Easy (and Cheap) Ways to Study for the MPRE

Now that we have discussed the MPRE and it is on your radar that you want to take it as soon as possible, it’s time to turn your attention to studying for the actual exam. 

Get Some Study Materials.

Sure, the MPRE is not as challenging for most as the actual bar exam, but it is still a test and you need to study for it. Thus, you want to collect some study materials to get started. These materials don’t have to be incredibly expensive—in fact, many are free! Here are some places to find study materials.

(1)  NCBE Website: The website of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is a great place to learn more about the MPRE.  On the website, you can get general exam information, links to state bar admission offices where you can learn the passing scores for your jurisdiction, and a subject matter outline that shows the frequency with which certain topics are tested.  Once you have started studying, you can even check out some sample MPRE questions to test your knowledge.

(2)  NCBE Practice Tests: The NCBE has also released a practice exam for purchase. It is an online 60-question annotated exam and once you have purchased it, you can continue to access the questions for a year. It costs $35.

(3)  Study Materials from Bar Review Providers: Bar providers that offer study materials for the full bar exam often make available MPRE materials for free—whether or not you have already signed up for one of their courses. This is great because it gives you an opportunity to try out a bar review provider that you may be interested in. Specifically, check out:

1. Themis: Themis is an online bar review provider. It offers a free online MPRE course you can learn more about here.
2. BarMax: Its MPRE app is free for download here. I wrote a review of the app, which you can check out here.
3. Kaplan: Kaplan offers free MPRE courses.
4. BARBRI: BARBRI also offers a free MPRE course for students.

If you have a little time, shop around and pick a provider you are considering for the bar exam. This is a great way to get a sneak peak at how a specific provider works. All of these providers offer different bar review products with different levels of support and different price points. So spend some time researching your options; it will pay off in the future.

Make Time to Study and Review the Material.

Although the MPRE is not terribly challenging for most, it is still something you need to study for. Not for two months like the bar exam, but for a few weeks before the test. I would recommend that you set aside time not only to review some of the material but to do significant practice. For multiple choice, practice is often one of the most effective forms of studying. But you can’t just take the practice questions, you will need to review the answers that you got right (to make sure you got them right for the right reasons) and the answers you got wrong (to make sure you clear up any misunderstandings of the law).

Don’t Forget to Take Some Timed Practice Exams.

In addition, be sure to take timed practice tests. You don’t want time management to be an issue for you. I find multiple-choice tests to be challenging for many reasons and time management is one of them. You don’t want to go so quickly through the material that you miss things or so slowly that you don’t finish. Taking some timed practice exams in advance will really pay off on exam day.

Does anyone have any tips to share from MPRE studying? If so, please leave them in the comments.

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Did you find this post helpful? Check out some other great articles:

• Studying for the MPRE
• 3L Bar Exam Tip: Get the MPRE Out of hte Way!
• Tools for MPRE Success
• 3L Bar Exam Tips: Know Your State Bar Admission Requirements

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