Giving the MBE another shot?

I know what you are thinking. You have done thousands of questions, read thousands of pages of material, and spent hundreds of dollars on highlighters, tabs, and folders for all the homemade outlines—and here you are reading this, wondering Why should I think it will be different this time?

I’ll tell you why.

It will be different this time because I can show you the most common reasons why you have not passed, and how you can fix them.

Most MBE test-takers fall into one of three categories:

1. Those who don’t know enough Black Letter Law.
2. Those who don’t know HOW to read a multiple choice question.
3. Those who don’t know enough about either.

For many of you, this is the first time you have experienced some lack of academic success, so you try to do too much… TOO many outlines, TOO many pages of exceptions you will never retain, and TOO many questions just for the sake of repetition. And after thousands of questions, you are still not improving!

If you can talk for half an hour about “Malice Aforethought,” but you don’t know the legal definitions of Murder and Manslaughter; if you know all about Design and Manufacturing Defects, but don’t know the legal definitions of Strict Liability vs. Product Liability; if I ask you about Equal Protection and Due Process, and you tell me something about Fundamental Rights, but can’t tell me the difference between the two—allow me to guide your improvement!

First, I will put you on a manageable, weekly study plan that teaches you the Black Letter Law that you NEED to know for each subject, and how to retain it. Once you feel good about the LAW, I will teach you the techniques of HOW to do an MBE question, and provide answers to common confusions: Do you have to read the facts a few times? What if you can get it “down to two” but don’t know what to do? What if you have a time problem? What if you feel like you are getting tricked?

I teach a simple three-step approach on HOW to do an MBE question, that will show you not only WHY you picked B, but WHY A, C, and D are wrong! You will know WHY there is no reason to guess on the majority of questions, and I will prove to you that there is no need for anyone to have a time problem!

My schedule also incorporates study habits for people who work jobs, have busy lives, and cannot study for many hours each day.

If you follow the plan, you will:

Know the Law.

Know HOW to do an MBE question.

Have a plan.

Have the one thing most repeaters do not have: CONFIDENCE!

FOR REPEAT STATE TAKERS:

Just as in the case with people taking the MBE, there are a few common reasons WHY people do not pass the State portion of the exam, and they almost always have NOTHING to do with the dreaded Multiple Choice portion of the test. So what happens to students? They either:

1. Don’t know enough Blackletter Law.
2. Think they are writing Law School Final Exams.
3. Think the “real world “ memo writing is the same as MBE essay writing.
4. Play Russian Roulette by guessing what essays will be on the exam.
5. Don’t practice writing essays.

If any of this sounds like you, keep reading!

Back when I took Law School Finals, we could cram for one subject, we had three hours to fill up several blue books with a bunch of information, and if we just came close to what the Professor wanted, we got the benefit of the doubt and passed.

On the Bar, you have a minimum of three essays (depending on the state), you have less than one hour per essay, and you don’t know what subjects will be tested. You have NEVER been asked to write that much information in such a small amount of time. Yet, most students try to “wing it,” and find out what it’s like for the first time on test day!

I know many of you read the model answers a few weeks before the test, to get a feel for what to look for. Unfortunately, that is not enough. So what do you do, and how can I help you do it better than the typical tutorial classes?

First, I make sure you know the Black Letter Law that you MUST know for the essay subjects—not thirty pages of distinctions you will never be able to memorize.

Second, I teach you how to create a concise list of issues, and how to memorize it so that when you are sitting at the table on test day, you will be LOOKING FOR certain issues on each essay, rather than simply hoping to spot something you know.

Third, I teach you a simple IRAC approach, which includes creating a script so that no matter what subject you have to write about, each issue will be written the same way and you never have to think, How will I say this?

Then you will PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! By test day, you will not be worrying about what subjects will be on the test, because it won’t matter! You will be ready to write about anything they ask you and ready to get enough points for a PASS!

What about the dreaded Multiple Choice? For most people, this is the worst part of the test, and in my experience, the toughest place to gain points. That is why you need to do well on the essays. But again, I will teach you what to study, what rules you NEED to know and how to retain them, and HOW to practice—so you can do well enough on it to PASS!

So—why will it be different this time?

Because I will teach you HOW to prepare for the essay, you will be know WHAT to look for and HOW to write it, and you will have become so good at the art of writing MBE essays that suddenly you will have that elusive thing most students do not have: CONFIDENCE!