WHAT DO YOU DO NOW AFTER YOU’VE BOMBED YOUR SIMULATED MBE PRACTICE TEST?

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The bar examination is a few weeks away and you’ve bombed your simulated MBE practice test. You need somewhere between a 130 and 140 on the MBE to pass your bar exam and you are nowhere near that score, even with a scale. Scoring 60% out of 200 multiple choice questions was clearly a lot harder than you anticipated. Is the writing on the wall? ARE YOU GOING TO FAIL THE BAR EXAM?

What do you do now?

Take a deep breath and evaluate where you are in your bar preparation. You still have a lot of time to study before the actual bar examination. It’s not over until the fat lady sings!

Understand the Reason Behind the Simulated Exam. Simulations are meant to give you an opportunity to prepare for the actual bar exam. Ideally, you know what to expect regarding the structure of the bar exam: 200 multiple choice problems in 6 hours, essays, possibly a performance test, etc. However, knowing and experiencing are very different. Now, you’ve had an opportunity to take the MBE under exam conditions with distractions. You’ve sat with ear plugs in for 6 hours. You’ve relied on a small clock in the lecture hall to keep pace. You’ve realized that 6 hours of multiple choice questions is exhausting and after the 4th hour you wanted it all to be over. These were all necessary experiences to have BEFORE the actual bar exam.

It’s Time to Kick it Up a Notch. Many of you have been studying hard, but this practice test is just the thing to motivate you to kick it up a notch. Does that mean putting in more study hours?  For some of you, yes! For others, it means being more productive during the hours you are studying.

Be an Active Participant in Your Studying. You’ve been trying to keep up with your commercial bar prep schedule and all of the assigned homework. However, sometimes you are just checking the box to complete an assignment instead of really focusing on the actual assignment. You have to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Then over the remaining study time, you have to balance your time neutralizing weaknesses with reinforcing your strengths. In order to do this, you need to evaluate your substantive knowledge. Then adjust your schedule accordingly.

Focus on Quality Not Quantity. Routinely, we hear students say that in order to pass the bar exam they must complete X number of multiple choice questions before the bar. Is there any truth in that sentiment? Well, after seeing hundreds or thousands of questions, will you begin to see patterns? However, in our experience, it is not the quantity of questions completed that improves performance; it’s the quality of the practice and review that improves performance. Quality review not only improves MBE performance, it also improves substantive performance which can translate to other areas of the bar exam, specifically essays.

Now is the time to put aside your fears and dig deep. One simulated practice exam is not going to hold you back from accomplishing your dream. You are the reason we started this company. You are not alone. We are here to help. Trust in us to help you focus your final weeks of bar preparation to get you across the finish line.  Our study schedule is perfect for the final 2-3 weeks of studying – allowing you to get organized, improve memorization, and refine your focus. Just follow the schedule for success and conquer the bar exam with BarSiege!