MPT Recap: Final Week Strategies

Students feel the need to neglect the MPT in their final week of study. The pressure of time is on. The pressure to memorize and practice MBE questions and essays is also getting higher. Despite this, please resist the urge to neglect the MPT in your final week. Remember, it is the one part of the bar exam where you can score a lot of points with nothing you needed to memorize or recall – you just have to practice them. Here are some tips for preparing for the MPT in your final week of bar study.

1. Practice at least 2 MPTs the week before the bar exam. You need to be ready for exam day, and you don’t want to go in cold without having done any MPTs in close proximity to the test. Remember it is the first part of the bar exam you will take, so you want to be ready for it.
2. Be familiar with every type of MPT you may see on exam day. Look back at my MPT post where I discuss this, and where I post the MPT frequency outline. You do not have to simulate each of these, but getting yourself acclimated to each one and coming up with an attack plan for each one will prepare you for exam day.
3. If you’re struggling with the planning portion of the MPT and timing, practice the first 45 minutes of an MPT, outline it all, and then review the sample answers. This will allow you to practice more MPTs in less amount of time, and you will be practicing the portion that sets you up for the final 45 minutes of writing.

Further, remember how you would attack an MPT:

• Read the task memo carefully. Write down the legal issues you are asked to address.
• Read the library first and focus on the legal rules you need to pull out in order to answer these issues. If there is a statute, use it to outline the law. Only use the portions of a statute or case that relate to the issues you are asked to discuss in your task memo. Read the cases in the library in an efficient way – go to the court’s holding and then look for its reasoning.
• Read the file, looking for the legally significant facts you need to apply them to the rules you have identified. Look for facts that are similar or different to the court’s reasoning from the cases in the library – these are the facts you will compare/contrast your case to the cases in the library in the MPT.
• Follow the guidelines for writing the document. If you’re asked to write a brief or a memo – set it up that way. If you get a wildcard MPT, be sure to follow the guidelines your document provides you with.

Most importantly, take a deep breath in and out before beginning an MPT. This task can be overwhelming, but you have all of the skills you need to complete it. Conquer the MPT!