MBE Archives | Page 3 of 6 | Make This Your Last Time

November 15, 2021January 6, 2024 - 2 Comments

Underutilized Strategies for Fixing a Poor MBE Score

Someone wrote in to ask about improving his low MBE score:

“Hope all is well with you. It has been awhile since we last spoke. Unfortunately, I was not able to pass the bar. It was quite a horrible moment.

If possible, I wanted to get your thoughts on how to effectively study for the MBE? I scored between 55%-60% [on practice sets]. However, I did very poorly on the day of the exam. The questions were much harder than expected. I’ve come to realize the multiple choice is a weak spot for me more than the essays right now. Just needed a bit of your guidance on how to study for them. In addition, how should really repeaters now study for the bar?”

Here’s my pointed answer:

May 11, 2021July 3, 2025 - 1 Comment

3 Strategies I Used as a Repeater to Study for the Bar Exam: Fight for Simplicity!

I went on a Zoom call to discuss how to study for the bar exam. If you’re just starting out, you may be lost on what the right way to do this all is.

So I distilled three key strategies from what I did differently to pass the California Bar Exam on my second attempt. These are applicable to all jurisdictions and whether you’re taking a bar exam for the first time or you’re a repeater.

Here’s the recording (volume/quality warning):

Slides (with links and coupons)

Giveaway link (enter by 11:59 PM PT on Thurs, May 20, 2021)

Writeup & timestamps below…

December 12, 2020May 31, 2024 - 3 Comments

My 5 Rules for Passing the MBE

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:

October 17, 2020June 10, 2026 - 18 Comments

UWorld MBE QBank Review: Study with Visual Learning

You’re taking the most important exam of your life. And they want to base half of your bar exam score on a series of 200 letters?!

There are a lot of resources and supplements for the multiple-choice portion (MBE or MCQ) of the bar exam these days.

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).

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

What are you supposed to choose?

UWorld MBE QBank is a new contender to the MBE game.

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

One key distinction about UWorld’s MBE platform is that it comes with visual, intuitive answer explanations. Answer explanations with illustrations, charts, and other visual aids can help you retain and recall the rules. A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least a lot of words. And we already have enough words to read as it is.

If you already know you want to sign up, visit UWorld here to activate the discount and use code “BRIAN10” at checkout for 10% off.

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

July 20, 2020December 19, 2025 - 3 Comments

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:

Testing mechanics for taking a remote bar exam. See below for information on all states, but the initial focus here is on California
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. Only the check-ins sessions require an Internet connection.