Picking a Bar Prep Course. I'm a 3L at a Tier 1 school and am constantly told about the BEST PRICE EVER for the BEST BAR PREP COURSE EVER. Frankly, I can't see much of a difference between the different options (Barbri, Themis, Kaplan...) So I'm curious, those who just took the bar - which prep course did you use and why? 20 comments. 60% Upvoted.
The midterm and final exam are the most helpful parts of the course. Just taking them and watching the MBE review videos are worth it. Kaplan offers in value what every bar exam course should offer: all the MBE questions you want, all the essays you want, a wealth of outlines, and a good way to track your progress.
By far, the best part about Kaplan was the midterm and the final reviews. After the Final review, by MBE average on sets of 20-50 questions went up from 65-70% to 80-85%. I'd highly recommend Kaplan to any future bar examinees. My best advice for future takers is to relax during bar prep.
I do better studying on my own, and my weakest skill is writing fast (and I'm in a state where the bar is primarily essay). So I did a self-study course with lots of practice essay questions. It was called "Micro-Mash" when I took it, though now it's called "Multistate Bar Exam Edge." (It was also half the price of BAR-BRI at the time.)
You must be willing to strongly commit to them in return. A firm is not likely to want to pay for a bar review course for someone who is not going to be with them long term. If you don’t have the intent to be dedicated to this employment , then you should not ask your boss to pay for your bar review.
It seems to be a relative consensus that large firms will be much more willing to pay for bar review courses than small firms. In fact, most large firms probably have a policy already in place for such an occasion. They have far more extra resources to be able to compensate their future employees. Small firms are less likely to be able to spare the expense to pay someone who is not currently doing work for them. It still might be worth the inquiry as to whether they have an existing policy, but be respectful in how you phrase the question.
Salary Advance. A salary advance is also a common method for first year associates to pay for bar review. Here, a big law firm advances part of your salary so you can use it to pay for bar prep. There no are strings attached, since this is money they were planning on paying you in the future.
Finally, some big law firms will pay their associates to study for the bar exam. So while they might not be paying for bar prep directly, they are giving you time to really buckle down and make sure you pass the bar exam while earning a pay check.
The best way to ask your firm to pay for bar exam preparation is as follows.
A five-star UBE course (on sale for as low as $999.99!) that provides you with the best instruction, outlines, and questions. Preview our course for free here!