Bar Prep Bar Exam Tips and Tricks

Nevadaʼs new attorney licensing pathway, known as the Nevada Plan, includes a component designed to assess the practical lawyering skills new attorneys need on the job. In contrast to the Foundational Law Exam (FLE) component of the Nevada Plan, which tests your knowledge of the law through multiple-choice questions, the Lawyering Performance Exam (LPE) assesses your competency in using the law like a practicing attorney. During the exam, you can expect to be asked to analyze facts, work with legal authorities, and complete realistic legal tasks like those a beginning lawyer would encounter. 

If youʼre planning to practice in Nevada, hereʼs what you need to know about the LPE. 

What Does the LPE Look Like? 

The LPE is modeled after Nevadas long-standing Nevada Performance Tests, with a focus on legal analysis, writing, organization, and professional judgment.  

It consists of three practical scenarios completed during a single day of testing. The Nevada State Bar breaks down the LPE testing schedule as: 

  • Session 1: Two-hour Nevada Performance Test 
  • 30-minute break 
  • Session 2: Two-hour Nevada Performance Test 
  • 90-minute lunch break 
  • Session 3: Two-hour Nevada Performance Test 

For each scenario, you receive a packet of materials that may include: 

  • Client documents 
  • Case law 
  • Statutes 
  • Court rules 
  • Factual records 
  • Other supporting materials 

Using only the materials provided, you are expected to analyze the legal issues presented and prepare a specific written work product addressing the assigned task in each scenario. In many ways, the experience resembles receiving a legal assignment from a supervising attorney rather than sitting for a traditional law school exam. 

What Skills Does the Nevada LPE Test? 

As a measure of your practical lawyering competencies rather than rote memorization, LPE scenarios may involve any area of law and often require drafting, legal analysis, issue identification, and strategic thinking. These are the same skills attorneys use daily when analyzing a clientʼs case and preparing legal documents.  

Types of Tasks You Might Encounter 

To successfully address the legal issues that arise in the assigned performance tasks, youʼll need to: 

  • Review a file of facts, documents, and legal authorities. 
  • Separate relevant information from less important details. 
  • Identify and analyze the legal issues presented. 
  • Apply the provided law to the facts at hand. 
  • Draft a clear, organized, and professionally written response. 

The LPE is designed to assess the kind of work a new attorney performs every day, so success depends not only on your legal analysis skills but also on your ability to work efficiently and communicate effectively under timed conditions.  

When Can You Take the LPE? 

While the Foundational Law Exam component of the Nevada Plan may be taken after earning 42 law school credits, eligibility for the LPE only comes with earning your J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school (or equivalent as approved by the Functional Equivalency Committee). 

In other words: 

  • FLE: Can be taken during law school (after 42 credits) 
  • LPE: Must be taken after graduation  

The LPE often becomes the final major assessment completed after law school graduation—following completion of the FLE and potentially much of your supervised practice requirement (SPP).  

Learn more about the Nevada Plan and its components. 

Prepare for the LPE with BARBRI 

Because LPE preparation focuses less on memorization and more on performance, it’s important to focus on developing practical lawyering skills: 

  • Legal analysis 
  • Organization 
  • Time management 
  • Legal writing 
  • Working through document files efficiently 

BARBRI Nevada LPE Prep is designed specifically for Nevadaʼs Lawyering Performance Exam and emphasizes skill development through: 

  • Guided exercises 
  • Nevada Performance Test practice 
  • Simulated exam experiences 
  • Self-assessment tools 
  • Grading and feedback from BARBRI legal experts 
  • Task-specific instructional videos and coaching support  

The course is appropriate for both recent graduates completing the Nevada Plan and attorneys relocating to Nevada who are required to complete the LPE. 

Prepare for the LPE  

Find more Nevada licensure details on BARBRI's Nevada Licensure hub.   

Check out the State Bar of Nevada website as an additional resource for the most current LPE eligibility requirements, deadlines, and more.