on the MBE, that puts you in about the 10th percentile of MBE scores and gives you about a 121 for your scaled score. Whereas if you got a 2, you'd be about 25th to 30th percentile and get about a 132, with no way to score between 121 and 132.

On the up side, if you get a zero on the MBE, you still get about a 110 scaled score, so there is a hard floor. (By that logic, though, there's probably a hard ceiling to for the people getting 6 of about 165).

A friend who had to retake got a 1 on his July MPT. He hadn't finished, though he was on his second issue, and he hadn't formatted the client letter as a letter. I feel confident that if he'd simply formatted it and pre-written a a one-sentence conclusion to give it a finished look, he would have gotten a 2 and thus jumped up 11 points on his MPT score (which is 5.5 points out of 1000 on the total exam score in Texas). That would not have earned him a passing score, but obviously that's nothing you want to leave on the table.

[BVest]

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