Kaplan MBE Midterm vs Actual MBE Forum

[lawschool111]

Kaplan says that the national average for the Kaplan Midterm is raw score of 115-117 out of 200. Kaplan also says that if you get above a raw score of 100 you should be on track to be within passage range on the actual MBE.

That seems pretty low to me considering that a raw passing score on the actual MBE is usually in the high 120's/low 130s.

For anyone who took Kaplan Bar Prep, and then sat for the actual exam would you say that Kaplan makes their MBE midterm and/or final more difficult than the actual mbe?

Also some of the questions on the Kaplan midterm were very long in length. Would you also go so far as to say that Kaplan questions are on average longer in length than actual MBE questions as well?

[Suprman37]

Kaplan questions were much more difficult than the actual MBE questions. I got a 124 on the Kaplan midterm MBE.i didn't do the final for comparison, but I got >150 on the MBE.

[Yugihoe]

Kaplan questions were much more difficult than the actual MBE questions. I got a 124 on the Kaplan midterm MBE.i didn't do the final for comparison, but I got >150 on the MBE.

This is encouraging, but would be nice to know a score for the kaplan final. You could have learned a lot more between the midterm and taking the test.

[Suprman37]

This is encouraging, but would be nice to know a score for the kaplan final. You could have learned a lot more between the midterm and taking the test.

After the MBE midterm, I was doing all state specific law lectures. I didn't even do any of the contracts stuff for Kaplan because I started late and couldn't make them up. I didn't get better from learning more black letter law.

If you want to improve your MBE performance, drill MBE questions. You know that fat MBE Kaplan sent you? Do them. Do 50 per day. You'll start to see patterns and how the rules get tested. You'll also see the common ways MBE questions trip you up. Also, get actual MBE questions if you can. The ones that were on the portal weren't as good as the ones in the book to me, and neither we're as helpful as the ones from the NCBE.

[jdk]

my midterm score: 135
my final score: 133
my actual MBE score: 163

After the midterm I had to focus on state law, which explained the drop in my score from the midterm to the final. Kaplan purposefully makes the questions tricky because they (and I) believe that you learn best when you do things wrong and then make the correction. I wouldn't say the questions are more difficult...just more nuanced. Maybe a distinction without a difference, but don't sweat it. The midterm is designed to expose weaknesses. Take the time to review the video explanations, and as mentioned - drill questions. As many as you can stand.

[Teamesq]

Shamefully, I got a 97 on the Kaplan final, but by some miracle from God I ended up with a 147 on the real MBE. Moral of the story, don't let bad practice scores kill your confidence. No matter how good or bad your practice scores are, the only score that matters is what you receive on test day.

[ndbigdave]

Shamefully, I got a 97 on the Kaplan final, but by some miracle from God I ended up with a 147 on the real MBE. Moral of the story, don't let bad practice scores kill your confidence. No matter how good or bad your practice scores are, the only score that matters is what you receive on test day.

I think that is why I think these "mid-terms" and "finals" are misleading at best (they arent "useless" but they are not a great indicator of ability come MBE time) why? Because it is too small of a sample size more often than not - especially those that are merely 100 questions.

There was a great Google Doc created a 2 or 3 years back that reflected people's scores from midterms/finals from multiple companies (mostly Barbri but other companies were represented) the general consensous of that document (from my view) was that nearly everyone saw a score jump and it was routinely sizeable. The #1 major reason for that of course is because any midterm/final exam is unweighted and not "scaled" even the highest of scores on the MBE will receive at least a slight bump in points. The second biggest reason would be that there was of course SOME gap in time between the midterm/final were taken and the official MBE test (meaning more time to study and do practice questions which, generally, should lead to some level of improvement).

That is why I do really value a program like Adaptibar or Barmax (or any other program that uses real questions and tracks your progress). You will know far more about your strengths and weaknesses by growing your sample size. Adaptibar does a great job of breaking down not only right/wrong and then your total success for a certain subject, but also broken down by the relevant subtopic which goes perfectly in-line with the official NBCE outline of topics: http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2 ... ment%2F201

What I think is worth noting, is that the NCBE explicitly states: 25 questions per subject and then states which subtopics of each subject are more heavily tested. For instance: "Approximately half of the Torts questions on the MBE will be based on category II, and approximately half will be based on the remaining categories—I, III, and IV" meaning out of the 25 Torts questions approximate 12 will be Negligence. Why is this helpful? It is extremely valuable to know how you are scoring on the "key sections" of each main subject and then identify specific places to focus your studying. It is one thing to say "I need to improve my Torts score" and a whole other to say, "I need to review intentional torts."

I went off on a bit of a rant - but the point is...increase your sample size, know where the true strength/weaknesses are because a 100 question test (or even 200) is just not enough to KNOW where you are. So just breathe if you scored well - good for you but dont rest on it - if you do poorly - dont freak out, keep studying and know it can and will get better.

[Estecontre]

Shamefully, I got a 97 on the Kaplan final, but by some miracle from God I ended up with a 147 on the real MBE. Moral of the story, don't let bad practice scores kill your confidence. No matter how good or bad your practice scores are, the only score that matters is what you receive on test day.

I think that is why I think these "mid-terms" and "finals" are misleading at best (they arent "useless" but they are not a great indicator of ability come MBE time) why? Because it is too small of a sample size more often than not - especially those that are merely 100 questions.

There was a great Google Doc created a 2 or 3 years back that reflected people's scores from midterms/finals from multiple companies (mostly Barbri but other companies were represented) the general consensous of that document (from my view) was that nearly everyone saw a score jump and it was routinely sizeable. The #1 major reason for that of course is because any midterm/final exam is unweighted and not "scaled" even the highest of scores on the MBE will receive at least a slight bump in points. The second biggest reason would be that there was of course SOME gap in time between the midterm/final were taken and the official MBE test (meaning more time to study and do practice questions which, generally, should lead to some level of improvement).

That is why I do really value a program like Adaptibar or Barmax (or any other program that uses real questions and tracks your progress). You will know far more about your strengths and weaknesses by growing your sample size. Adaptibar does a great job of breaking down not only right/wrong and then your total success for a certain subject, but also broken down by the relevant subtopic which goes perfectly in-line with the official NBCE outline of topics: http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2 ... ment%2F201

What I think is worth noting, is that the NCBE explicitly states: 25 questions per subject and then states which subtopics of each subject are more heavily tested. For instance: "Approximately half of the Torts questions on the MBE will be based on category II, and approximately half will be based on the remaining categories—I, III, and IV" meaning out of the 25 Torts questions approximate 12 will be Negligence. Why is this helpful? It is extremely valuable to know how you are scoring on the "key sections" of each main subject and then identify specific places to focus your studying. It is one thing to say "I need to improve my Torts score" and a whole other to say, "I need to review intentional torts."

I went off on a bit of a rant - but the point is...increase your sample size, know where the true strength/weaknesses are because a 100 question test (or even 200) is just not enough to KNOW where you are. So just breathe if you scored well - good for you but dont rest on it - if you do poorly - dont freak out, keep studying and know it can and will get better.

I wanted to elaborate on some points that you have made. I, for one, am a big fan of Adaptibar. This was my third attempt. First attempt was with Themis and nothing else. Second attempt I used Themis and Adaptibar. One of the things I love about Adaptibar is exactly what you stated . . . the way they break down the subjects for you helps you narrow down how well you're doing in certain subject. First time I took the MBE I scored a 120, second time using Themis and solely Adaptibar for the 21 days preceding the test I scored a 131.8. My score jumped up 11 points and while it wasn't enough to pass I was just glad to see an improvement in my score, because I am horrible with multiple choice questions. I'd also like to say that I made the huge mistake of focusing the subjects I was good on and hedged my bets on trying to excel at these subjects. That backfired on me, but oh well lesson learned. Hopefully this time I was able to fix that issue. Anyways, back to the point of this thread. I wouldn't really pay much attention to midterm scores no matter what course you use. Your results are going to be based on your actual performance. If you can, I would increase your sample size and try not to just focus on either your best or worse subjects, you need to be able to perform throughout. Sure the works sucks and its also hard work, but you need to be able to score across the board, if you focus on one subject too much you're neglecting the other subjects and leaving points on the board. Also, if you have the money for it I would suggest investing in Adaptibar, one of the best things about them is that you can download them and use it on your phone, so if you're ever stop in a place waiting or something similar its so easy to pull up the App and do some practice questions.

[Houstonttt]

Kaplan says that the national average for the Kaplan Midterm is raw score of 115-117 out of 200. Kaplan also says that if you get above a raw score of 100 you should be on track to be within passage range on the actual MBE.

That seems pretty low to me considering that a raw passing score on the actual MBE is usually in the high 120's/low 130s.

For anyone who took Kaplan Bar Prep, and then sat for the actual exam would you say that Kaplan makes their MBE midterm and/or final more difficult than the actual mbe?

Also some of the questions on the Kaplan midterm were very long in length. Would you also go so far as to say that Kaplan questions are on average longer in length than actual MBE questions as well?

Any feedback regarding the most recent bar exam??

[KkayL]

I scored a 129 on Kaplan’s final. I was only averaging around 65% right on the multiple choice. The actual MBE was mind blowing, but my actual score was at least a 150 since I was able to confirm I qualified to waive into ND which requires at least a 150. I thought I blew it on the actual MBE.