The following was my response to a question posed on a bar exam message board regarding how best to prepare in the remaining time for the February MBE.
(1): Train yourself so that the entire purpose of any question is to eliminate the answers that you know to be incorrect rather than to pick the answer that you know to be correct. After having taught this test for many years, I am certain that it is easier to spot the wrong answer than it is to pick the right answer. This is because the right answer isn't always entirely right (frustrating!) but rather it is more right than the others. You should set out to eliminate answers until there is only one answer left. Know the law well enough to know why the answers are wrong and you are well on your way to a significantly increased score.
(2): When implementing this strategy, you will still answer some questions incorrectly. When that happens, note the rule of law that had you known you would have answered the question correctly. The MBE is all about testing the same legal issues over and over again while hiding the legal issues within varied fact patterns. Your goal should be to fully understand the rule of law so that the next time that an identical issue is tested within a different fact pattern you'll be able to use that rule to eliminate wrong answers and ultimately choose the "correct" one.
(3): Work on endurance and speed in the final month leading up to the exam. Performing well on this test requires more than memorizing legal knowledge. Or in language that you might recall from preparing for the LSAT, memorizing legal knowledge is a necessary condition to performing well, but not a sufficient condition. If there is one problem with the big bar-review companies (and for the most part I think they do a fine job), it's the percent of time dedicated to memorizing law at the expense of working on other variables such as test-taking strategies, endurance, speed, etc. You wouldn't learn how to play chess with competence by dedicating all of your time to studying the rulebook to the game. The same applies to the MBE; you've got to practice playing the game to increase your skill level.
(1): Train yourself so that the entire purpose of any question is to eliminate the answers that you know to be incorrect rather than to pick the answer that you know to be correct. After having taught this test for many years, I am certain that it is easier to spot the wrong answer than it is to pick the right answer. This is because the right answer isn't always entirely right (frustrating!) but rather it is more right than the others. You should set out to eliminate answers until there is only one answer left. Know the law well enough to know why the answers are wrong and you are well on your way to a significantly increased score.
(2): When implementing this strategy, you will still answer some questions incorrectly. When that happens, note the rule of law that had you known you would have answered the question correctly. The MBE is all about testing the same legal issues over and over again while hiding the legal issues within varied fact patterns. Your goal should be to fully understand the rule of law so that the next time that an identical issue is tested within a different fact pattern you'll be able to use that rule to eliminate wrong answers and ultimately choose the "correct" one.
(3): Work on endurance and speed in the final month leading up to the exam. Performing well on this test requires more than memorizing legal knowledge. Or in language that you might recall from preparing for the LSAT, memorizing legal knowledge is a necessary condition to performing well, but not a sufficient condition. If there is one problem with the big bar-review companies (and for the most part I think they do a fine job), it's the percent of time dedicated to memorizing law at the expense of working on other variables such as test-taking strategies, endurance, speed, etc. You wouldn't learn how to play chess with competence by dedicating all of your time to studying the rulebook to the game. The same applies to the MBE; you've got to practice playing the game to increase your skill level.
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