Bar Exam Resources

Applying For & Taking The Bar Exam

ExamSoft – Valuable information for bar exam applicants who plan to use a laptop.

National Conference of Bar Examiners – You will need to set up an NCBE account for the MPRE. Also find MBE online practice exams here.

State Bar of California – Everything you need to know about how to apply for and take the CA State Bar Exam is here. Check out the Future Lawyers section.

Inspiration & Help With Bar Exam Studying

Bar Exam Mind – Read the Bar Exam Mind blog for great tips to conquer the practical aspects of bar exam preparation and get in the right mindset to study for and pass the bar exam. The Bar Exam Mind book can show you how to get your mind in top shape for the bar exam and get the mental edge to stay calm and focused while you study. Click on the Amazon book link below for more details plus the option to buy the Kindle or Audio version. 

I Passed My Bar Exam – Dustin Saiidi shares his story of how he ranked in the bottom half of his class, failed the MPRE twice, yet passed the California Bar Exam on his first attempt. He offers lots of great tips on his strategy and tactics in his blog. His book, The 7 Steps to Bar Exam Success, details the method he used which helped him be more effective and efficient in his own study habits. Click on the Amazon book link below for complete details and other options for Kindle and Audio versions.

 

Bar Exam Tutoring and Bar Review Courses

The following bar exam review courses are endorsed by Angela and Nadine because they have either taken the course or have had personal interactions with the instructors and products they offer. Costs quoted are at time of publication and may be subject to change.

Fleming’s Fundamentals of Law

Professor Jeff Fleming has been teaching California Bar Exam candidates how to pass the bar exam since 1982. He offers a number of different bar review courses in person and online, plus a Baby Bar review course. It’s a thorough program that includes all CA bar exam subjects with lots of opportunity for graded essay and performance test practice, plus the new Emanuel’s Bootcamp for the MBE.

Costs: The Long Term Bar Review course is 5 months of weekend courses at a cost of $3195. Short Term is 7 weeks covering the same material, meeting on weekends and two evenings a week at a cost of $2995. The Online Home Study Bar Review contains all the same material which you can do at your own pace at a cost of $2995.

Bar Secrets

Dennis Saccuzzo and Nancy Johnson both hold Ph.D.’s in clinical psychology and J.D. degrees. They are the most incredibly calm and soothing lecturers with the ability to explain difficult concepts in ways that are easily understood. Dr. Saccuzzo may be most famous for his bar exam predictions, posted on YouTube videos in advance of each CA Bar Exam, predicting which subjects and topics he feels will be tested on the essays. Their Essay Approach books are an excellent source of “professor written” yet realistic, bar exam essay answers. Tip: Purchasing their books from the Amazon link below is a better deal than buying the books direct from their website.

Costs: The Self Study Supplemental Bar Review consists of all their books, video lectures, and some graded essays and performance tests at a cost of $1500. They also offer a Guided Study program with the same material plus further instruction and email consultation at a cost of $2400. Their courses do not include any MBE instruction, therefore, we would recommend that you add this component from another provider.

Tip for those choosing self-study: Combine their online video lectures 3-month access for $199 with their 2 essay books below and you’ve got yourself a great supplement to your own self-study program.

MBE and Flashcards

Adaptibar

We can’t say enough about this online study tool that helps law students prepare for the multiple choice section of the bar exam. Even if your bar review course has a component to practice MBE’s, we still recommend you use Adaptibar because of its methodology (it assesses your timing and subject performance to determine where you need the most work) and ease of use – on your computer, smart phone, or tablet. We can vouch for the quality of these practice questions – they are the most similar to real bar exam MBE’s that you will find!

Costs: For access to 1730 questions, the cost is $395. They also offer an excellent series of video lectures by Professor Jonathan Grossman, delivered in a no-nonsense style that gets right to the point. These start at $15 per subject area, so you can choose only the areas you are having difficulty with or get them all.

Discount Tip: If you know anyone who has used Adaptibar, ask them to log into their account (even if their service has expired, they can still log in), and click on the Refer 50/50 program button – this will generate an email they can send to you for a $50 discount, and your friend will get $50 too! And if you don’t know anyone – contact us – Nadine and Angela have both used Adaptibar and we would be happy to refer you.

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