this is a first for me

Every lawyer is required to take and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam in order to get a license. I took mine a month ago. To get a score of 80 (the minimum in North Carolina), you typically need to get around 60-65% of the 50 graded questions correct. When I was taking my practice exams, I was getting around 65% of the questions correct, so I felt confident I would pass, but probably not by very much (which, by the way, is the story of my life).

Well, my MPRE score was just released online. Under the words "scaled score," it says "121." My thought process was as follows:

121? What the hell does that mean? Couldn't they tell me the score on the correct scale? Does that convert to an 80 or what? (investigates online) Why isn't it telling me how to translate this score of 121? Is there a new scale I'm not aware of? (investigates more) Hmmm... scores range from 50 to 150, with 100 being the average. Wait... could I have... DID I ACTUALLY GET A SCORE 41 POINTS ABOVE THE MINIMUM!?! HOLY %#$@!!!

And so I came to learn that I crushed the MPRE. The "first" is this - I have never been confused by a test result because the score was too high. In fact, it's a sweet, sweet karmic turnabout from when I got a test grade in the 40's in one of my Calloway classes. My immediate reaction was "40 out of what? 50? 60? Why isn't it saying what it's out of?" and then it slowly dawning on me that it was a straight-up 40% grade, and that I had bombed a test I thought I aced.

Of course, a 121 doesn't really mean anything that an 80 wouldn't have - but I am hoping this is a precursor for the Bar.

In other law school news, I've reach that studied-all-I-can-study phase in my Wills and Trusts class, and I'm actually lamenting the fact I have to wait until Wednesday to take the exam. Considering my long history of feverish cramming, that's also probably a first.