More and more law professors are including multiple choice questions in their final exams in order to give students a sense of what to expect on the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).
While some students like multiple choice, others are less than thrilled at the idea of it becoming more popular on final exams. But mastering multiple choice is a lot easier if you have the right approach. The following tips will help put you on the right path early, which can pay big dividends on your upcoming finals and later on the bar exam.
Read carefully and review the entire fact pattern
While you need to be somewhat quick with timed tests (we’ll touch on that more below), you also want to ensure you’re reading each question and answer choice carefully.
Approach it like an essay question
Just like essays, a multiple-choice question on your law school final requires you to spot the legal issue, identify the legal rule, and analyze the facts before getting to your answer.
Correct is not always right
Students often assume certain facts or ignore missing elements. But this is what makes multiple choice questions the easiest method for tricking students. Don’t get caught by red herrings and don’t try to add to the fact pattern. Choose your answer based only on the facts presented and review your answer choices carefully so you don’t accidentally select an answer that doesn’t resolve the correct issue or misstates facts, the law or is using the wrong legal reasoning.
Don’t forget that the clock is ticking
As soon as the exam begins, make sure you figure out how many minutes you have per question. Generally, each multiple-choice question is going to be worth the same number of points so it’s important not to spend too much time on any single question. You don’t want to lose points on easier questions because you ran out of time. Some students prefer to skip harder questions and flag them to return to after they’ve gone through all the other questions. But if you’re running out of time, make sure to put an answer for every question (even if it’s a guess, it’s still better than a blank answer).
