MPRE, yuck!!

Did I ever happen to mention that I. HATE. BAR. EXAMS. I took a practice test for the MPRE last night. I'm taking the real exam on August 8. For those of you who are lucky enough to never have attended law school or worried about getting admitted to practice law, the MPRE is a two-hour, 50 question, multiple-choice exam that is required by 45 out of the 50 states to be admitted to practice law. I've already taken it in 2004, but in order to be admitted in Utah next year, I have to take it again, because the exam score is only valid for two years.

Now, some of you might say, "Multiple choice? How easy! Quit whining, Tanya." Oh, such naivete! These are not normal multiple choice questions. They are all structured to be as confusing as possible, designed to mess you up and make you question your intelligence, your ethics, and your own sanity. Also, just because I've been practicing since 1999 doesn't mean that I'm automatically going to pass the test. Practicing law and taking a test about practicing law are two completely different subjects. Unfortunately.

To compound matters, Utah and California have the highest minimum scores in the U.S. required to pass. An applicant must obtain a scaled score of 86 or higher. This TYPICALLY translates to ABOUT 32-34 out of 50 questions correct. However, the test is graded on a curve, and certain questions may be thrown out. In any event, I'd like to score at least 40 on the actual exam. I don't want any question in my mind when I walk out of there that I'm going to get an 86 or higher. I took a practice test last week and scored 38 out of 50. Then, I took another one this evening and scored a 46 out of 50. This is good, but what if I just got lucky? What if it comes time for the actual exam, and I have a meltdown and I can't remember anything? What if the actual test comes and all the real questions are completely different than the tests that I practiced with? And, to make matters worse, this is just the warm-up for the REAL bar exam coming in February, and a cake-walk comparatively at that. ARGGGHHH!!!