Because my MPRE score expired, I had to retake it. After spending a couple hours with students about to begin their third year of law school, I have some observations:
- The MPRE is a weird exam. It is easy in that you can normally eliminate two wrong answers quickly, leaving you a 50/50 (or at worst a 30/30/30) guess. Often the remaining answers both seem right (impossibly so and even if you diligently studied for the exam). So it's easy to narrow down the answers and hard to select the right one. Additionally, the score range is 50 to 150 and yet I don't think any state requires higher than an 80 (approximately a 33%) to pass.
- The weeks leading up to my final year of law school were some of the best ever: I was coming off of a great summer job; felt good about my prospects for an even better job after graduation; and frankly I bought into the "third year of law school is a waste" school of thought. Enjoy it, but realize that it will not last.
- Lawyers retaking the MPRE should probably avoid the August administration. Although my sample size was small, it appeared that the majority of the other examinees were rising 3Ls. Frankly, the students were annoying (see prior point). Less than two weeks after taking the bar examination, hearing law students complain about how unfair that they have to sit for two hours without a water bottle at their desks. Or to watch them bring in their PMBR or BARBRI review books for the MPRE and study there, in the examination room, very shortly before the examination begins. It's clear (at least at my administration of the exam) that students do not appreciate what actually is in store for them in less than a year.
- Following up on the previous point: the MPRE is similar in several ways to the MBE portion of the bar exam. You do yourself an injustice when you treat it nonchalantly.
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