Best method to approach MBE questions Forum

[gladiator0flaw11]

I label each question by subject matter (although get some mixed up). Can someone give some tips or different way of approaching these questions. The ones obviously with longer fact patters are my worst. Property & Civ Pro scoring very low, thank you!

[ndbigdave]

I label each question by subject matter (although get some mixed up). Can someone give some tips or different way of approaching these questions. The ones obviously with longer fact patters are my worst. Property & Civ Pro scoring very low, thank you!

Not entirely sure I follow your first statement about labeling each question - does that mean you try to determine the the topic/sub-topic of each question before answering and then get into the "meat and potatoes" of answering?

Obviously recognizing the topic of law being tested is important, though I dont find it necessary to "label" the question unless you plan on tracking your success by subjection and sub-topic (if this is the case, save yourself a lot of time and get Adaptibar as it will do this for you).

As for "tips" - the best thing you can do is practice real MBE questions and then review good explanations so you can understand why you got something wrong (or confirm you got something right for the right reasons). Nothing can beat that practice and drilling of the law in the review. Beyond that, it is up to you to know how you learn best: listening to lectures, reading outlines, flashcards - that is how you can learn outside of doing questions.

This video I think has practical advice that is generally on point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITXRay12D8

Hope this helps.

[myrtlewinston]

Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics is very helpful, especially on CivPro.

[ndbigdave]

Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics is very helpful, especially on CivPro.

+1

I have heard rave reviews about the 6th Edition of Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics - I used an older version 2 years ago and thought that the outlines + advice were useful. For the price (about $90 on Amazon or $30 for a rental through Barnes and Noble) it is one of the cheaper options.

But because different people have different problems I think the basis has to be doing some questions and determining why you are getting questions wrong - dont know BLL? Misreading the fact pattern? Going too fast/too slow? Once you determine weaknesses you can set out to attempt to fix the problems - get into learning more BLL, keep practicing to work on timing, being aware of going too fast/slow.

[SilvermanBarPrep]

First read the question. The question will provide you with a lot of useful information. It'll tell you (usually) what subject you're being asked about (for example, Contracts, Property, etc), the topic within that subject (for example, the Parole Evidence Rule) and just overall what you should be looking for as you read the facts.

For example, let's say the question says: "If the man sues bartender for battery, how should the court rule?" You now know as you read the facts to focus specifically on that particular issue and those specific characters. Jumping into the facts without first reading the question really can place you at a disadvantage as you try to find your way through those facts with less information available to you at the time.

Then read the facts. Once you come to the answer choices try to find something wrong with each choice. The goal shouldn't be to pick the perfect answer, as it may not exist. It rarely does on this test! Instead find the answer that is least wrong by crossing out errors you find in the other answers!

--Sean (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)

[myrtlewinston]

Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics is very helpful, especially on CivPro.

+1

I have heard rave reviews about the 6th Edition of Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics - I used an older version 2 years ago and thought that the outlines + advice were useful. For the price (about $90 on Amazon or $30 for a rental through Barnes and Noble) it is one of the cheaper options.

But because different people have different problems I think the basis has to be doing some questions and determining why you are getting questions wrong - dont know BLL? Misreading the fact pattern? Going too fast/too slow? Once you determine weaknesses you can set out to attempt to fix the problems - get into learning more BLL, keep practicing to work on timing, being aware of going too fast/slow.

A number of people strongly suggested that I work through Emanuel's, including Sean Silverman. (Thanks, Sean!) I practise as I study, and read all the answers. That drums things in and teaches nuances. It's time-consuming, but seems to be worth it. The Civ Pro outline is dense, but given that Civ Pro is fairly new subject, it can't hurt to know it as well as possible. I draw the line at reading the FRCP themselves.

I agree with you both on reading carefully. I've gotten questions wrong out of sheer carelessness.

[SilvermanBarPrep]

Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics is very helpful, especially on CivPro.

+1

I have heard rave reviews about the 6th Edition of Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics - I used an older version 2 years ago and thought that the outlines + advice were useful. For the price (about $90 on Amazon or $30 for a rental through Barnes and Noble) it is one of the cheaper options.

But because different people have different problems I think the basis has to be doing some questions and determining why you are getting questions wrong - dont know BLL? Misreading the fact pattern? Going too fast/too slow? Once you determine weaknesses you can set out to attempt to fix the problems - get into learning more BLL, keep practicing to work on timing, being aware of going too fast/slow.

A number of people strongly suggested that I work through Emanuel's, including Sean Silverman. (Thanks, Sean!) I practise as I study, and read all the answers. That drums things in and teaches nuances. It's time-consuming, but seems to be worth it. The Civ Pro outline is dense, but given that Civ Pro is fairly new subject, it can't hurt to know it as well as possible. I draw the line at reading the FRCP themselves.

I agree with you both on reading carefully. I've gotten questions wrong out of sheer carelessness.

You're welcome! And definitely a good place to draw the line at reading the FRCP!

[myrtlewinston]

Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics is very helpful, especially on CivPro.

+1

I have heard rave reviews about the 6th Edition of Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics - I used an older version 2 years ago and thought that the outlines + advice were useful. For the price (about $90 on Amazon or $30 for a rental through Barnes and Noble) it is one of the cheaper options.

But because different people have different problems I think the basis has to be doing some questions and determining why you are getting questions wrong - dont know BLL? Misreading the fact pattern? Going too fast/too slow? Once you determine weaknesses you can set out to attempt to fix the problems - get into learning more BLL, keep practicing to work on timing, being aware of going too fast/slow.

A number of people strongly suggested that I work through Emanuel's, including Sean Silverman. (Thanks, Sean!) I practise as I study, and read all the answers. That drums things in and teaches nuances. It's time-consuming, but seems to be worth it. The Civ Pro outline is dense, but given that Civ Pro is fairly new subject, it can't hurt to know it as well as possible. I draw the line at reading the FRCP themselves.

I agree with you both on reading carefully. I've gotten questions wrong out of sheer carelessness.

You're welcome! And definitely a good place to draw the line at reading the FRCP!

The Civ Pro questions are painfully long. Are they representative of the actual MBE questions?

[LSATWiz.com]

Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics is very helpful, especially on CivPro.

+1

I have heard rave reviews about the 6th Edition of Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics - I used an older version 2 years ago and thought that the outlines + advice were useful. For the price (about $90 on Amazon or $30 for a rental through Barnes and Noble) it is one of the cheaper options.

But because different people have different problems I think the basis has to be doing some questions and determining why you are getting questions wrong - dont know BLL? Misreading the fact pattern? Going too fast/too slow? Once you determine weaknesses you can set out to attempt to fix the problems - get into learning more BLL, keep practicing to work on timing, being aware of going too fast/slow.

A number of people strongly suggested that I work through Emanuel's, including Sean Silverman. (Thanks, Sean!) I practise as I study, and read all the answers. That drums things in and teaches nuances. It's time-consuming, but seems to be worth it. The Civ Pro outline is dense, but given that Civ Pro is fairly new subject, it can't hurt to know it as well as possible. I draw the line at reading the FRCP themselves.

I agree with you both on reading carefully. I've gotten questions wrong out of sheer carelessness.

You're welcome! And definitely a good place to draw the line at reading the FRCP!

The Civ Pro questions are painfully long. Are they representative of the actual MBE questions?

They could be. There is a great deal of variance. Property encumbrances like easements and mortgages actually tend to be the longest, but it's very hard to ask a "short" civ pro question.

I actually advise skipping around. If you spend 5 minutes on a question, you may be in worse shape than you were before hand even if you get it right.