NextGen Sample Question Guides
Strategy guides for every NextGen item type — overview, approach, and common pitfalls, before you jump into timed practice.
Sample question format guides
Five strategy guides — one per NextGen item type — covering approach, common pitfalls, and how to practice each format.
Practice this format →MCQ Sample Questions
Single-answer MCQ samples with issue-spotting and elimination strategy. Treat every option as a deliberate trap until you can articulate why it fails.
Strategy
- Read the call of the question first
- Eliminate obviously wrong answers before comparing survivors
- Watch for absolute qualifiers ("always", "never")
Practice guidance: Work timed sets of 25–50 MCQ, then review every miss for WHY the trap worked.
Common pitfalls
- Choosing the "policy attractive" answer when the fact pattern triggers a narrow exception.
- Rushing past the call of the question.
Select-2 Sample Questions
Select-2-of-6 sample sets with partial-credit logic and trap analysis. Rewards accurate multi-issue spotting and punishes partial understanding.
Strategy
- Read all 6 options before selecting any
- Treat it as two independent MCQs sharing one fact pattern
- Never leave it blank — partial credit rewards a guess
Practice guidance: Drill select-two sets separately from single-answer MCQ to build the distinct pattern recognition.
Common pitfalls
- Picking two answers that restate the same legal conclusion in different words.
- Anchoring on the first plausible option.
Short and Medium Answer Samples
Short and medium writing samples with rubric-aware answer planning. Length limits reward discipline — every sentence should advance the analysis.
Strategy
- Rule → application → conclusion, in that order
- Answer every sub-part the prompt asks for
- Cut throat-clearing sentences
Practice guidance: Time-box short answers to 3–5 minutes and medium answers to 8–10 minutes.
Common pitfalls
- Restating facts without linking them to elements.
- Skipping the conclusion sentence.
IQS Sample Questions
Integrated question-set samples using shared scenario materials. Success depends on information management across a multi-part set.
Strategy
- Read the entire scenario before answering component 1
- Track which facts feed which component
- Treat each component as self-contained — earlier answers don't change later ones
Practice guidance: Practice full 5–10 component sets under time pressure, not single components in isolation.
Common pitfalls
- Importing law from memory that contradicts the provided authorities.
- Losing track of which tab held a key fact.
PT Sample Questions
Performance task samples with file/library organization approach. Organization, issue selection, and citation to file materials usually drive the score.
Strategy
- Skim the entire file and library before writing
- Outline before drafting — organization is graded
- Cite to specific documents, not memory
Practice guidance: Run full 90-minute PT simulations under the real split-pane workstation.
Common pitfalls
- Writing a generic treatise instead of the assigned format.
- Ignoring explicit formatting instructions in the task memo.