MPRE Forum

[dhersz]

Hey guys!

1. For those of you taking MPRE in August - When are you planning on starting to study? I'm a bit exhausted from the Bar Exam still!

2. For those of you who have already taken it - which courses do you recommend? Most people seem to be pointing me to Barbri. How much prep is needed/What are people's general tips/recommendations?

[shawktheworld]

Hey guys!

1. For those of you taking MPRE in August - When are you planning on starting to study? I'm a bit exhausted from the Bar Exam still!

2. For those of you who have already taken it - which courses do you recommend? Most people seem to be pointing me to Barbri. How much prep is needed/What are people's general tips/recommendations?

I used BarBri. It was solid. Most people will say a full day (or two) is sufficient. If you want to be extra safe, though, give yourself a solid week to study.

I think I studied pretty much all day the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the exam (had to take that Thursday and Friday off due to the flu), in addition to two or three days in the two weeks before then. I ended up pulling a 122.

[jacketyellow]

Hey guys!

1. For those of you taking MPRE in August - When are you planning on starting to study? I'm a bit exhausted from the Bar Exam still!

2. For those of you who have already taken it - which courses do you recommend? Most people seem to be pointing me to Barbri. How much prep is needed/What are people's general tips/recommendations?

I sincerely did not study at all. Well, I maybe did two questions on the Barbri site the night before the test but angrily exited out of the program because I got them both wrong. I ended up passing well above the required score for my jurisdiction.

[OUgrad14]

Hi, I'm also taking the upcoming test. I've heard good things about Themis from those who took their free MPRE course. They have a schedule up that started today that includes watching lectures, etc., and a handout. I'm going to start tomorrow and may look into Barbri if needed.

[Asroma]

Starting on Monday. I'll be using Kaplan.

[Toubro]

I also ended up getting way way more than I needed to pass as the people above.

But just to add another flavor: I also know plenty of people who took it lightly and then ended up not getting the score they needed for NY (85).

It's annoying to study for it right after the bar, and you'll have people telling you they didn't study and still managed to pass. But it's much better to do it once and lock it in than to go back to take it again in November. Also fwiw, if you look back at other MPRE posts, apparently there's been some type of awakening at the NCBE which has lead them to make the test slightly more difficult in 2017 (although I'm not sure how this will work with scaling).

[EzraFitz]

I found success doing he barbri lecture and then the Themis practice questions. Two days total, easy 118.

[pancakes3]

do you have to pay extra for MPRE access if you weren't committed for Barbri for the bar?

[Toubro]

do you have to pay extra for MPRE access if you weren't committed for Barbri for the bar?

No, Barbri's MPRE stuff is free regardless

[gta]

I also ended up getting way way more than I needed to pass as the people above.

But just to add another flavor: I also know plenty of people who took it lightly and then ended up not getting the score they needed for NY (85).

It's annoying to study for it right after the bar, and you'll have people telling you they didn't study and still managed to pass. But it's much better to do it once and lock it in than to go back to take it again in November. Also fwiw, if you look back at other MPRE posts, apparently there's been some type of awakening at the NCBE which has lead them to make the test slightly more difficult in 2017 (although I'm not sure how this will work with scaling).

I second this; I took it more seriously than some of my classmates, but still not very seriously. I probably spent about four evenings earnestly studying. I barely passed, barely as in if I had missed one or two more questions I would have failed.

I also took it before completing an ethics/professional responsibility course in law school; if you have already done that and remember it, you might not need to study as much.

[Babum]

Hey guys!

1. For those of you taking MPRE in August - When are you planning on starting to study? I'm a bit exhausted from the Bar Exam still!

2. For those of you who have already taken it - which courses do you recommend? Most people seem to be pointing me to Barbri. How much prep is needed/What are people's general tips/recommendations?

I did Barbri. I did not do the lectures though, I got really bored halfway through the first one. I did their outline and all their question bank. I dedicated about 4-5 days, and about 4 hours a day.

Normally, the recommendation is to take the same company you plan on using for the bar (so as to test it out). In your case, and considering they are all free, might as well just do Barbri (make sure to get their book though, it is easier to use than the .PDF they have).

[Whyjd]

Since they are free, I tried all of them. I think I preferred Kaplan's questions becuase they have a more specific breakdown of my weak spots.

[RaceJudicata]

Since they are free, I tried all of them. I think I preferred Kaplan's questions becuase they have a more specific breakdown of my weak spots.

Agreed. I used barbri outline book, but found Kaplan questions and metrics to be more useful.

[Asroma]

I started today and felt nauseous. I think I'll wait a couple of more days

[msummer]

I listened to Kaplan lecture and did Kaplan's and Barbri's questions. Though I passes, I think it should be taken more seriously.

[Damage Over Time]

I consider myself a pretty good test taker, and I failed the first time, despite studying for 3-4 days. Studied for a week the second time, and barely passed. I'd advise taking it seriously.

[JDAdvisingLLC]

We always recommend taking the MPRE serious that way you hopefully don't have to re-take it. In other words, err on the side of caution and give yourself more rather than less time. We honestly think it is a tough exam and more people fail it the first time than are willing to admit. Many students think a few days of studying is sufficient to pass the exam, and then fail. This is especially true if you have timing issues. We recommend not only practicing questions, but actually spending time with the rules and the comments, paying special attention to those highly tested areas--such as conflicts of interest, the lawyer-client relationship, and litigation and other forms of advocacy, as these three sub-topics can make up 33% of your total exam. Lastly, after you devote some time to active review, memorization and practice, we recommend that you take the MRPE practice exam offered on the NCBE website. It is the best indication of your ability to pass the real exam, as those are released MPRE questions (whereas the rest of the questions you will encounter are made up).

[Bass]

http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/admissi ... t-centers/

How do we find out where the test centers will be in advance? I live 12 hours away in Singapore and need to really know where the possible test sites will be to plan my flight...

Based on past administrations, will takers get to choose the test sites on a first come first serve basis?

Will there be sites in NYC or are out of towners required to take in Albany?

Possible to take it in say California and use it for NY bar admission?


Many thanks!

[anabasis]

The score is completely portable, you can take it at any test center and have the score reported to any state.

When you start to register you will get to see a list of available test centers. There are lots of test centers, and as far as I could tell, there were no restrictions on which center you can choose, other than space.

[justanotheruser]

Don't assume you can cram it in a day or two. I had lots of buddies who failed because they didn't take it that seriously. Put in some consistent work over a week and you'll be fine.

[Damage Over Time]

iirc the test center selections are on a first come first serve basis, so if you want to take it in a particular place (perhaps the only location available in the downtown of the major city you're staying in), make sure you jump on it quickly

[Knickerblocker]

Do they have a personal belongings room for the mpre?

[BulletTooth]

Do they have a personal belongings room for the mpre?

I think it depends on test center. The place I took it did not, so people were forced to go back to their cars (which were parked very far away) or stash stuff in the bushes outside.

[zhenders]

I agree with the advice above to not underestimate it. No, it's not "difficult", but it isn't easy. I think the thing that tends to get folks is the length of the questions combined with the time. I'm a very strong test taker, and I wasn't at all expecting to be pressed for time, but I was; I passed handily, but if I hadn't studied a full week, it would have been close, and I'm not entirely certain I would have completed the test under time.

[MKC]

I studied for roughly 12 hours total and ended up with a 126. I'm not recommending this, because I definitely wished toward the end of my 12 hour study period that I had more time to lock things in, but it wasn't a problem. I used Barmax's free study guide, for whatever that's worth.