Picking a bar prep company can send anyone over the edge! And if the one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working, what do you do? Read on for tips for selecting a bar prep company and tutor, and for reviews of useful tools and some strategies for self-studiers.
(Looking for a qualified, experienced bar exam tutor? We can help. Find out more about bar tutoring options here.)
Selecting a Bar Review Provider
- What Happens During a Typical Commercial Bar Review Course? If you're about to take the bar exam, you're probably signed up for a commercial bar review course. Find out what you need to know when you join hundreds of other students in those prep sessions!
- What To Do if You Aren't Sure that Bar Prep Is Working for You There are many ways to prepare for the bar exam, but probably only a few that work best for you. In this post we talk about how to identify whether or not your preparation is working for you, and what to do if it's not.
- Smarter Review on Selecting the Right Bar Review Provider for You What should you look for in a bar review provider? When should you choose one? We welcome Kobelah Svensen Bennah from Smarter Review to discuss these questions and more.
- Is Taking BARBRI a Second Time a Good Idea? Too often bar studiers think that if they take the same bar review course and study the same way a second time, they're suddenly, magically going to pass the bar exam. If you took BARBRI the first time around and didn’t pass, you shouldn't take it again.
- Sometimes "Experts" Give Bad Advice It's an unfortunate fact that there are tutors in the bar exam tutoring community who, we believe, are giving really bad advice. Find out what to do if you think you're getting bad advice from a bar exam tutor.
- Selecting the Right Bar Review Provider for You When selecting a bar review provider, it's tempting to choose the bar review course that happens to have a table in your law school hallway or a course that you know someone else has taken. But taking the easy way out can be a mistake. Instead, you should consider what review program is right for you!
- Can You Pass the Bar Exam Without Taking BARBRI? Law students often wonder: Can you pass the bar exam without taking BARBRI? Short answer: Yes. And it’s actually not that crazy! In this post we break down what's really required to pass the bar, however you prepare.
- Bar Exam Study Resources Beyond BARBRI Many bar exam students want to know if it’s possible to study for (and pass) the bar exam with programs other than BARBRI. While it’s true BARBRI is thought of as the leader in the bar prep field, there are several other programs that are potentially just as good as BARBRI and can produce great results.
- Warning Signs You May Need Extra Help as a First-Time Bar Exam Taker The problem with taking the kind of one-size-fits-all approach to bar prep that many law school graduates take is that you might not even realize you need more help until it’s too late. Regardless of which state’s exam you’re taking, if you’re wondering whether you may benefit from some extra guidance as you prepare for your first bar exam, we suggest you look out for the following warning signs.
- Podcast Episode 87: Affordable Bar Prep & Social Entrepreneurship (w/Chris Henjum of ESQYR.com) We talk with Chris Henjum, the co-founder of Esqyr.com, a public benefit corporation devoted to providing credible, affordable test prep (starting with the bar exam) about affordable bar prep.
- Comparing Tools for Bar Exam Essay Success Several internet tools have been created to help law students prepare for the essay portion of the bar exam. We compare your options.
- Can I Take a Bar Course Without Breaking the Bank? There’s no secret that there are now a variety of bar prep courses that offer deals that serve to benefit the diverse pockets of bar exam takers, but the idea of paying any additional cost to actually become a certified attorney is enough to agitate any law school graduate. If you’re frustrated, you’ve come to the right place. We've put together a list of money saving ideas for choosing a bar study provider.
- Does Your Bar Prep Plan Fit You? 5 Questions to Consider When you are deciding how to prepare for the bar exam, you will be bombarded by programs, plans, and methods that will all claim to guarantee success. They probably all have some value, but your goal is to pick the approach that will give you the best chance at bar exam success. Here are five questions to consider when evaluating which approach to bar prep will best suit you.
- Why the End of Your 3L Year May Be Too Late (and 1L Year May Be Too Early) To Start Thinking of Bar Prep At the start of law school, there is a lot of pressure to commit to one of the various commercial bar-prep programs.. However, making a commitment too early has drawbacks, and once you sign that contract, you’re stuck. Is it likely you can know what you need in a bar prep course in your 1L year?
- Choosing Bar Prep Providers Securing your bar prep course is probably one of the best ways to prepare for the bar. So what are these courses and how do you choose from all of the choices? Here is a guide to help you decide on your bar prep provider.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 54: Last-Minute Tips For the Performance Test We are sharing some last-minute tips to help you squeeze out as many points as you can from the performance test portion of the bar exam.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 77: Who and What to Trust for Bar Exam Prep We’re talking about how to know who or what you can trust when preparing for the bar exam, and why it’s important to go all in with an approach once you’ve decided to trust it.
- Making the Most Out of a Bar Prep Consultation We're looking at how to prepare for a consultation when looking into a bar prep course or company.
- Things to Consider When Choosing Your Bar Prep Course While choosing a course can be daunting, there is truly no one “right” course while all the others are wrong. It’s simply a question of which course will work best for you. With that in mind, here are some things to consider.
Selecting a Bar Exam Tutor
- Why I Hired a Bar Exam Tutor In this post we welcome an attorney who shares his story about failing the California bar exam and his decision to hire a bar exam tutor for his second studying attempt. He offers some great advice about the benefits of working with a tutor and how it can help you pass the exam.
- Winning the Bar Exam Game: Should You Consider Getting a Tutor? For many law school graduates who are studying for the bar exam, navigating the study process throughout law school and beyond can feel like you’re playing a game for which you haven’t read the rules. It’s no wonder you start to feel overwhelmed! Can a bar tutor help you with this?
- Winning the Bar Exam Game: 5 More Reasons You Need a Tutor A bar exam tutor can be the difference between success and failure for may students. If you'r not sure whether to hire a tutor, here are five more reasons that may convince you to get some help with the bar exam.
- How Do You Pick a Bar Exam Tutor? As students around the country have been getting bad news about the bar exam, we have been getting more and more emails and phone calls wanting advice on how to pick a bar exam tutor. Here's our advice for making this important decision!
- How to Get the Most out of Your Bar Exam Tutor Bar exam tutors can be a great resource to help you study for the bar exam because they structure your program to your needs and give you individualized feedback. Nevertheless, just hiring a tutor is not enough to pass the bar exam. In this post, we discuss how to get the most out of your bar exam tutor.
- Studying on Your Own for the Bar Exam - Consider Your Options! Whether you are a new law school graduate, just recently failed the bar, or you need to work and won’t be able to keep up with the bar review schedule, you may need an alternative bar study option. So now what? Under any of these circumstances, you should consider going it alone.
- Start Early, Practice Often: Selecting a Tutor In this series of posts, we're going to talk about three areas where you can improve your chances by starting early: selecting a tutor, selecting a course, and developing a study schedule. Let’s start with selecting a tutor.
- Start Early, Practice Often: Selecting a Course As we continue our series on starting your bar prep early, we’re talking about the substance of what you will be working on with the tutor – choosing the right course (or courses) to work with during your study time. It’s important, again, to find the right fit, so let’s take a look at some options.
- Why Would Should Consider Hiring a Tutor For Your Bar Prep We look at some ways you can utilize a tutor to help with your bar prep.
- How Much Should I Really Tell My Bar Tutor? Your bar tutor will ask your for a lot of information, some of which you may be hesitant to share. We're talking about why your bar tutor needs to know so much about you, and why sharing as much as possible may benefit you.
Tips for Self-Studying
- Do I Need to Make My Own Study Materials for the Bar Exam? Law school was all about making your own outlines and study guides, but students typically pay for outlines from a bar course when preparing for the bar exam. Read our thoughts on whether or not you should be making your own study materials for the bar exam.
- Self-Studying for the California Bar With "Be a Goat"! (Part I) Yes, you read that right: being a goat actually has something to do with self-studying for the California bar exam. We talk to Jessica Klein, attorney and author of "The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide To Preparing for the California Bar Exam On Your Own," for some expert advice.
- Self-Studying for the California Bar Exam With "Be a Goat" (Part II) As a follow up to our first post on the Goat's guide to self-studying for the California bar exam, we continue our conversation with attorney and author, Jessica Klein. Read more of her expert advice!
- Self-Study - How to Survive People decide to “go it alone” for bar prep for a number of reasons or circumstances. Whatever reason you have, consider the following suggestions to help you enhance your experience and increase your chance for success.
Reviews of Different Bar Review Options
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Bar Exam Mind - A Book Review One piece of the bar exam puzzle that isn't adequately discussed is the mental aspect of studying for the bar exam. Find out why Matt Racine’s book, "Bar Exam Mind: A Strategy Guide For An Anxiety-Free Bar Exam," is a must read to get yourself ready to take the bar exam!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Smarter Review Smarter Review claims to help you study for the bar in less time and for less money than a regular review course. Does it work? Read our review here!
- Can Bar Prep be Quicker, Easier and/or Cheaper? While you may be looking towards the big names in test prep for your bar studying, Smarter Review promises you better value for your time and money. We talk to the Smarter Review's Managing Director to find out more about this exciting new test prep company.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Smarter Review MBE Made Easy If you are feeling overwhelmed during bar prep or if you fall behind or want more condensed outlines, these outlines by Smarter Review are made for you! Learn more about Smarter Review and see a sample outline in this post.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Celebration Bar Review Still deciding on a bar review provider? Celebration Bar Review is a multi-state program prep program that you can participate in on multiple platforms. Read our review here!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Can Listening to Songs Help You Study for the MBE? Can you imagine all you need to know for the MBE set to music? That's exactly what the new tool Study Songs has done, and all in a cool app! Read our review of this cool approach to studying.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: AdaptiBar MBE Substantive Lectures We've reviewed AdaptiBar before and feel it's an excellent tool for those wanting some additional MBE help. In this post we review their substantive law lectures on the MBE subjects by Jonathan Grossman, MBE expert, bar exam tutor, and professor from Florida.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Critical Pass Flashcards Students either love or hate the MBE. Thankfully, there are several review tools dedicated to this section of the test. In this post we review "Critical Pass: Unlock the MBE" flashcards.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Our Review of the Critical Pass App If the MBE has become your least favorite part of the bar exam, don't worry. There are many review tools for this part of the test, including the iPhone/Android app called Critical Pass. It’s a great way to supplement your preparation for the MBE!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: AdaptiBar Struggling with the MBE? AdaptiBar might help. Check out our review of this useful tool (including a special discount code for our loyal readers).
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: BarIssues.com, A Resource for the California Bar Exam In this post we share another great resource for all of you studying for the California bar exam: BarIssues.com. BarIssues.com is a website and database that can help you identify commonly tested issues and then find which essays tested those issues in the past (so you can practice them).
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Lean Sheets Bar Exam Outlines Many bar studiers are overwhelmed with the amount of information they need to study for the bar exam. This is why Lean Sheets were developed — to help those of you studying for the bar exam pare down the information to what you need to know. Read our review of this helpful tool!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Sketchy Law Looking for a fun new tool to help your bar studying? Sketchy Law is an online bar study tool that uses drawings, word association, and pictures, as well as audio lectures, to teach you substantive law.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: BarEssays.com In this post we share a great resource for those studying for the California bar exam, BarEssays.com, an online essay question and performance exam/answer database for the California bar.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Themis Bar Review Still haven't decided on a bar review course? In this post we review Themis Bar Review, a commercial bar review course that you can take entirely online.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Smart Bar Prep The number of different bar prep programs, commercial outlines, and study aids available to test takers has grown considerably in recent years. If you’re weighing your bar prep options, here’s another resource to consider. Smart Bar Prep is an essay-focused set of study guides available in both UBE/MEE and California formats.
- How to Use the Brainy Bar Bank to Raise Your Essay Scores We're hearing from one two time bar exam taker who used the Brainy Bar Bank to significantly raise her essay scores (and pass) the second time around.
- Using AdaptiBar to Prepare for the MBE on the Bar Exam AdaptiBar is an online application that can help you prepare for the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Examination (or “MBE”) portion of the bar exam. In addition, rather than static sets of practice, MBE questions from a workbook, AdaptiBar uses a proprietary, adaptive algorithm to tailor sets of online practice questions to each user’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
- Using Anki Flashcards to Study for the Bar Anki flashcards are a tool usually used for medical students to study for their exams, but we're looking at how you can use them, effectively, for bar study.
- Using UWorld to Prepare for the MBE on the Bar Exam This post explains how UWorld works and provides an overview of some of its tools that can help you get ready for the bar exam.
Looking for a qualified, experienced bar exam tutor? We can help. Find out more about bar tutoring options here.
