How do you get a high score on the MBE?

Asked by: Johnson Tromp  |  Last update: August 16, 2023
Score: 4.4/5 (34 votes)

Top 10 Best MBE Tips and Tricks By a Bar Expert who Scored A 180 On The MBE
  1. Memorize the law! ...
  2. Focus on the highly tested topics. ...
  3. Answer questions one by one when you are trying to improve your MBE score. ...
  4. Practice answering MBE questions in a timed setting. ...
  5. Use released bar exam questions.

What is a perfect score on the MBE?

MBE Scores

The performance information provided for the MBE is a scaled score which can range from about 40 (low) to 200 (high). MBE scaled scores are calculated by NCBE based on a statistical process known as equating that is commonly used on standardized examinations.

Is 60% on the MBE good?

If you are answering about 60-66% correct on the MBE, you are likely in the “safe zone.” A higher score than that is, of course, even better! If you are scoring lower than that, see below for tips. But also, make sure that you work on the written portion of the exam.

What is the average MBE score?

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) developed a statistical technique to ensure a scaled score on one examination is equivalent to a score on any other examination). You must shoot for a scaled score of 140 to 145 (which is the average score). A scaled score of 150 or higher is recommended.

Is 155 a good MBE score?

Your percentile for the MBE Score is as follows:

A 160 is about 90th percentile. A 155 is about 82nd percentile. A 150 is about 72nd percentile. A 145 is about 62nd percentile.

Bar Exam: Improve Your MBE Score (Multistate Bar Exam)

23 related questions found

How hard is it to pass the MBE?

This means you should get 60-62 questions correct on a 100-question practice test or 120-124 questions correct on a full MBE exam. If you are aiming for an MBE score of 136-140 (which is a passing MBE score in jurisdictions that require a 272-280 to pass) you should aim for 62%-65%.

What is the lowest score to pass the MBE?

Well... in most states you really only need a score of 131-135 to pass the MBE®. Scoring higher than needed on the MBE exam is actually very beneficial, because in most states, any number over passing will be added to MEE score, which will give you a better chance of passing the exam!

Is the MBE curved?

MBE score results consistently follow a bell curve pattern for every single bar exam administration. A few students have a very high MBE scaled score and some have a very low scaled score.

Is the MBE easy?

2) The MBE is hard

Most people regard the MBE as the hardest portion of the bar exam. The questions are rarely easy or straightforward. They can be tricky, and sometimes worded in a way that guides you to the wrong answer. The only upside of the MBE is, again, that you know ahead of time what subjects will be tested.

How many questions do you need to get right on the MBE?

However, the NCBE's scale means that if you get 60-66% correct, you should “pass” the MBE, depending on your jurisdiction's overall passage rate. So, to answer the question “How Many MBE Questions Do I Need to Get Correct?”, answering 60-66% correct may get you there. Of course, aiming for a higher score does not hurt!

What is the hardest section on MBE?

Nevertheless, many future attorneys who have taken or are currently preparing for the bar exam seem to agree that the following three subjects are the most challenging:
  1. Real Property. ...
  2. Contracts. ...
  3. Civil Procedure.

How many can you get wrong on MBE?

That means you'll need to get 115 questions correct out of 190 — or that you can miss up to 75 questions and still pass the MBE!

What percent of the MBE do you need to pass?

The short answer:

If you are aiming for a MBE score of 131-135 (which is a passing score in jurisdictions that require scores of 262-270 to pass), you should aim for 58%-62%. We suggest aiming for at least 60% to be safe.

What are the hardest MBE subjects?

What Are The Most Highly Tested MBE Topics?
  • Torts: (25 questions)
  • Evidence: (25 questions)
  • Real Property: (25 questions)
  • Contracts and Sales: (25 questions)
  • Civil Procedure (25 questions)
  • Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure: (25 questions)
  • Constitutional Law: (25 questions)

What is the MBE score for 2023?

MADISON, WISCONSIN, March 31, 2023—The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that the national mean scaled score for the February 2023 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) was 131.1, a decrease of 1.5 points compared to the February 2022 mean of 132.6.

Has anyone gotten 100% on the bar?

It's unlikely, since one component of the exam is a challenging, 200-question, multiple-choice test (the MBE), where it would be difficult to imagine not getting at least a few wrong answers, and the essay components, while ostensibly graded objectively, nevertheless involve some measure of the grader's judgment, so ...

Can I fail MBE and pass bar?

The answer, in most states, is yes. In most states, as long as you make up for any lost points on the essay portion of the exam, you can fail the MBE and still pass the bar exam. For example, in New York, you need a 266 out of 400 potential points to pass the bar exam.

Which states are MBE?

Examinees have three hours to answer 100 questions in a morning session and the same for an afternoon session. The MBE is administered in all U.S. states and territories, except Louisiana and Puerto Rico, which follow civil law systems very different from the legal systems in other states.

Does the MBE repeat questions?

Sometimes students take lots of multiple choice practice exams, get to the bar exam, and are thrown off by the MBE's question format. Avoid this by taking old MBE questions. The NCBE doesn't reuse old MBE questions, but you may come across questions that are very similar.

Can I transfer my MBE score to Florida?

Applicants can transfer MBE scores from other jurisdictions provided the score meets the minimum passing scaled score (136), and that score was attained within the last 25 months.

How many essays do you need to pass the bar exam?

Six essays appear on the Uniform Bar Exam, chosen by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). (Thus, while in the past, the NCBE has released 7-9 questions for jurisdictions that use the Multistate Essay Exam to choose from, the subjects that appear on the Uniform Bar Exam have always been the same.

How long does the average MBE question take?

How much time you should spend on each MBE® question? A good general rule of thumb is that you have roughly 1 minute and 48 seconds per question. This is based on 200 questions in 6 hours, or 1.8 minutes per question.

How long is break during MBE?

The Multistate Bar Exam, or MBE, is a six-hour exam consisting of 200 multiple-choice questions. The MBE is administered in two parts: a three-hour morning session with 100 questions, and a three-hour afternoon session with 100 questions. There's usually a one hour lunch between the two sessions.

Is it normal to feel like you failed the MBE?

Remember, however, that feeling is normal because the bar exam is hard. A passing score for the bar exam is the equivalent of somewhere between 65% and 75%. In most jurisdictions, you need around a 266/400, which is 66.5%.

What subjects are tested on MBE?

Test Format

There are no scheduled breaks during either the morning or afternoon session. The 175 scored questions on the MBE are distributed evenly, with 25 questions from each of the seven subject areas: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts.