Most students sign up for a bar prep course anywhere between the spring of their 2L year and the fall of their 3L year. By this time, most students start to think about the bar exam a bit more. Many students also have had the chance to familiarize themselves with the services various bar prep companies offer.
BarBri has an industry leading Bar exam prep course for almost 5 decades. They offer a ton of different flexible options for law students. You can sign up for a live classroom lectures, virtual classroom learning, or a simple self-study course. They offer it all.
If you are a student looking for a self-study option, with no desire for classroom or video instruction, Smart Bar Prep might be your best bet. Our team believes that it can easily be your one-stop resource for your bar prep, especially if you are a self-driven learner.
To easily navigate through our guide of the best bar prep courses, simply click the jump-to links above. In the video above, John from the Test Prep Insight team (who successfully passed the California bar exam on his first attempt) walks you through each review course that made our list.
The prep course includes more than 4,000 real MBE bar exam practice questions and an unlimited amount of practice essays grading. This is perfect for practicing your exam test-taking skills and understanding how to write the essays that the test-makers are looking for. Kaplan also has a great mobile app that allows you to study anywhere.
If you are studying full-time (40-50 hours per week), you should start studying a minimum of nine weeks ahead of the exam date, according to National Jurist.
Beginning around September for the following winter and summer BARBRI Bar Review course, you can start working with BARBRI Early Start. Early Start allows you to build key bar exam skills and knowledge early through Immersion workshops such as MBE Immersion and Essay Immersion.
You are more likely to pass. With a bar prep course, you are more likely to pass the bar exam. You will have materials and questions at your disposal and you will receive feedback and be able to make sure you are on track. You can ask questions when you are confused and get any areas of law clarified.
While your study time, days and location are extremely flexible, passing the bar exam requires time and commitment. Plan on spending approximately 40 hours per week over 8-10 weeks studying for the bar exam. During the few weeks of bar prep, treat your studies like you would treat a new, important job.
Suffolk strongly recommends that graduates take a minimum of six weeks (eight is better) to prepare for the bar examination.
While plenty of students do very well by focusing on their BARBRI Bar Review course over 8-10 weeks, we have found that those who engage with BARBRI Early Start before the course begins are statistically more likely to pass the bar exam the first time. Even just a little work can make a big difference.
Pass rates: Both Themis and Barbri offer strong pass rates, with about 85-90% for first-time test takers. Average pass rates are higher when students have completed more of the program.
Re: Is BARBRI enough to pass the bar? Yes, absolutely. In fact, Barbri is set up to be MORE than enough (i.e. more than you should reasonably be able to do - they even TELL you that). They say that if you are doing about 75% of what they assign, you're doing enough.
Barbri provides much better essay materials. The book of essays and examples is great. Themis graded more essays, but I didn't feel like I had as many outlines to review and learn. If you don't feel like you are a good technical writer, Barbri's materials are decent.
Kim Kardashian celebrated passing the “baby bar” with some cheddar bay biscuits. The reality star learned that she passed the First-Year Law Students' Examination in December 2021 while sitting in her car in front of a Red Lobster restaurant.
Take at least 6 weeks off of work (especially if you have a demanding job that does not allow studying at work). Some students do fine with 2 – 3 weeks, but I did not want to risk not having adequate time to review 4 years of material. Study 8 AM to 4:30 PM like the bar testing is conducted.
At this time, the CDTA is in the process of applying for full accreditation as a California law school. In 2021, only four states (California, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington) permit those aspiring to be lawyers to take the state's bar exam without attending law school.
Almost every aspiring attorney will need to take a bar review course in order to pass the bar exam. The bar is difficult enough, do not make things...
There are a wide variety of bar review courses commercially available today, ranging in price from $200 up to $5,000+. While that is a large dispar...
Most bar review courses provide approximately 8 to 10 weeks of prep time before you are ready to sit for the bar. If you’re a first-time bar exam t...
A Bar prep course will either help you study for the exam faster and more efficiently or will become a distraction and cause you to lose focus. That’s why finding the right study guide is so important. But there are so many Bar study guides out there, how are you supposed to figure out which one is right for you?
Bar Prep Hero is a unique option for aspiring legal professionals who learn best through practice, practice, practice. That’s because their bar prep course is based almost entirely around thousands of practice questions designed to prepare students for the exam-taking experience.
The Themis Bar review course is an affordable study prep guide for 1LS, 2LS, 3LS, and up offered in most states. Their directed study mode lets you set up a custom study schedule based on your availability. The course then structures a study plan and gives you 8-10 weeks of daily tasks to complete in order to be prepared by your exam day.
Kaplan Bar Review has been one of the most popular Bar exam review courses in the last 20 years because they make a great product. The course is designed to be flexible and adapter to your study needs.
BarBri has an industry leading Bar exam prep course for almost 5 decades. They offer a ton of different flexible options for law students. You can sign up for a live classroom lectures, virtual classroom learning, or a simple self-study course. They offer it all.
Most bar review courses provide approximately 8 to 10 weeks of prep time before you are ready to sit for the bar. If you’re a first-time bar exam taker, this generally means you will need to study from shortly after law school graduation until your exam date in late July.
And for even more practice, Bar Prep Hero offers 1,800+ flashcards covering 12 of the most important legal categories covered on the bar. In short, Bar Prep Hero is all about the practice work.
While some states require additional or separate testing components, the bar exam in most states is most commonly made up of three parts: (1) The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), (2) the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and (3) The Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The MBE.
The MBE. The MBE comprises 200 multiple choice questions, 100 of which are given in the morning, and the remaining 100 administered in the afternoon. You are given 3 hours to complete each 100-question section, for a total of 6 hours. The MBE does not test jurisdiction-specific law.
The level and quality of practice material you get with Bar Prep Hero makes it an excellent supplement to any study plan. Without a thorough course of instruction though, it generally lacks the necessary content review function that other more expensive courses offer. However, at this extremely reasonable price point, Bar Prep Hero offers a great opportunity to serve as a complement to get you across the finish line. If you’ve taken a free prep course through your law school, or perhaps found a great set of used prep books that get you the content review you need but without the practice, Bar Prep Hero could be the perfect option. In our opinion, it is best utilized to supplement a study plan where the student has the content necessary to review for the bar, but just needs the practice.
In the United States, bar exams are administered by the bar associations of individual states and territories.
A highlight of their bar review course, Barbri offers some legendary prep books. When you sign up with Barbri, they will ship you a massive box of printed texts, with titles including the following (if you’re in a UBE state):
AmeriBar provides bar exam prep courses in 40 states (not available in Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin). Its Bar Review courses and UBE courses cover all aspects of the exam, but its section-specific courses may be a better fit if you only need to review a certain portion. You can mix and match them as needed to build a custom program just for you. All courses are self-paced, but they include unlimited phone support and the option to purchase private tutoring if you need extra help.
Most states also require applicants to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). This is a 60-question multiple-choice ethics exam that runs for two hours. It’s administered three times per year in March, August and November. Some states require you to have a passing MPRE score before you sit for the bar exam, so check with your state bar to see if this is a requirement for you. Most bar prep companies offer free MPRE courses as well, so you can start with one of these before moving onto a traditional bar prep course.
Themis Bar Review was built to accommodate a busy lifestyle. The curriculum is spread out over eight weeks, as opposed to some other courses that cram all classes into a month and a half. You can reinforce what you learn in the classroom with a series of short on-demand videos and test your knowledge with 2,500 practice MBE questions and three practice exams. The course will adapt as you go, always targeting the areas where you need the most help to ensure you’re using your time effectively. Courses are available for all states except Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Kaplan offers comprehensive self-paced, live online and in-person bar prep courses to residents of all states. Live courses include 32 classes ranging from four to seven hours per day and full access to Kaplan ’s online study materials. Students interested in a self-paced bar prep course have several options.
Themis hosts live online courses, so you can attend them from anywhere. Lessons take place four to five days per week over eight to 10 weeks and cover all aspects of the exam. You’ll take three practice tests throughout the course, so you can assess your progress and see which sections you should spend more time on.
The MBE is only held on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July, so plan accordingly. Make sure you know how to get to your testing center and arrive at least a half hour early. You won’t be permitted to enter the testing room if you show up late. You must bring a valid, government-issued photo ID and a passport-type photo to verify your identity as well as your admission ticket. You can bring a one-gallon clear plastic bag of belongings, but these cannot include any electronic devices, notes or food (unless it is medically necessary). For a full list of test-day procedures, visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website.
The attorney’s exam is similar to the bar, but it focuses only on state-specific topics as you have already demonstrated your knowledge of federal law by passing the bar the first time. Depending on where you live, you may want to consider taking the bar in multiple states at the same time.