Bar prep company recs please?! Repeat bar exam failer looking for the best bar exam prep company that can help me improve my score for the July 2025 bar exam. I am not rich and Google provides circular answers about which company is “the best.”

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I did Barbi (around 8 years ago) and I would recommend it.

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Also recommend the Bar Exam toolbox podcast for when you're running, cooking or doing passive activities where you can't read but you can listen

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None. Waste if you’re a retaker.

If UBE/whatever other 8 states not in it (excluding CA):
-adaptibar
-critical pass flash cards
-leansheets
-Seperac for essays (UBE only) other non-UBE states idk.

If CA:
-Adaptibar
-Critical Pass flashcards
-Leansheets
-Mary Basick’s essay book

Good luck

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How much are bar tutors charging? What’s reasonable?

Themis is great, much cheaper than BarBri and comes with access to UWorld which is essentially the same thing as Adaptibar (real previous MBE questions).

Biggest difference between BarBri and Themis is that BarBri videos are in long lectures that cover a big chunk of material and Themis splits it up into a bunch of shorter videos on 1 topic at a time. I have terrible attention span in long lectures so Themis was also way better for me that way.

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I love him so much hahah

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I did Barbri and passed on the first try

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I used Barbri but I recommend that you read the large, more comprehensive books from front to back. At the time I took Barbri, there was the conviser mini review, which is the condensed study guide. Take your time and read the large Barbri comprehensive books. Don’t skim! Keep a notebook of every concept that you do not understand. Write the concepts out as explained in the Barbri books.
As a review, go back through those legal concepts a few times per week. Those difficult areas of law need to be reinforced in your mind, so that as you sit down and write sample essays or review multiple choice questions, those same difficult concepts become a breeze.

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Hi, successful retaker here (it was so nice, I took it thrice 🫠). I had to work at least 1/2 time while studying
1st exam: I used Barbri (online only, completed 85%) and JD Advising one-sheets for MEE. Got a 262 in Feb 24

2nd exam: Barbri again (it was free but I paid to get the books shipped to me this time, completed 80-85% again) and added Adaptibar. Somehow did more questions and review but did worse, got a 257 on July 24

3rd time: I switched to Helix to fill gaps in black letter law and find new MEE/MPT strategies (it was also the most cost effective option for me, it was only $1050). I started earlier and followed the 12 week plan over 15 weeks so I only studied for 3-4 hours a day 5 days a week. I got Adaptibar again but used it more wisely, every morning I did 25 MBEs first thing (legit, make coffee, do MBEs). I did that 7 days a week. As I worked through subjects in Helix, I would make 10-15 question subject specific quizzes in Adaptibar as a supplement to questions in Helix. I would also do a 30-50 question mixed subject quiz in Adaptibar once a week (on the non-Helix day).
I got a 267 on the Feb 25 exam and finally broke the mean MBE score.

YMMV but I definitely recommend looking into Helix and/or Adaptibar. I have a number of friends from law school who passed on the first try last July who used it. And I know another retaker that used it and passed IL in Feb too.

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Barbri but it’s expensive if you’re footing the bill

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Adaptibar and the whatstheissue videos by Jon Grossman saved me for the MBE! Could not recommend more.

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I did Barbri, Critical Pass flashcards, and Adaptibar and passed on my first try. I think the flashcards and Adaptibar were both really critical for me and I probably would have been OK with any of the big prep programs (Barbri, Kaplan, and Themis are the ones that come to mind), although I did like Barbri a lot.

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BarBri + Critical Pass flashcards + completely write out answers to all the practice essay prompts for which you can find go-by answers or scoring rubrics.

BarBri should get you a pass if you take it seriously, follow the schedule and do the optional additional studying. I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the exam. Sometimes the format just isn’t great for certain types of test-takers - but many of them become amazing and talented attorneys once they pass, even if it takes numerous tries. Keep your head up and keep trying. You can do it!

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Helps to know what you used before. Personally, I used Themis and did some practice questions on Quimbee too. Ended up with a high enough UBE score for an jurisdiction.

likesmart

What do you recommend?

Critical pass flash cards saved me and I wrote on them state distinctions. Also there is the main MBE book (forget the name but prob the most popular on amazon, Barnes&noble) that taught me great techniques for analyzing phrasing in the questions and answers. It helped even when I didn’t know the exact topic of the question.
Made checklists and comparison charts (largely for contracts v UCC) and added to them when questions came up.
Also had a separate running list of issues I kept running into/forgetting

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Which state are you in?

smart

Taking MD Bar.

https://pmbr.com/ did the 7 day and could see questions on the bar I had gone over the week before with pmbr.

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Commercial course. Barbri kaplan and Themis are great. Avoid Reed Bar Review like the plague.

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How many of y’all are repeat takers?

I am. What I posted is exactly what I used to pass the UBE after failing CA (by 4 points 😭)

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Use Barbri and Adaptibar together for practice questions. You will be fine.

Adaptibar and Brian Hahn’s magic and approachsheets. If CA, baressays.com. For essays for other states I’d just get my hands on as many practice tests/essay questions as possible. Maybe buy some used prep books off eBay or from friends.

I did Barbri but when I say I did Barbri, I mean I did the entire suite. Every single tab that they have available for practice and prep not only did I click that tab I completed that tab. This is after I failed the first time.

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