PSA: Do not pay full price for a bar course - Negotiate w/Barbri, Themis, etc. Instead

[barjamie8]

I do not think the bar courses are necessary. In many times, sitting through lectures are total waste of time. And the bar course essay graders are usually not helpful.

If you are in California, you can get everything you need for around $500 - from Adaptibar, BarEssays, and buying some of the bar course books used.

[LawJunky]

Mod edit: advertising your services isn’t allowed.

[Mobster1983]

I was looking for a bit because I primarily wanted videos to watch while commuting. I passed my state in July and now taking the UBE in February. Was considering Barmax and they offered it for $500 (former military). I talked to the Kaplan rep from the state I am taking it, and he gave be a substiantial discount, well under $1,000. Since Kaplan is a much more comprehensive program, I was willing to pay a little more than I would have paid for Barmax. So as the original poster said, talk to the reps and negotiate. I took Barbri the first time and kept all my books. I did get Barbri for $1400 the first time around because I enrolled the first semester of my 1L year.

[emkay625]

This. I literally waited until graduation (just like a week before the course was supposed to start) and so I negotiated the price way down - even lower than the public interest discount. I literally emailed the rep, said, I'll pay $X, will you accept that? And they said yes.

[kjolaw]

Barbri is standing firm at the price $2400 (I think this for public option) for the last 10 days.

Did anyone get a lower price for Barbri UBE for July 2018? Thanks!

[ebaskets927]

Yea awhile ago I was a Barbri rep and definitely not worth the price

[BasilHallward]

Barbri is standing firm at the price $2400 (I think this for public option) for the last 10 days.

Did anyone get a lower price for Barbri UBE for July 2018? Thanks!

Yeah forget about Barbri. They are holding strong on price for whatever reason. I got Themis public for $1395. Barbri is not worth a $1000+ premium at all

[christinabear4]

I was able to negotiate with Kaplan to get a good discount. It was a very positive experience. Themis was completely unwilling to lower their price. I already had Barbri materials so I didn't try them.

In response to those suggesting self study for first time takers, that's great if you are very disciplined and not overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material and memorization. I need something to help me manage that.

[GoldenPuppy]

FYI: it seems the jig's up. Probably thanks to this thread.

BARBRI would not negotiate, other than by offering public interest pricing. (I paid $2,000.)

I didn't push Themis much, but same thing, public interest pricing only.

In retrospect, I'm glad I waited three years before signing on the dotted line with BARBRI, but those in the class of 2021 and later should consider that the spectrum of possibilities has apparently dwindled to 2: either the price won't change at all or the price will go up on you. Starting with this year, if you're able to get public interest pricing, that might be the way to go. Of course, if there's an economic recession, they'll most likely start negotiating again because they'll want to make their mortgage payments and such.

Edit: Forgot to mention that they agreed to waive the book deposit fee ($250?).

[pvnyc]

Hi, is anyone doing the barbri mini review?

[Smiddywesson]

Around this time all the bar prep companies are going to start (lol let's be real they started during 1L) hounding all you unsuspecting 3Ls offering you "discounts" on their courses.

Do not get locked into the 3k or even 2k prices that they are offering right now. Hold out until the last minute and negotiate a lower price. Talk to various reps and get their prices and then play them off each other. Bar prep does NOT need to cost 4k.

Themis will go as low as $1200. I know people who got Barbri for $1400. Kaplan doesn't seem to have a floor because people were getting that course for like $900.

hth.

Studicata is all you need for all the essays, and their stuff is only $80 for the outlines and attack outlines. That includes stats for how frequently each issue has been tested.
Scribd has everything you would need in print, including Barbri outlines, and it's only $8 a month.
Adaptibar is close to $400, but it has all you need for the MBE, and most importantly, it keeps your stats regarding time management for questions you got right, got wrong, and stats regarding topics and subtopics of law. Best of all, its software adapts and keeps hammering you with your weak points.
PMBR and BarBri lectures: These are available everywhere, Amazon and Ebay. They are cheap and very good if you have the time.

Those are my top three picks, and I'm consistently getting a 170 raw score in the practice MBE tests. You don't need a big box review company provided you have the time to cast about and find what you need. The big box review companies are for people who need structure, someone to hold their hand, and group reinforcement.

[nixy]

The big box review companies are for people who need structure, someone to hold their hand, and group reinforcement.

To be fair, this is a lot of people.

[Smiddywesson]

The big box review companies are for people who need structure, someone to hold their hand, and group reinforcement.

To be fair, this is a lot of people.

I just want my mommy to hold me and tell me it's all going to be ok. That and some Jack Daniels ought to do it.

[dodint]

My school negotiated with Kaplan to have their bar prep integrated into our program so we get it for 'free' at a mandatory cost of $250 or so per semester. I was not happy with this for a couple of reasons but primarily because their PA state-specific material appears to be substantially defective. However; we can opt out of it and get $500 back if you show that you paid for another bar prep. I paid $1,631 for Themis PA Bar Prep, so after my voucher from the school I'm at $1,131 and I'm pretty happy with that. I used Themis to pass the MPRE this spring and liked their delivery across multiple platforms.

[Law4lyf]

I used Themis + Adaptibar + Critical pass flashcards. Passed on my first attempt doing about 70% of Themis. Key is to recognize what is pulling down your scores. Mine was the MBE so I went the extra mile to get Adaptibar and Critical Pass. Adaptibar uses real MBE questions while Themis and Barbri make up a bunch of their own (plus licensing a few). I used critical pass to run through the topics I was weak at to make sure that I had a basic understanding of the law (that's all you need!). The flashcards were great and was key to me passing the bar.

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[FutureLawyer2]

Barbri mini review was key for me. I used it together with strategies and tactics + critical pass.

The result = pass.

PM for any questions you may have. Good luck

[rcharter1978]

when I passed the CBX the second time, I used barbri study materials, a writing tutor, the red PT book, adaptibar and critical pass flashcards peripherally.

I had access to a repeaters program (not run by barbri), but only used this for timed practice tests.

I used barbri exclusively the first time and that was a mistake for me.

Barbri, IMO, has the best study materials. The CMR and the big green book are invaluable.

Nothing else in their program worked for me.


The essay grading was garbage and very, very, very inconsistent in terms of quality and quantity of feedback.

Because the program is structured to cover as many people as possible, it is generally designed for the bottom 10% at every school.

In that vein, while a lot of people may have needed videos that were as long and in depth as the barbri videos......I did not, and certainly not for every subject. I would have done much better reviewing the material in a way I was familiar with.

The PT prep was dismal.

The MBE prep was subpar in that I think you get better analytics from adaptibar and it's easier to access.

Barbri was over 2k.

My writing tutor + adaptibar + critical pass + 2 used barbri books + the red PT book would have been less expensive than barbri. Not much less expensive ....but it would have been less.

I specifically wanted a writing tutor who was a former bar grader. I would imagine that if someone isn't super picky about their tutor being a bar grader they could negotiate a really good price.

TL; DR - really think about a variety of factors before automatically signing up for barbri. It works for a lot of people but not everyone.

[scarletpiggy]

You don’t need a bar prep course to pass. You are made to beleive you need one. That said, you need a structure so you just get used barbri books or Themis books and use them as a guideline, and maybe combine that with Batmax or adaptibar for a practical mbe practices. After you study the outlines, practice old essays like crazy and you’ll be ready.

I didn’t even go to a top law school and I’m not genius or anything but passed on the first attempt. You either study or you don’t, it’s not whether you take the course or not. The funny thing is if I went to a top law school and everyone was taking barbri like that’s what you are supposed to do, I may have been pressured to take it but that was not the case for me so I was able to think and choose on my own. When it came to the time for studying, I researched what I would be missing by not taking the course and I was confident I wouldn’t be missing much by not getting the lecture or online platform so I confidently opted not to take the course. Barbri books are available on eBay for around 200-250.

[Chuck Rhoades]

Is this info still current??