As a first-generation law student, I was overwhelmed by the immense amount of bar prep options found on the internet. I am here to tell you what I used to pass the bar and hopefully this will help you narrow down your strategy. I want to note that I took the UBE so the following advice applies best to UBE takers.
1. Bar Prep Course. A bar prep course is the most important part of your bar study. Courses run around $1,300 to $2,000 and last about eight weeks. Some employers will pay for your course on your behalf, so make sure to ask the appropriate contact at your post-grad job whether that is the case. Assuming you take the test in July, try to sign up for a prep course by February/March of your 3L. Usually, you pay a deposit when you first sign up and then the full price closer to your course’s start date. Examples of popular bar prep courses are Barbri, Themis and in New York especially, Pieper Bar Review. Most of my summer associate and law school classes took Barbri so I did as well. Barbri tends to be the most expensive option. Pieper Bar Review has a great reputation as well and runs a bit cheaper.
2. CriticalPass MEE and MBE Flashcards. The CriticalPass flashcards were an excellent supplemental study tool. I spent most of my study hours reading Barbri’s outlines and doing their practice questions. At the end of the day, I spent a half hour running through the CriticalPass flashcards. These cards are easily portable so I often reviewed them in a nearby park to get sunlight and fresh air. You can buy these cards used online or new from CriticalPass. Here is the link to the CriticalPass website: https://criticalpass.com/products/critical-pass-mbe-flashcards
3. Emanuel Bar Review Strategies and Tactics for the MBE. Although your bar review company will provide you with plenty of practice questions, in my opinion, you can never do enough. This book has hundreds of questions and easily digestible explanations for each. I recommend reading the explanatory blurbs even for the questions you get correct. Here is the link to purchase the Emanuel book: https://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Tactics-MBE-Bar-Review/dp/1543805728
4. PMBR/Adaptibar: I enrolled in PMBR because my law school paid for it but would recommend it anyway. I realize these study aids are starting to add up so this is not completely necessary, just helpful. PMBR consisted of a practice test and a video course that dissected each question. You will get something similar from your bar prep company but working with a different teaching style added appreciated flavor to my study routine. I did not use Adaptibar but I understand it to be a tach savvy version of PMBR with an algorithm that tracks your progress and weak spots. I have heard great things about Adaptibar as well.
Here is the PMBR link: https://pmbr.com/
Here is the Adaptibar link: https://www.adaptibar.com/
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