Is MBE score curved?

Asked by: Demetrius Considine  |  Last update: December 1, 2023
Score: 4.6/5 (39 votes)

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. Most bar takers fall right in the middle, within a few points of each other.

How is the MBE score scaled?

The MBE is scored on a scale that can range from 40 (low) to 200 (high). Raw MBE scores (i.e., the number you actually got correct out of the 175 scored MBE questions) are scaled using a statistical process called equating which is supposed to account for the difference in difficulty between exams.

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.

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 a 144 MBE score?

If you are aiming for an MBE score of 144 (which is considered passing in California), you should aim for about a 67%. This means you should get 67 questions correct on a 100-question practice exam or 134 questions correct on a 200-question practice exam.

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

29 related questions found

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.

What is the average raw MBE score?

You want to aim for a scaled score of at least 140-145 (which is the average score). Ideally, you should want a 150+ scaled score to have confidence to pass the exam.

What is the lowest 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.

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!

What percentage is right on MBE?

We suggest aiming for at least 60% to be safe. 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%.

Is Barbri harder than the bar?

The Barbri invented questions are harder than the real MBE questions. (Real MBE questions are still difficult though.) The Barbri MBE compares you to how others score on the Barbri simulated MBE.

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.

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)

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

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.

What is a 119 MBE score?

MBE Scores – Raw vs.

The percentage needed for a passing MBE score in California is 67.5%. This means an MBE score of approximately 119 raw (119/175) is passing. A raw score of 119 should equal a scaled score of 144. Keep in mind, California uses a thousand-point scale.

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.

Can you pass the bar with a low MBE score?

While it would be great to ace every potion of your bar exam, you don't necessarily need to get a passing MBE score to pass the bar. Often, students are able to balance out lower MBE scores with higher essays scores. In UBE states, the MBE and essays are weighted equally.

Is the New York bar exam graded on a curve?

Is the New York Bar Exam Curved or Scaled? The New York bar exam is graded on a curve or scale. The New York bar examiners convert the two written section scores (of the MEE and the MPT) into scaled scores on the MBE scale, before weighing the MEE 30% and the MPT 20% (learn the New York bar exam format).

How many questions can you miss on the 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!

How can I improve my MBE score?

10 Expert MBE Tips and Tricks
  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. ...
  6. When you answer a question incorrectly, write down the law you don't know!

Is a raw score of 30 good?

The median score is 30, which means if you have a raw study score of 30 then you have performed better than half of all students. If you have a study score of 40, then you've performed better than about 91% of all students who took the same subject.

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.

What's the highest bar exam score?

The highest possible score on the bar exam is 400. What is a good bar exam score? A good bar exam score depends on the jurisdiction but is typically between 260 and 280.

What is a 125 score on the MBE?

In the case of the MBE, a raw score of 125 indicates that the candidate got more than half of the questions correct.