Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Another Reasonably Priced Bar Prep Resource Is ...

... BarEssays.com.

I know some of you have recommended it to me before, but I just took another look and I am pleasantly surprised at how large their library of essays has become since I first looked at it a few years ago. 

Plus, they now have essays with comments by actual bar graders.  As far as I'm concerned, those alone are worth the price of admission.  I've always wondered what the graders were thinking when they looked at a particular issue or analysis in an essay I was reading - now I know.

I gave BarEssays.com a plug back when they first started up.  This makes two.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

BarEssays sounds cool.
I'll give it a try GP.
GP says something, I listen ... ha!

Can u recommend other GP approved aides?
Any repetitive patterns to decipher?
This is better than the stupid cat
!

Anonymous said...

I just found baressays.com and I signed up for their platinum service and it's so insightful.

The Grand Poobah said...

The only other Bar Prep aid I can confidently recommend is Jason Tolerico's Best MBE program (and I do know something about MBE preparation.)

I haven't yet found a good source for PT prep. I think the key to doing well on the PTs has more to do with how much experience you have in a legal environment than it does with rote preparation. And that's likely the reason I continue to do so poorly on them.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with your assessment of PTs. It is all about organizing and writing an easy to read essay at a RAPID pace. Practical experience might help in that those skills are being used in a day to day setting.

I was a part time student that worked in a non-legal job throughout school. I had 0 practical legal experience other than my first year writing class (no seminars, no trial/appellate adv., etc). I scored in the 65-75 range on PT practice tests and passed on my first try.

Just giving another opinion to counter/supplement the GP's. I wouldn't recommend that somebody get a paralegal job to up their PT score.

The Grand Poobah said...

Can't disagree with that. But it was only a guess on my part because I obviously haven't figured them out (or practiced enough of them) yet.

I'm a fast reader but I need to take more time to organize what I've read before I start writing. I've always been impatient. I need to learn to slow down and take my time (Lol! My life story, that is.)

Anonymous said...

many thanks for the post GP.
every bit of advice helps.
one day you'll pass this bad boy
wait, you'll see.

most people don't like PTs.
eat, sleep and practice them.
ornery exam proctors are the worst!
wait, what did I just say ... ha!

reading your blog helps me study.
advice that is wise and sound.
robot bar exam courses don't work.
robots sucks!
word
!

Anonymous said...

GP: You already probably have these books. The Flemings seminar for PTs is superb to learn a good setup. You write well, so yeah, the problem probably lies in setup with this short time we have. Check it out. She has an online seminar that you can take (her three day seminar taped). But I felt it helped with getting a manageable setup down. It can get really stressful with that clock ticking and a whole bunch of stuff everywhere. I was never one for outlining and planning out an answer, but it does help to avoid some of the stress that will ensue.

Anonymous said...

i dont understand why anyone would not use Barbri. There really is merit to their "be a sheep" approach.

Anonymous said...

My two cents on bar review materials:

MBE: Adaptibar.com
I picked my score up from 103-105 to 132 in one exam. It's worth the cost.

I also like the Bar Secrets MBE charts, it's around $35.00 at barsecrets.com

PT: Flemings Fundamentals of Law
Sue is the best at this. I usually get 75-85 on the exam. (Yeah, I'm a repeater too)

Essays: I'm a Flemings girl all the way. I just have some areas that my brain won't grab. It's nobody's fault, I just will always suck at PR. I don't get how they find the issues, even though I know the rules cold. Jeff has a great product!