Sixty-Five-Year-Old Man Takes Bar Exam

As I mentioned in my last post, my exam review time is now taken up mostly with practice tests, both multiple choice questions like the ones in the MBE and essay questions like those in the MEE. I’m also writing on average two MPT responses per week. I’m pleased to report that on my last two 50-question MBE practice sessions, I achieved scores of 82% and 74%, respectively. Although the test scores are scaled, partially based on how the entire cohort of test takers performs, in general 65% on the MBE will achieve a passing score on it.

On my two graded essays thus far, I have scored 3 and 4, respectively. Those are scored on a 6-point scale, and then the total points are scaled similarly to the MBE. A score of 4 is likely passing. But do keep in mind that North Carolina requires a total score of 270 out of 400 points on the entire exam, so doing well on one portion can help overcome doing poorly on another portion.

Today I received my first phone call from a Themis staffer to check in with me. He said that I was doing very well, based on my practice scores. It is reassuring to hear this encouraging news.

I can also report that my interview with the attorneys representing the Board of Law Examiners on the fitness and character evaluation has been scheduled. The Board held slots on Monday, the day before the exam, for examinees coming from out-of-state, such as myself. I got one of the morning slots that day, so I won’t have to make an extra trip for my interview.

I’d not mentioned to you earlier that in addition to passing the Uniform Bar Exam, North Carolina applicants must take pass a “state specific component.” Many states using the UBE require this additional component, because in moving to the UBE, the states no longer use state-specific essay questions. North Carolina’s local component is a three-hour video course, comprising six lessons, with three questions on each lesson. We’ve got to correctly answer every question, so we are encourage to take notes while watching the videos. My current plan is take on this component after taking the UBE, so I don’t confuse the rules I learn in preparation for that with those that are applicable only to my soon-to-be home state. I’ll have a couple weeks to do this before I go into all-day packing mode in mid-August. Onward and upward!