Quote from: NewlyMinted on May 14, 2014, 02:13:09 PM

I agree that there is a lower pass rate and thus "harder" on paper but I guess what I'm asking is this.

Since the average taker is a retaker (who statistically do worse) and/or a foreign trained attorney (same type of stats) wouldn't that lower the curve for the otherwise average person?

For example, if I showed up to a class in Algebra that was filled with remedial math students
 that was on the curve I'd get an A even though I am most likely not an A student in math otherwise.
That is the angle I was looking at it from.

You'd be exactly right if the scale worked like a curve but it's slightly different.  The way the MBE scale works is that it takes a subset of about 20-30 questions on each exam iteration and studies how students did on that subset as compared to how they did overall. The subset is comprised of easy, medium and difficult level questions and these same questions have been repeated (with minor variations) from year to year since the MBE was first administered.  Students who performed poorly on the MBE should, in theory, perform poorly on the subset of questions.  Students who performed so-so on the MBE should, in theory, perform so-so on the subset and likewise students who aced the MBE will ace the subset.

If enough students who aced the MBE have trouble doing equally as well on the subset, then the exam is "scaled" up to compensate for the difficulty of the exam. Similarly, if enough students who bombed the MBE unexpectedly end up acing a significant amount of the subset questions then the exam will actually be "scaled" down.  The theory is that by using this scaling process every MBE that is given each year should not be any harder or easier than the first MBE that was ever given way back when.

So even though February does have a large % of retakers, and retakers do tend to perform poorly, the test will not be scaled up or down just because the retakers perform poorly.  The scale already accounts for that.  In order for the scale to move the needle one way or the other, a lot of smart kids have to do well on the MBE as a whole while simultaneously screwing up on the subset (meaning that the exam was harder than previous years which will result in a bump up for everyone), or alternatively, a lot of not-so-smart kids have to screw up on the MBE as a whole while simultaneously acing the subset questions (meaning that the exam was harder than previous years which will actually result in a bump down for everyone).

I know,  it's crazy right?

Hey Burning Sands!

I was going to bump Exile until I read Thistle's eulogy of Matthies.  I was unaware and would like to give all of my respect to those who Matthies touched. 

It's been years since I peaked in here and I would just like to mention, to whomever may still lurk, that I love all of y'all. 

Glad to hear you survived 1L intact PJC.  I was beginning to wonder if you got killed by food poisoning from gas station grub or perhaps in the parking lot of a truck stop in some BFE place. 

Is the job you got a paid one or an internship type of volunteer thing?  Paid summer jobs after 1L are pretty hard to get so you should be really extra proud of it if that is the case.

Gettin' paiiiiidddddddddd

I got real drunk a few days ago and then ate a gas station hot dog the next day.  It immediately made me feel a bit sick.  I wasn't sure if I was hungover or y'know... I was eating a gas station hot dog. 

Hey everyone!  Quick update.  Life is good.  I'm really enjoying here.  This semester though seems like a lot more work.  But the food's good here, playing intramurals, watching basketball...  Oh, and classmates are pretty cool.  However, I've only applied to like 2 jobs so far.  I need to get on that ball.  And most importantly, the Fighter is way better than True Grit.  Really an incredible movie.  Also, I haven't smoked a cigarette in a couple months and it really feels great.  Is that it?

Thanks, guys.  I'm literally at a point where I don't know if I'm studying too much or too little, or if I'm doing the right things.  I'm just completely spazzing out at this point.  I have to stop going on facebook because anytime someone in my section has a status about finals I get worked up that they're doing something I'm not. I haven't even been studying in the library, but I feel everyone's stress.

But I am going to get to bed at a reasonable hour and enjoy some ice cream and Seinfeld reruns before I go to sleep.  Thanks for the advice.

I wish people would stop posting stressed out fb status updates.  One guy, seriously, wished everyone at this university luck during finals and then hoped that everyone in his section will do 'almost' as good as him.  Douchiest move ever?