Bar exam prep?

soonerwings · Oct 8, 2015

Any of you lawyer types have any recommendations as to which bar prep course(s) to use? Barbri? Kaplan? Themis? None of the above? Any/all comments are appreciated.

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Cohiba · Oct 8, 2015

If no one answers your question, call law schools and see what they recommend.

DaveinOKC · Oct 8, 2015

Been a long time since I took the bar. But I used the Barbri for the multi-state preparation and it served me well (I passed first time). I can't remember the resource I took to prepare for the essay questions. I don't know if it has changed but in the past one program was better for the MPRE and another for preparing for the essay portion.

David

Dave70968 · Oct 10, 2015

Barbri got me through on my last attempt; that said, I really got the feeling they were phoning it in. Live-streamed lectures are neat, but don't allow for asking questions in return. They also kept bugging me to buy more add-ons.

Zaphod Beeblebrox · Oct 10, 2015

Been a while, but I seem to remember doing Kaplan immediately after graduation and then Barbri about a month after and leading up to the bar. Dave's right, there's a lot of streamed or video lectures, but they're pretty useful. Definitely take the practice exams; nothing else can prepare you for the physical and mental drain that is the bar.

Also, take what the nice folks at Barbri tell you with a grain of salt. They told us over and over that the newest case law wouldn't be on the exam, particularly AZ v. Gant. Well it wasn't on the multistate, but OK put it smack dab in the middle of the essay portion. Luckily, I knew the case because I had interned at the DA office.

As far as the essay portion, we had access to the model answers for the last ten years or so. I can't remember how that was set up. Review them because you'll see a pattern and can predict at least four or five essay questions/issues. I got lucky and the first four questions were ones I had prepared specifically for. I got into the lunch break feeling pretty decent, and that confidence got me through the questions in the afternoon that kicked me square in the balls.

Dave70968 · Oct 10, 2015

Zaphod Beeblebrox said:
Definitely take the practice exams; nothing else can prepare you for the physical and mental drain that is the bar.

Also, take what the nice folks at Barbri tell you with a grain of salt. They told us over and over that the newest case law wouldn't be on the exam, particularly AZ v. Gant.

I'd add to this: even during your study time, don't let yourself get psyched. I was studying and the materials touched on the Oklahoma Adoption Code. As it turns out, I've spent almost two years working on adoptions; I know that material, and it was wrong. I filed a question with their staff attorneys, and got a response that was perfunctory at best. I was getting ready to write a long, well-supported brief in reply...and realized that I was arguing with someone I'd never see again, over a point that was highly unlikely to be tested. In other words, wasting my time, a week before the test. I was still worthless for the rest of the day, though. It sapped my confidence in the materials, and that got in my head.

So: don't let it get in your head.

pritch · Oct 10, 2015

I used Barbri and passed the first time. This was all live lectures and practice exams, circa 1997.

One morning, Jerry Spence came wandering in and held forth for a few minutes. Clearly still somewhat in the bag from the night before. 😄

Fredkrueger100 · Oct 10, 2015

My question is this. What if you go to college and pass law school. Get your degree then go and take the bar exam and fail. What if you are unable to pass it? What is the point of all the years you just spent getting through law school? What good would your degree be? I am not speaking of myself just an honest question I have always wondered. I wish I was smart enough to be a lawyer.

Dave70968 · Oct 10, 2015

TonyKane1 said:
My question is this. What if you go to college and pass law school. Get your degree then go and take the bar exam and fail. What if you are unable to pass it? What is the point of all the years you just spent getting through law school? What good would your degree be? I am not speaking of myself just an honest question I have always wondered. I wish I was smart enough to be a lawyer.

Then you take it again in February. :-)

But seriously, something like a quarter of my classmates had no intention of practicing law. There's room to do other things with a law degree; contract negotiation is a big one.

Zaphod Beeblebrox · Oct 11, 2015

TonyKane1 said:
My question is this. What if you go to college and pass law school. Get your degree then go and take the bar exam and fail. What if you are unable to pass it? What is the point of all the years you just spent getting through law school? What good would your degree be? I am not speaking of myself just an honest question I have always wondered. I wish I was smart enough to be a lawyer.

Trust me, smart often has very little to do with it. One of my best buddies in law school came into the program with a Masters in I believe, political science. On the other hand, I barely made it out of undergrad.

Smart guy, about my age and took law school quite seriously. He was one of my study group partners during school and bar prep. He understood the material as well as any of us, and didn't appear to be screwing off. He didn't pass the bar. Ever. Everyone else in our group passed first time around. He tried at least three times.

As far as what he did next, he has a friend with a law practice and is a "clerk". He does title opinions and legal research. He's probably making more than me, so I guess it wasn't the end of the world.

Bar exam prep?

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