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The easy answer is YES. Taking a simulated Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) will provide valuable insights into your bar preparation efforts and where you stand. You’ll be able to see which topics you have mastered, and which need additional attention before the actual bar exam.  

Many bar review courses contain a full-length practice test. BARBRI offers its simulated exam a few weeks prior to the bar exam as a way to mentally and physically prepare for the real thing.  

Here are five reasons why a simulated exam should be an important part of your bar exam study plan.  

1) Hones Your Approach 

With 200 questions to answer over a period of six hours (that’s an average of one minute and 48 seconds per question), the MBE is a demanding test. Plus, with seven major areas of substantive law tested, there are questions on a wide range of issues and sub-issues within those areas of law. 

The simulated exam is your chance to develop a set approach to answering questions that will help you avoid choosing wrong answer options. At BARBRI, we have found it best to treat MBE bar exam questions like essay questions (albeit short ones with the answers already provided) with a systematic approach. 

Try these steps: 

  1. Start with the question prompt. It’s counterintuitive, but reading the question from top to bottom isn’t the best plan of attack. Instead, try reading the question prompt first. You’ll immediately glean clues on what is being tested, and you can mentally pull up applicable rules before diving into the facts and answer options. 
  2. Next, read the fact pattern. Use active reading strategies. Underlining or making margin notes will help you process the facts. 
  3. Stop and analyze. MBE questions require application of law to fact. Take a moment to analyze how the rule applies before you dive into the answer options. 
  4. Finally, review the answer options. Often, the right answer on the MBE might not feel like the perfect answer. Instead, you need to identify the best answer. One of the best ways to do this is to eliminate obviously wrong answer choices. Consider the remaining options carefully and determine which is better. 

2) Builds Confidence Across All Subject Areas 

On the actual MBE, you’ll face questions testing seven subjects: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. The simulated exam helps you prepare for this reality. You’ll develop comfort working with mixed-subject sets. 

3) Identifies Your Strengths and Weaknesses 

The simulated exam typically is scheduled around the halfway point of bar review when several weeks remain before the actual exam. After completing the BARBRI Simulated Exam, you will receive a Pass Predictor score report. This insightful performance data shows your rankings by MBE subject compared to other students prepping for the same bar exam.  

BARBRI’s Pass Predictor is the most accurate because more students prepare with BARBRI than with all other courses. You get the best indication of where you’ll land on the exam. You can then take this feedback, along with your remaining study time, to focus on the areas that need your greatest attention to maximize your score on the real exam. 

4) Creates Familiarity with Pacing 

The MBE is a time-pressured exam. To stay on pace to complete each question within that average of 1.8 minutes, you’ll want to get accustomed to the required pace and practice tracking your time. The simulated MBE will help you do that but because it’s not possible to track each 1.8-minute increment, you may want to monitor your progress using check-in points: 

  • At the 55-minute mark, be at least starting question 33. 
  • At the 1-hour-and-50-minute mark, be at least starting question 66. 
  • With 10–15 minutes left in the exam session, be at least starting question 99; you’ll have a few extra minutes to return to difficult questions. 

5) Develops Stamina 

Succeeding on the bar exam requires energy and a good amount of resiliency. It’s not easy to keep your focus sharp during the long testing sessions. Taking the Simulated Exam gives you a feel for the endurance required and helps you scale up your ability to focus. 
 
Learn more about passing the bar exam with insights from the BARBRI Simulated Exam.  

Get additional bar exam study tips and prepare for the bar exam with the nation’s #1 bar review course that helps students score an average of 19 points higher on the bar exam compared to those who study with another course.