Don't ignore MBE practice exams.
First thing's first: practice exam scores are hugely important in MBE success because the MBE itself is such a huge portion of the bar exam. MBE subjects are tested disproportionately across the bar exam and they are much harder than essays.
So, it's imperative that you get used to answering hundreds of MBE questions before you sit for the real thing. (And if you're looking for real, actual MBE questions, we have them).
But even though MBE practice exams are a good measure of what you know and don’t know, they can be particularly stress-inducing.
Learning from your results is more important than you think.
The important part, however, is to learn from your score, no matter how bad it may be. Closely examine your score, breaking it down by subject and topic areas within subjects, if possible.
Obviously, this will show you where you're struggling, but it can also reveal flaws in how you're studying for the exam or approaching MBE questions. Looking for patterns in your answers is also important. Pay attention to streaks of wrong answers - if this is happening to you, it often indicates you're losing focus, so you need to work on your mental preparation.
You don't always need to take full, simulated exams. Shorter can be better.
As you move ahead in the study process, don't stop taking shorter, timed MBE sections, even in single subjects where you need work. Over-focusing on taking full, simulated MBEs can act as a barrier to practicing any MBEs.
Also, work on taking shorter, 30-minute simulated exam sessions at least once every other day, paying particular attention to timing.
Eventually, you should work yourself up to taking a few full-length, simulated MBE exams. The goal with practice exams is that you should walk into the real MBE feeling like you've done this a million times before.
Don't panic. It won't help.
Most importantly, don’t panic about bad scores. A freakout won’t really do anything to help you. Instead of getting overwhelmed, get focused on what you need to work on. With just a few weeks remaining until the exam, you still have plenty of time to strengthen areas of weakness and get up to speed.
Good luck as you enter the home stretch, and keep up the hard work!
