This actually will be a very short post because… I didn’t study very much for the MPT. I didn’t practice MPT questions. I read over BarBri’s MPT Workbook, and that’s about it. I had taken as many written paper classes as I could in law school, and also had a lot of practice writing memos and motions, so I figured I’d be ok.
However, it can’t hurt to read over a couple of recently released MPTs and look at the scoresheets to see what they’re looking for in each MPT. I plan to do that for the next bar exam.
I also found this great MPT link before the July 2007 bar, and it’s worth reading: How to Format Legal Memos on the MPT
Readers, please feel free to post your MPT advice in the comments. I could use some advice myself!
Frustrated Bar Examinee 
I did pretty much the same for the MPT. I went to the Barbri MPT class (the first or second night, I don’t remember). That night, I figured, it sounded pretty simple – all the law you need is right in front of you, you don’t need to remember anything except for how to format your answer, read the facts and law, and understand what is useful. So, that was early on (end of May) in my preparation. The next time I looked at the MPT book was two days before the exam. I read through two sample answers (didn’t even read the file or the library) and felt prepared. Maybe not the smartest thing to do to prepare, but I didn’t feel like that was my weak spot. Like you, I had written many legal memoranda, briefs, letters, etc., so I felt confident in that area. Good luck on your next state’s bar.
I committed the format behind the link you posted to memory, and wrote in very strict IRAC format in the hopes that I wouldn’t miss easy points. Missing the easy points was what failed me in Feb. and being very strict pushed me over on MPT and essays.
I am really delighted that you and Cyberj found my post on “How to Format a Memo on the MPT” so helpful. Thank you.
Many of the bar review courses brush off the MPT. They say you don’t need to learn any new law, so it’s “easy.” They hand you a book of MPT tasks from the NCBE and tell you to Go practice!
I think researching and writing a brief or memo in 90 minutes is hard. You need knowledge of formats, you need good models to follow, and you need a strategy for managing your time.
I am very happy, again, that my post about the format for memos on the MPT was so helpful.
Mary Campbell Gallagher, J.D.,Ph.D.
President, BarWrite®
http://www.BarWrite.com
I’m very happy that you wrote your post! Thank you. I read your post, that FBE linked, shortly after receiving my detailed results from the prior exam. Without details, I was astonished at how many points would have been earned by following your format. I don’t mean the points awarded for a proper format (which are welcome too), but I really mean just good fundamental legal writing.
Thanks again, and I sincerely hope that others can benefit from your post as FBE and I did.
Dr. Campbell, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! I agree with Cyber Janitor, your post was extremely helpful to me on the MPT.
I agree that it’s difficult to pull together a brief or memo in 90 minutes. It really helped to have the ideal format memorized so that I would only have to worry about the content.
Thank you again and I also hope other people find your post helpful to them on the bar!
Pingback: My February 2008 bar prep strategy « Frustrated Bar Examinee
Very good article! We will be linking to this great article on
our website. Keep up the good writing.
i have a concern. I just took the new york bar which required a demand letter. I wasn’t sure whether to write the “to, from, date, re” or just address it like a normal letter. I went with the former and i’m super worried. how badly do you think this will affect my score. I feel good about the rest of the letter, the headings, the legal analysis, the demand itself. I was really depending on the MPT to pull up my score. I feel like an idiot not using basic common sense, but I guess that’s what happens on test days.