Week 4: The MPT

Howdy, preppers! This week, I want to talk about my favorite part of the bar exam: the MPT.

Daily Study Schedule

At this stage in bar prep, you should be studying about 8 to 9 hours per day:

• Barbri/Themis: 5-7 hours

• Adaptibar: 1.5 hours

• Essays: 1-1.5 hours every other day. Write one, outline two.

• Flashcards: 10-30 minutes (optional for now, but create essay-rule flashcards as discussed in last week's post)

The Barbri/Themis portion will vary based on which platform you're on and when you started studying, and whether you are ahead/on track/behind schedule (the earlier you started, the fewer hours per day you have to work). All of these numbers are minimums, and they will go up over time. But I don't recommend putting in 10-12 hour days yet; that will lead to burnout (but you should be working 10-12 hours in mid-July). And remember to take care of yourself: 8 hours of sleep (or at least bedrest) per night, exercise, and spend low-key, relaxing time with friends in family.

Remember: Don't fall behind, and answer enough MCQs and essays each day to hit your targets by the end of July!

The MPT

The MPT is my favorite part of the bar exam. Why? Because you don't have to know any law to do well on it! But you do have to do two things: (1) master the most common tasks and (2) practice, practice, practice.

The most common MPT tasks

Every MPT asks you to complete one of several tasks (or formats or genres). The most common tasks are objective memo, persuasive brief, objective letter, and persuasive letter. There are other, less common tasks, but odds are the two MPTs on the exam will include at least one and probably two of these four. Practice these four tasks until you have the format nailed; e.g., if the MPT asks for a persuasive letter, you know what to do. Your bar-prep program will have examples of these tasks.

Practice, practice, practice & The Murphy Method

The MPT is a skills test. Practice is the only way to ensure that you possess the necessary skills. Practice will also allow you to develop and hone a methodology that will work for you on any kind of MPT task. How much practice? If you are comforatble

I have my own method: The Murphy Method. Many of you have already studied my method. What follows is mostly for those who did not have me for LARW or PFTB and those who need a refresher.

Here's the link to a video that explains my method. I recorded this in February '21 for my LARW students when classes were canceled for the snopocalypse. It's long, so I broke it up into segments:

00:00 Intro

01:25 Overview

01:50 What the MPT tests

07:28 MPT tasks & frequency

14:37 How the MPT is scored

17:19 Top 3 mistakes and how to avoid them

22:18 My MPT philosophy

24:08 Murphy Method: Tips

27:14 Murphy Method: Steps

1:01:14 In re Larson walkthru

The last section is a walkthrough of the In re Larson MPT. Here are the documents for that MPT and the slides from the video:

Murphy Method slide deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/...

In re Larson MPT packet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r9F1...

The half-baked answer I typed while creating this video: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z...

My complete but imperfect answer to In re Larson: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17...

Ultimately, you need to practice a method that works for you. Many preppers swear by my method, but if it's not your style, then maybe the method proposed by your prep company will help. Either way, practice, practice, practice so you have a plan for gameday.

Looking for extra MPTs for practice? Don't forget about our MPT bank!

Question of the Week: The Simulated MBE

Q: Will the school have a classroom available for Barbri's Simulated MBE (SimMBE)? What day and time?

A: Yes! First, what is the SimMBE? It's a 200-question, 6-hour multiple-choice practice exam that comes halfway through the Barbri program (Themis has something similar, but it falls a couple of weeks later). The SimMBE has a stronger correlation with first-time bar passage than any other assignment in Barbri, and it is hugely important to your success on exam day (really, it's what you do after the SimMBE that matters most, but you have to take the practice exam first). You should complete the SimMBE under simulated exam-day conditions—i.e., in a room full of stressed-out examinees, not in the comfort of your own home.

For most preppers, the SimMBE will be coming up the week of June 20 or 27. I will reserve classrooms on June 23 and June 28—one room each day for most students, and a second room for those who will receive a time accommodation on the actual exam. You can postpone the SimMBE by a day or three so you can take it on the 23rd or 28th (you could take it a day or two early, but you need to complete Barbri's MBE lectures first). We'll start the SimMBE at 9:00am, end the morning session at noon, then start the afternoon session at 1:30pm—just like exam day. We will also provide bubble sheets if you did not receive one from Barbri to make the experience even more like exam day. If the SimMBE appears on your schedule more than a few days earlier or later than the room-reservation days and you want to take it on campus, let me know, and I'll reserve a room for you.

I can't overstate the importance of the SimMBE. I'll provide more information next week (including the specific classroom numbers), and after the SImMBE, I'll tell you what to do with your scores.