Posted on - No Comments on My 5 Rules for Passing the MBE

My 5 Rules for Passing the MBE

You ever have interactions with dog owners that go like this?

Oh he’s so well trained!

Sit. Sit. Sit. Sit. Sit.
SIT. SIIIT.
SIT!

Ooooh look at how well he’s trained!

The MBE is probably the lever that will move your bar exam result the most.

Yet we see that training when it comes to the MBE is sometimes shoddy and not really there.  We LOOK like we’re trained, and you very may well be, but the actual exam experience is different from the simulations.

When you’re actually on the hotseat, you’re automatically less good at the things you’re normally good at on a day-to-day basis.

"I did 4000 questions on AdaptiBar and was 72% overall, so I'm confused on what I need to do better for my MBE."

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.”

I don’t want you to find out that you actually weren’t training well as you fall to its level on the real thing. Instead, I want you to pass the MBE (and the bar exam) with flying colors.

To that end, here are my five rules for passing the MBE:

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Posted on - No Comments on Review of UWorld MBE QBank: Pass the MBE with Visual Answer Explanations (AdaptiBar Alternative)

Review of UWorld MBE QBank: Pass the MBE with Visual Answer Explanations (AdaptiBar Alternative)

There are a lot of resources for the MBE portion of the bar exam these days.

AdaptiBar vs UWorld AdaptiBar vs BarMax, Emanuel, PMBR, Real MBE, Barbri, Themis, JD Advising, Critical Pass, Kaplan

You’re bombarded with referral links and ads from all angles on the Internet these days thanks to everyone trying to get a piece of you (and your sneaky iPhone listening to everything you think).

You’re taking the most important exam of your life. The multiple-choice part counts for 50% of your bar exam score based on a series of 200 letters (or 100 if there’s a pandemic).

All you want is just some solid and cost-effective help that makes you actually learn and progress.

What are you supposed to choose?

There is a refreshing alternative. A new contender to the long list of MBE supplements, with tons of students singing praises already.

Its name: UWorld MBE QBank.

In this comprehensive review of UWorld, I’ll explain what their MBE QBank does and why I immediately reached out when I first heard about them from my readers.

Here are some key takeaways and a table of contents for more details:

  • Key distinction 1 – explanations: Robust, in-depth answer explanations with illustrations, charts, and other visual aids that help you retain and recall the rules.
  • Key distinction 2 – updated question formats: Focus on relevant, newer questions so that your practice is not compromised by outdated question formats. The product team at UWorld also regularly develops new questions that align with current style of testing.
  • Key distinction 3 – experience with exam prep: They’ve been around the block. They’re known for helping students pass difficult exams in other professional fields like medicine, finance, etc.
  • Key distinction 4 – cost: The price is right. (Plus how you can get 25% off…exclusive to MTYLT readers only)
  • In the works: More features that are based on methodologies to help you remember the material. I’ll update this review when these new features come out…can’t be spilling them beans yet.

Table of contents (click to jump):

  1. UWorld helps you to learn concepts tested on the MBE using clear, visual answer explanations
  2. UWorld has updated the format of their questions to make them look as close as possible to the actual MBE questions
  3. UWorld has been around the block of high-stakes exams (now the MBE)
  4. Recap & future work for UWorld
    • Key features
    • Some ancillary features
    • Some things UWorld could improve on
  5. Verdict for this new contender in the MBE supplements space
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Posted on - 3 Comments on Remote/Online Bar Exam Logistics and Strategies

Remote/Online Bar Exam Logistics and Strategies

You’re probably wondering how this whole remote bar exam thing is going to work.

  • Do I get scratch paper?
  • Can I use a desktop?
  • How many monitors can I use for ExamSoft/SofTest/Examplify (or whatever exam software)?
  • Do I need to be online?
  • Can I print?
  • Are they going to proctor me through a camera?
  • Can I take bathroom breaks?
  • What about cheating?
  • What about the MBE? How many questions? Is it all on a screen?
  • What if I’m handwriting?

Uh, yeah, I’m sure you have a lot of questions.

Right now, all the states are having a brawl and doing whatever they feel is necessary to conduct their bar exams.

Many states are shifting from in-person paper testing to an almost entirely digital exam, at least for the 2020 Fall bar exam. This is a significant change, and something worth discussing in terms of preparation and test-taking strategies.

This post will address two things:

  1. Updates and further findings on testing mechanics for taking a remote bar exam. See below for information on all states, but the initial focus here is on California
  2. Strategies for preparing for and taking a test entirely on screen, assuming your state is administering the exam online and doesn’t allow paper for at least some portion

Btw I’m not going to call this an “online bar exam” because it’s done almost entirely OFFline. Just the check-ins sessions require an Internet connection.

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