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Expert authors new book on how to pass the MBE


“There are no shortcuts or tricks to passing the bar. However, there are ways to become more efficient, effective, and strategic,” said Keith Elkin, assistant dean of student services at Penn State Law, who authored the new book MBE: Beginning Your Campaign to Pass the Bar Exam (Aspen 2011). He wrote the book to share the same method that has helped his students succeed at Penn State Law, where he teaches a class on bar preparation.

“Studying for the bar is like running for president,” he said in a recent interview. Candidates need not win every state, just those with the most electoral votes. Elkin advises students to focus on the “California” elements of the bar exam—negligence, contract formation, individual rights, and so on.

The book explains how to think about organizing, learning and applying the vast amount of material that all students must know in order to pass the bar exam. Elkin explains that MBE: Beginning Your Campaign to Pass the Bar Exam is not intended to be a substitute for a commercial bar exam class. The 180-page book covers:

  • How to ask the right questions
  • How to learn through wrong answers
  • How to develop the right mindset to pass the exam

Student Praise for Keith Elkin’s Bar Preparation Course at Penn State Law

“…taking the Bar Review class with you last semester was a one of the best decisions I made in law school. The MBE was not as mysterious and did not seem as daunting. With no MBEanxiety I was able to focus on the knit-picky Florida procedural laws. Thanks for giving up your Saturdays last semester to help me pass the Bar...”

“I feel much more confident going into the summer [commercial] course. Going through how to approach the MBE was fantastic…it [even] helped me improve my MPRE score by 15 points…”

Watch the interview

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