Graduating from law school is no easy fete, but there lies a final hurdle in your pursuit to practice law; the bar exam. State agencies that prepare the bar exam structure it in a way that challenges the person taking the exam. They do this to ensure that the people they admit to the bar are qualified lawyers who can uphold the law.
Fortunately, there are review courses you can take to help you pass the exam, even if you only have a few weeks remaining to take the bar exam. The final review course runs for several weeks and prepares a candidate to take the two portions of the bar exam; The multistate and state law.
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Preparation by Type of the BAR Exam
You can do a multistate or state law exam depending on which state you are sitting for the exam. They may feature almost the same multiple-choice questions but differ highly in their essay questions.
Here is how to prepare for each of these bar exams.
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) BAR Exam Preparation
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) sets the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). It consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. 175 questions are scored, while the remaining 25 are test questions. The candidate isn’t aware of which questions are scored. The NCBE doesn’t disclose its formula for scoring the MBE.
The exam is divided into two sessions, morning and evening, to give the candidates time to answer all the questions. A candidate covers 100 questions in each session.
Here is what you can do to pass the MBE exam.
- Familiarize yourself with the law topics that are usually covered. They include;
- Constitutional Law
- Civil Procedure
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Evidence
- Contracts and Sales
- Real Property
- Torts
- Start with the easy questions as you ease your way into the more challenging ones.
- Use courses offering MBE questions and practice doing the questions in a timed setting.
- Use flashcards and mnemonics as you may need to memorize study material. Mnemonics include acronyms, phrases, and memorable sayings that are short and easy to commit to memory. Flashcards may contain questions you can train with to retrieve information through practice.
Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) BAR Exam Preparation
The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is a uniform bar exam administered across multiple states by the NCBE. So far, 41 states in the US have adopted UBE as a requirement for admission to the bar.
Candidates sit for UBE over two days consisting of performance tests, essays, and multiple-choice questions.
The questions tested in the UBE are mainly majority law. Here is what you can do to pass the UBE exam.
- When studying, focus on the highly tested areas, which include negligence, criminal procedure, and individual rights areas of law.
- For essay questions, avoid writing too much content on the first essay questions so you have time to answer all questions. Instead, practice using the issue-spot technique to identify key essay points or themes.
- Actively review your answers as you use any coursework to study. For example, when you don’t answer correctly to a question, write down this area of law you’re unfamiliar with. The advantage of this is that it allows you to turn your weaknesses into strengths.
- Candidates usually ignore the Multi-State Performance Test (MPT) section of UBE exams because it doesn’t test any law. However, it is essential to note that MPT carries 20% of your score, so you should involve it in your study plan. Make sure you have the MPT formats and practice two MPTs questions in a week.
Compare 3 Top-ranking Bar Exam Prep Courses
Due to the need to pass the bar exam, bar exam prep courses have become a familiar route. They market their courses to law students immediately after graduation. So what do you pick?
We have researched for you to bring you three of the best bar review courses to help you ace the bar exam.
Best Overall Bar Review Course: BarMax
If you’re looking for a bar review course that checks all the boxes when it comes to studying for the bar exam, then BarMax is for you. With BarMax, you have the best-priced bar review course and coursework flexible to study even offline.
With BarMax, you’ll get affordable prices compared to competitors. For example, the UBE course is $2495, the MBE course is $999.99, and the MBE question bank is $399.99.
Features of BarMax include;
- Over 1,950 real MBE, essay, and performance test questions
- Over 100 hours of lectures
- Over 600 flashcards
- Coursework material is for life
- No need for the internet to access study materials as they fit in the app
- The NCBE licenses it
- Professors and lecturers of BarMax are Harvard Law School alumni
- It offers 0% financing with Affirm
Best Value Bar Review Course: Quimbee
The Quimbee bar review course offers the best value for money that you can get. This is because you can get a lot of bar study materials for one price. You can get video lessons and digital and printed material for study.
The three packages offered by Quimbee include the following;
- Bronze plan – $19 per month ($163 per year)
- Silver plan – $27 per month ($232 per year)
- Gold plan – $29 per month ($249 per year)
It also offers an easy-to-use interface that has a slick design. It offers bar review courses for law students in all states.
Other features of Quimbee include;
- Offers a seven-day free trial
- Offers over 210 issue spotters
- Over 1,400 real bar questions from past exams
- Offers an iOS and Android app
- Study materials are available in digital as well as printed format
- It has over 60 practice areas and case briefs from different topics
- Offers a certificate upon completion
- Offers video lessons
- Offers four mock exams
- Offers flashcards to help with study
- Offers flexible financing through Affirm
Most Bar Study Material: Kaplan
If you ask most lawyers which bar review course they used to get admitted to the bar, they probably tell you the Kaplan Bar review course. It is the top-rated course among law scholars and offers packages with more study materials. In addition, you’ll get these materials in a personalized study plan that is also well-structured.
The Kaplan study material coursework starts at $1499, and you can pay $125 monthly. Students must first pay for enrollment which generally makes the Kaplan bar review course quite pricey.
There is also a bar review convenience package that costs $3,999. This package offers additional features like MBE flashcards and provision for the second course in five years.
Other features of Quimbee include;
- Four practice exams
- Study material is available in digital and printed format
- Over 4,000 MBE multiple-choice questions from past bar exams
- Unlimited essay grading
- A live weekly homeroom
- It has a mobile app
- Offers an option to ‘Ask an Expert’ on bar questions 24/7
- Money-back guarantee
Top 5 Tips for the Final Week of BAR Exam
- Do a review of the highly tested areas in the Bar exam
- Complete some timed exams
- Submit pending mock exams to your Bar review course provider
- Prepare your packing list
- Physically prepare for the exam
When nearing the final week of the bar exam, nerves tend to be high, which is normal even when you have adequately prepared for the exam. However, here are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success on exam day.
Do a Review of the Highly Tested Areas in the Bar Exam
The areas of law usually tested in the Bar exam are seven. Among these seven, there are vital areas that have a high distribution of questions. For example, criminal procedure law, individual rights law, and negligence law.
Go through these areas of law daily, especially the ones that you’re less familiar with.
Complete Some Timed Exams
You can do some timed exams in the bar review course that you are using to prep yourself for the exam. Most of these courses will have plenty of mock exams. For example, Kaplan has four complete set exams that you can take at any time as long as you have purchased the course material.
Completing timed exams will help track how you are using time on the questions and if you can complete the exam. You can then implement time-saving techniques and practice them. Don’t do a complete exam every day of the week.
Submit Pending Mock Exams to Your Bar Review Course Provider
If you haven’t received feedback from lectures on your performance on the exams and tests, this last week may be the time to do so. For example, if you’re using the BarMax course review, you have at your disposal Harvard professors who can give feedback regarding your performance.
Doing this will help you gain eye-opening feedback from lecturers on some areas you need to change. For example, tips to improve your essay writing. This could be the difference you need to be successful on the examination day.
Prepare Your Packing List
A few items you may pack include; your exam identification, a clear bag to carry your stationery, a watch, etc. It is also wise to confirm the rules and regulations of your jurisdiction to know what is permitted and what isn’t.
Physically Prepare for the Exam
It will mean getting your body well-rested with enough sleep to avoid fatigue on the examination date. In addition, don’t make any drastic changes in diet, as this may affect how your body will function on exam day.
