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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by a male human » Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:23 pm

ConfusedL1 wrote:
lawst_ wrote:I took Barbri twice, failed both times I used it. My MBE was pretty low both those times as a result.

I finally passed this time around and the main difference for me was using Ameribar and Adaptibar. Both use real bar questions, which are significantly different from Barbri's questions.

Seriously, I wouldn't even look at Barbri's MBE questions unless you completely run out of questions from Adaptibar.
Damn. What use is Barbri at all then?
Feeling of security. They are well known, and most everyone else is using them. Their outlines are pretty good, though.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by lawst_ » Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:40 am

ConfusedL1 wrote:
lawst_ wrote:I took Barbri twice, failed both times I used it. My MBE was pretty low both those times as a result.

I finally passed this time around and the main difference for me was using Ameribar and Adaptibar. Both use real bar questions, which are significantly different from Barbri's questions.

Seriously, I wouldn't even look at Barbri's MBE questions unless you completely run out of questions from Adaptibar.
Damn. What use is Barbri at all then?
I think their state materials/essay stuff is good. I also used the CMR quite extensively. But if you can buy just those books online or from someone without taking the actual course, do it. Barbri is extremely overpriced and more than half of their materials are useless (in my opinion). Kaplan/Ameribar/Adaptibar/Emmanuel all have better MBE prep.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Law&coffee » Mon Jun 05, 2017 11:23 pm

lawst_ wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
lawst_ wrote:I took Barbri twice, failed both times I used it. My MBE was pretty low both those times as a result.

I finally passed this time around and the main difference for me was using Ameribar and Adaptibar. Both use real bar questions, which are significantly different from Barbri's questions.

Seriously, I wouldn't even look at Barbri's MBE questions unless you completely run out of questions from Adaptibar.
Damn. What use is Barbri at all then?
I think their state materials/essay stuff is good. I also used the CMR quite extensively. But if you can buy just those books online or from someone without taking the actual course, do it. Barbri is extremely overpriced and more than half of their materials are useless (in my opinion). Kaplan/Ameribar/Adaptibar/Emmanuel all have better MBE prep.
I definitely agree with the above. Barbri is great for essay prep, but weak in its MBE program. That's why you need to supplement with Adaptibar, Emanuel, or Critical Pass. The Barbri MBE questions will not prepare you adequately for the MBE portion of the exam.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by sheeeluh » Wed Jun 07, 2017 1:48 pm

Mod edit: stop spamming

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Tiredbuthappyitsover » Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:47 am

Critical Pass is a great alternative to long outlines and lecture notes because Critical Pass condenses all the IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY information you need onto short and manageable cards that you memorize and handle for the real MBE. There is no point in reading hundreds of pages of lecture notes that you won't remember later on, anyway.

Adaptibar is also good practice with REAL MBE questions out there.

There is also good MBE prep with Reed Bar Review.

PM me with your email if you want the discount codes for Adaptibar or Critical Pass, or if you have more questions about Reed Bar Review. I am happy to help!

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Southpaw89 » Tue Jun 27, 2017 12:22 pm

Isn't it true that they've increased the difficulty of the MBE questions since the Adaptibar questions were used?

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Tiredbuthappyitsover » Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:36 pm

Southpaw89 wrote:Isn't it true that they've increased the difficulty of the MBE questions since the Adaptibar questions were used?
That's probably true, but remember that there are always "easy," "medium," and "difficult" level questions on the MBE. Adaptibar is the best measuring stick out there for what you'll likely face on your MBE, IMHO, because the same NCBE people who wrote the old questions are writing the new questions as well. And FWIW, I had a couple questions on my MBE that I knew the correct answer to because of previous questions I'd done on Adaptibar-in other words, some concepts may be repeated. And also FWIW, I failed the bar the first time (2016) without consistently using Adaptibar and I passed it the second time while regularly using Adaptibar (2017).

PM me anyone if you want an Adaptibar or Critical Pass discount code.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Toubro » Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:38 pm

Tiredbuthappyitsover wrote:
Southpaw89 wrote:Isn't it true that they've increased the difficulty of the MBE questions since the Adaptibar questions were used?
That's probably true, but remember that there are always "easy," "medium," and "difficult" level questions on the MBE. Adaptibar is the best measuring stick out there for what you'll likely face on your MBE, IMHO, because the same NCBE people who wrote the old questions are writing the new questions as well. And FWIW, I had a couple questions on my MBE that I knew the correct answer to because of previous questions I'd done on Adaptibar-in other words, some concepts may be repeated. And also FWIW, I failed the bar the first time (2016) without consistently using Adaptibar and I passed it the second time while regularly using Adaptibar (2017).

PM me anyone if you want an Adaptibar or Critical Pass discount code.
Wait - I'd imagine there would be more than a couple of questions testing the same concept. Perhaps you meant there were couple of questions that had a nearly identical fact patterns and no material differences (like changing names, dates, etc.)?

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Tiredbuthappyitsover » Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:59 pm

Toubro wrote:
Tiredbuthappyitsover wrote:
Southpaw89 wrote:Isn't it true that they've increased the difficulty of the MBE questions since the Adaptibar questions were used?
That's probably true, but remember that there are always "easy," "medium," and "difficult" level questions on the MBE. Adaptibar is the best measuring stick out there for what you'll likely face on your MBE, IMHO, because the same NCBE people who wrote the old questions are writing the new questions as well. And FWIW, I had a couple questions on my MBE that I knew the correct answer to because of previous questions I'd done on Adaptibar-in other words, some concepts may be repeated. And also FWIW, I failed the bar the first time (2016) without consistently using Adaptibar and I passed it the second time while regularly using Adaptibar (2017).

PM me anyone if you want an Adaptibar or Critical Pass discount code.
Wait - I'd imagine there would be more than a couple of questions testing the same concept. Perhaps you meant there were couple of questions that had a nearly identical fact patterns and no material differences (like changing names, dates, etc.)?
I meant that there were some Adaptibar questions that tested nuances and exceptions to legal rules that I didn't know before, and after doing those questions it drilled in certain rules of law into my head memory-wise that I would remember well and could recall again. I would say more than a couple, but I wasn't reading it as closely as you did while I was writing it.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Law&coffee » Sun Sep 03, 2017 6:44 pm

Southpaw89 wrote:Isn't it true that they've increased the difficulty of the MBE questions since the Adaptibar questions were used?
This is probably true. The MBE has gotten more difficult over time. Not only have the my recently added civil procedure as a new topic on the MBE, the questions are getting increasingly more difficult. I feel that this is the result of too many prep companies and too many supplements out there. They had to do some to cull the herd and making the MBE harder was it.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by sparkytrainer » Sun Sep 03, 2017 6:55 pm

Law&coffee wrote:
lawst_ wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
lawst_ wrote:I took Barbri twice, failed both times I used it. My MBE was pretty low both those times as a result.

I finally passed this time around and the main difference for me was using Ameribar and Adaptibar. Both use real bar questions, which are significantly different from Barbri's questions.

Seriously, I wouldn't even look at Barbri's MBE questions unless you completely run out of questions from Adaptibar.
Damn. What use is Barbri at all then?
I think their state materials/essay stuff is good. I also used the CMR quite extensively. But if you can buy just those books online or from someone without taking the actual course, do it. Barbri is extremely overpriced and more than half of their materials are useless (in my opinion). Kaplan/Ameribar/Adaptibar/Emmanuel all have better MBE prep.
I definitely agree with the above. Barbri is great for essay prep, but weak in its MBE program. That's why you need to supplement with Adaptibar, Emanuel, or Critical Pass. The Barbri MBE questions will not prepare you adequately for the MBE portion of the exam.
If someone has a limited amount of $$ to spend on bar prep- say that their firm is not reimbursing, would it be wise to get a cheaper program like Themis for the state stuff and Adaptibar for the MBE? Would that be sufficient?

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by ndbigdave » Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:00 pm

sparkytrainer wrote:
Law&coffee wrote:
lawst_ wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
lawst_ wrote:I took Barbri twice, failed both times I used it. My MBE was pretty low both those times as a result.

I finally passed this time around and the main difference for me was using Ameribar and Adaptibar. Both use real bar questions, which are significantly different from Barbri's questions.

Seriously, I wouldn't even look at Barbri's MBE questions unless you completely run out of questions from Adaptibar.
Damn. What use is Barbri at all then?
I think their state materials/essay stuff is good. I also used the CMR quite extensively. But if you can buy just those books online or from someone without taking the actual course, do it. Barbri is extremely overpriced and more than half of their materials are useless (in my opinion). Kaplan/Ameribar/Adaptibar/Emmanuel all have better MBE prep.
I definitely agree with the above. Barbri is great for essay prep, but weak in its MBE program. That's why you need to supplement with Adaptibar, Emanuel, or Critical Pass. The Barbri MBE questions will not prepare you adequately for the MBE portion of the exam.
If someone has a limited amount of $$ to spend on bar prep- say that their firm is not reimbursing, would it be wise to get a cheaper program like Themis for the state stuff and Adaptibar for the MBE? Would that be sufficient?
The short answer is yes.

What state are you in? My short answer for that is that the relative value in knowing the state specific info (the time investment necessary to know it) is low. I would much rather wing-it on the state specifics and know the general concepts better for the MBE and other essays. My take may be a bit different if for some reason all your essays are state-driven.

You have hit on half of what I would reccommend: Adaptibar for MBE practice/drilling (also great for identifying weaknesses to focus on for later studying). The second piece I would suggest is SmartBar's prep for essay help/outlines: http://www.smartbarprep.com/outline/

The price for the deluxe package at SmartBar is $169, Adaptibar after discount is $365 for a total of $534. The other option would be BarMax which costs a bit more, but offers more - outlines, audio lectures along with the same questions + explanations with some tracking tools. BarMax also allows for payment plans. BarMax is $499: https://testmaxprep.com/bar-exam/course ... iew-course

There are definitely ways to spend anywhere from 1/3 to 1/4 the price of most traditional programs.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by sparkytrainer » Sun Sep 03, 2017 9:43 pm

ndbigdave wrote:
sparkytrainer wrote:
Law&coffee wrote:
lawst_ wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
lawst_ wrote:I took Barbri twice, failed both times I used it. My MBE was pretty low both those times as a result.

I finally passed this time around and the main difference for me was using Ameribar and Adaptibar. Both use real bar questions, which are significantly different from Barbri's questions.

Seriously, I wouldn't even look at Barbri's MBE questions unless you completely run out of questions from Adaptibar.
Damn. What use is Barbri at all then?
I think their state materials/essay stuff is good. I also used the CMR quite extensively. But if you can buy just those books online or from someone without taking the actual course, do it. Barbri is extremely overpriced and more than half of their materials are useless (in my opinion). Kaplan/Ameribar/Adaptibar/Emmanuel all have better MBE prep.
I definitely agree with the above. Barbri is great for essay prep, but weak in its MBE program. That's why you need to supplement with Adaptibar, Emanuel, or Critical Pass. The Barbri MBE questions will not prepare you adequately for the MBE portion of the exam.
If someone has a limited amount of $$ to spend on bar prep- say that their firm is not reimbursing, would it be wise to get a cheaper program like Themis for the state stuff and Adaptibar for the MBE? Would that be sufficient?
The short answer is yes.

What state are you in? My short answer for that is that the relative value in knowing the state specific info (the time investment necessary to know it) is low. I would much rather wing-it on the state specifics and know the general concepts better for the MBE and other essays. My take may be a bit different if for some reason all your essays are state-driven.

You have hit on half of what I would reccommend: Adaptibar for MBE practice/drilling (also great for identifying weaknesses to focus on for later studying). The second piece I would suggest is SmartBar's prep for essay help/outlines: http://www.smartbarprep.com/outline/

The price for the deluxe package at SmartBar is $169, Adaptibar after discount is $365 for a total of $534. The other option would be BarMax which costs a bit more, but offers more - outlines, audio lectures along with the same questions + explanations with some tracking tools. BarMax also allows for payment plans. BarMax is $499: https://testmaxprep.com/bar-exam/course ... iew-course

There are definitely ways to spend anywhere from 1/3 to 1/4 the price of most traditional programs.

Thanks, this is really helpful. So say someone is either taking DC UBE or Maryland State. What could work the best to make sure I get exactly what I need, for the right price. My significant other did Babri this summer and while she is waiting for her score, she was super upset about the whole thing. Didn't find it useful at all and a real waste of money (to which ours is limited).

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by ndbigdave » Mon Sep 04, 2017 9:31 am

sparkytrainer wrote: Thanks, this is really helpful. So say someone is either taking DC UBE or Maryland State. What could work the best to make sure I get exactly what I need, for the right price. My significant other did Babri this summer and while she is waiting for her score, she was super upset about the whole thing. Didn't find it useful at all and a real waste of money (to which ours is limited).
For the UBE: a combination of either Adaptibar/BarMax (for MBE) and then the SmartBar Materials for the MEE.

The trick here is that both tools rely on self-studying and creating your own schedule (granted, BarMax does provide a sample study schedule). So if you are a self-studier who doesnt need a day-by-day plan or structure than you are fine. For any UBE district my suggestions will provide all the information you need. For state specific information you would need to find another supplement or simply rely on general principles.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:45 pm

Raiden wrote:
Sat Jun 18, 2016 3:54 pm
You cannot go wrong with Adaptibar. Searching TLS you will find that Adaptibar has nothing but raging reviews from anyone that uses it. When I took the bar, I found the fact patterns on the actual bar to be similar to Adaptibar. Their mobile interface made it easy to answer many MBE questions without it feeling too taxing, helping with my MBE endurance on the actual exam. It's also nice how they change the questions you face according to your weaknesses. PM anyone who's taken Adaptibar for $50 off, feel free to PM me if you want the $50 discount.
Can you please PM me the Adaptibar discount? I'm unable to PM yet.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by Raiden » Wed Jul 01, 2020 10:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:45 pm
Raiden wrote:
Sat Jun 18, 2016 3:54 pm
You cannot go wrong with Adaptibar. Searching TLS you will find that Adaptibar has nothing but raging reviews from anyone that uses it. When I took the bar, I found the fact patterns on the actual bar to be similar to Adaptibar. Their mobile interface made it easy to answer many MBE questions without it feeling too taxing, helping with my MBE endurance on the actual exam. It's also nice how they change the questions you face according to your weaknesses. PM anyone who's taken Adaptibar for $50 off, feel free to PM me if you want the $50 discount.
Can you please PM me the Adaptibar discount? I'm unable to PM yet.
You are anonymous, so I cannot PM you.

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by EssDee » Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:29 am

I see a lot of threads with similar questions, so I wanted to summarize that information in one place.

It seems like most comments in this thread feel that it's important to supplement your MBE prep--especially if multiple-choice questions aren't your strong suit. It also seems like products that have MBE questions written by the NCBE are the best. Themis and Ameribar are two complete bar prep courses that use real MBE questions in their programs.

If you're not using one of those programs, you can purchase an MBE supplement. Adaptibar ($395), UWorld ($299), and BarMax ($399) are three online options with real MBE questions. Since they all have the same licensed questions, I would only purchase one of these options. They all have free trials that will help you decide which product resonates with you. If you need a cheaper option, you can purchase the Emmanuel's strategies and tactics book (<$100). It gives you the practice but you won't have the benefit of the analytics provided in the online products.

Some have also recommended Critical Pass flashcards, which summarize information from bar prep outlines on flashcards. Another user mentioned Lean Sheets, which some have used as a quick review of bar materials closer to the exam.

Hope this helps!

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by legalnerd784 » Mon Aug 10, 2020 11:25 am

When I signed up for my bar prep course, I had no intention of purchasing supplements. However, I went through some of my course's "MBE questions" and read several posts that these questions didn't reflect the questions on the test. This led me to look into the following supplements, all of which use MBE questions that appeared on previous bar exams.

Emmanuel's Strategies book was frequently suggested, but it only provides a limited number of questions. The other downside is that it is another heavy book for me to lug around, and I have enough of those already. That being said, a friend of mine used it in her studies and really enjoyed it. She took the exam in a jurisdiction that did not postpone its exam, so the number of questions in Emmanuel's was perfect for her.

My exam was postponed, so I wanted more questions to stretch out over the course of my studies. I signed up for a free trial of Adaptibar, which has over 1700 questions. I appreciated Adaptibar's metrics at first, but it wasn't my main priority for bar prep. The explanations were ok, but they didn't really seem much different than the explanations I saw in my bar prep course.

My academic advisor recommended a new MBE supplement from UWorld. I signed up for their free trial, and I immediately fell in love with their explanations. I especially loved the pictures, flowcharts, and tables that were in each question. UWorld has slightly fewer questions than Adaptibar (around 1650), but the explanations were much easier to follow and helped me connect related concepts. Once I received a discount code, I signed up and have been using it ever since.

If you want MBE practice, you can't go wrong with any of these options. Good luck to everyone in your studies. We got this!

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Re: Do you need supplements (Adaptibar, Critical Pass, Emanuel)?

Post by nealric » Mon Aug 10, 2020 11:58 am

I think it very much depends on your academic background. If you scored 170+ LSAT and got good grades at a T14 school, you probably don't need supplements. You already do well on standardized tests and essay exams.

If you scored sub 150 on the LSAT and graduated by the skin of your teeth, it makes sense to get all the help you can (but you will need some focus).

Also take into account the cut score of the state. California is very different from less rigorous states.

People in the middle will fall between these extremes.

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