Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using? Forum

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Rebel0203

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Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Rebel0203 » Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:09 am

Figured I'd set up a Topic where we could share our study plans because I have no clue what i'm doing (or at least feel paralyzed and overwhelmed to start and know i wont be able to keep up with Barbri) and imagine there has to be someone else out there like me.

FWIW - I work F/T, have a lengthy (2-hour each way) commute - an hour of which each way i can study - and have a wife and kids --- so gonna have to maximize the most out of the little time i have....plus, feel like i have too much good 'stuff' below (like hoarding too many supplements during 1L) and need to make a solid plan.

Materials so far:
(1) Barbri Full Program (starts 12/28) - online only
(2) CriticalPass Notecards
(3) Most of the 2005-2017 MEE and MPT prompts and recommended answers/analysis
(4) PMBR 3-day course (MBE simulation, + answers and explanations)
(5) 2016 PMBR/Kaplan Multistate Workbook (Redbook/GOAT) OR PMBR online Q-bank (more likely to use the Redbook though)

Likely to purchase:
(1) Adaptibar on my phone
(2) Emanuel S&T (6th Ed.)
(3) Advanced Training for the UBE (Pieper)

So...am I missing something essential (and should pull the trigger on Adaptibar and S&T) OR should i just ignore something that is above?

I am inclined, like LSAT, to take the PMBR 3-day MBE SIM sooner than later (in the next 2 weeks) to get a sense of where I stand, and obviously start Barbri soon (if not on 28th then on the 2nd after decompressing over the holidays). The biggest challenge (besides accepting i cannot do Barbri 100%) is trying to figure out how to integrate the good supplements (Redbook/S&T/Advanced Training/Adaptibar) into whatever my study schedule will be.

For the Commute: Critical Pass and Adaptibar. I feel like doing subject sets of Critical Pass on the way in and Adaptibar on the way home M-F might be a good plan. Interested in how people use both of these supplements in addition to Barbri and whatever else they do.

During the Week: 3 hours or so weeknights after getting home from work (with less possible...) plugging away on Barbri and maybe doing sets in S&T or Redbook. Interested in how people effectively use barbri but in a 'scaled' down version approach (3 hours a/day as opposed to 6-8) AND how people work in either S&T and/or Redbook WITH Barbri.

Weekends: 6-8 hours a day, with one heavy and one light day (i.e. AM off on Sunday). Barbri catch-up, MEE/MPT reviews and practice tests, more Redbook and S&T. Adaptibar whenever i am online at supermarket, or at a traffic light, etc. etc. etc. Again, interested if people used old MEE/MPT prompts and suggested answers in the past to study and what they did and how it worked.

I'll take off from work after Feb 9th, and then will have Feb 10-26 to really crush it as well, so am not going to get too down on myself if the crazy ambitious stuff above is not even 50% adhered to. But yeah, that's all i got. Maybe a mini vacation from Mar 1-4 to wash away all this insanity.

Ok - good luck to everyone out there, look forward to seeing your plans and supp. comments, or what plans others have used in the past that worked...

Mobster1983

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Mobster1983 » Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:31 pm

Did Barbri last summer. Watch the videos through the phone app when you are driving or doing house/yard work and it is not feasible to do reading (practice tests or flashcards). I even put a speaker in my bathroom to listed to lectures when I was taking a shower and getting ready.

Take the full practice MBE as soon as possible. This will give you a good breakdown on each subject so you can see where you are weakest. Since time is limited, you can focus on the subjects where you did not do as well.

Focus as much as possible on practice tests and reading through all the explanatory answers. Flashcards at times you have a few minutes here and there is a good idea as well. I only used Barbri and one of the companies that did a very short summary of just key points of law for each subject (blanking on the name ATM) [Edit: Leansheets]. I turned their printed out flashcards into flashcards on my phone using Brainscape (an awesome flashcard app) and primarily focused on those during the last week.

I am taking the February UBE in a different state (since my state has no reciprocity) and am using Kaplan this time (got it for very very cheap). Barbri is better so far, but Kaplan works well too. Have pretty much the same plan this time.

I would also recommend staying at a hotel near the exam site for a few days before the bar (I went the Thursday before) to relax and have the time to yourself to focus without all the distractions at home.

jtom195

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by jtom195 » Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:37 pm

Rebel0203 wrote:Figured I'd set up a Topic where we could share our study plans because I have no clue what i'm doing (or at least feel paralyzed and overwhelmed to start and know i wont be able to keep up with Barbri) and imagine there has to be someone else out there like me.

FWIW - I work F/T, have a lengthy (2-hour each way) commute - an hour of which each way i can study - and have a wife and kids --- so gonna have to maximize the most out of the little time i have....plus, feel like i have too much good 'stuff' below (like hoarding too many supplements during 1L) and need to make a solid plan.

Materials so far:
(1) Barbri Full Program (starts 12/28) - online only
(2) CriticalPass Notecards
(3) Most of the 2005-2017 MEE and MPT prompts and recommended answers/analysis
(4) PMBR 3-day course (MBE simulation, + answers and explanations)
(5) 2016 PMBR/Kaplan Multistate Workbook (Redbook/GOAT) OR PMBR online Q-bank (more likely to use the Redbook though)

Likely to purchase:
(1) Adaptibar on my phone
(2) Emanuel S&T (6th Ed.)
(3) Advanced Training for the UBE (Pieper)

So...am I missing something essential (and should pull the trigger on Adaptibar and S&T) OR should i just ignore something that is above?

I am inclined, like LSAT, to take the PMBR 3-day MBE SIM sooner than later (in the next 2 weeks) to get a sense of where I stand, and obviously start Barbri soon (if not on 28th then on the 2nd after decompressing over the holidays). The biggest challenge (besides accepting i cannot do Barbri 100%) is trying to figure out how to integrate the good supplements (Redbook/S&T/Advanced Training/Adaptibar) into whatever my study schedule will be.

For the Commute: Critical Pass and Adaptibar. I feel like doing subject sets of Critical Pass on the way in and Adaptibar on the way home M-F might be a good plan. Interested in how people use both of these supplements in addition to Barbri and whatever else they do.

During the Week: 3 hours or so weeknights after getting home from work (with less possible...) plugging away on Barbri and maybe doing sets in S&T or Redbook. Interested in how people effectively use barbri but in a 'scaled' down version approach (3 hours a/day as opposed to 6-8) AND how people work in either S&T and/or Redbook WITH Barbri.

Weekends: 6-8 hours a day, with one heavy and one light day (i.e. AM off on Sunday). Barbri catch-up, MEE/MPT reviews and practice tests, more Redbook and S&T. Adaptibar whenever i am online at supermarket, or at a traffic light, etc. etc. etc. Again, interested if people used old MEE/MPT prompts and suggested answers in the past to study and what they did and how it worked.

I'll take off from work after Feb 9th, and then will have Feb 10-26 to really crush it as well, so am not going to get too down on myself if the crazy ambitious stuff above is not even 50% adhered to. But yeah, that's all i got. Maybe a mini vacation from Mar 1-4 to wash away all this insanity.

Ok - good luck to everyone out there, look forward to seeing your plans and supp. comments, or what plans others have used in the past that worked...
If you are really crunched for time, I would look into a supplement that condenses the material down into more manageable parts. I'm pretty sure that there's a lot of companies out there that do this. I used BarBri, and about 4-5 weeks in, I started to become completely overwhelmed by the amount of material that they flood you with. So, I ended up supplementing my bar prep with attack outlines from Studicata a month or so prior to the UBE, which really helped me out. Ideally, I think it would be best to create your OWN condensed outline for each subject to really get a feel for the material, but given most people's time constraints, this is probably unrealistic.

Otherwise, I think your plan looks really solid, especially your mini-vacation!

maxmartin

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by maxmartin » Sun Dec 24, 2017 12:13 am

Mobster1983 wrote:Did Barbri last summer. Watch the videos through the phone app when you are driving or doing house/yard work and it is not feasible to do reading (practice tests or flashcards). I even put a speaker in my bathroom to listed to lectures when I was taking a shower and getting ready.

Take the full practice MBE as soon as possible. This will give you a good breakdown on each subject so you can see where you are weakest. Since time is limited, you can focus on the subjects where you did not do as well.

Focus as much as possible on practice tests and reading through all the explanatory answers. Flashcards at times you have a few minutes here and there is a good idea as well. I only used Barbri and one of the companies that did a very short summary of just key points of law for each subject (blanking on the name ATM) [Edit: Leansheets]. I turned their printed out flashcards into flashcards on my phone using Brainscape (an awesome flashcard app) and primarily focused on those during the last week.

I am taking the February UBE in a different state (since my state has no reciprocity) and am using Kaplan this time (got it for very very cheap). Barbri is better so far, but Kaplan works well too. Have pretty much the same plan this time.

I would also recommend staying at a hotel near the exam site for a few days before the bar (I went the Thursday before) to relax and have the time to yourself to focus without all the distractions at home.
No wonder there is some maniac driving on the street.

Mobster1983

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Mobster1983 » Tue Dec 26, 2017 7:38 pm

maxmartin wrote:
No wonder there is some maniac driving on the street.
Yea, I misspoke/mistyped on that one. I meant listen to the audio. My phone is usually in my pocket or on Navigation if I am driving so I am really only listening to the audio. Good looking out. :mrgreen:

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SilvermanBarPrep

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by SilvermanBarPrep » Wed Dec 27, 2017 3:34 pm

Strategies and Tactics for the Finz Multistate Method is an excellent book. I bring this up because it looks like you'll be covered with all the released questions and this book uses non-official but excellent questions.

Also, the NCBE has just released 210 new questions on its website that I highly recommend.

Sean (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)

Tony48

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Tony48 » Wed Dec 27, 2017 8:08 pm

OMG, OP. How are you going to do all of that? Either way, seems like you're covered.

macgirl

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by macgirl » Fri Dec 29, 2017 1:25 pm

@Rebel0203

I'd be interested in seeing what BarBri is showing/providing as a working study schedule calendar? It may also work best to tweek that schedule to fit your IRL study.

Neve

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Neve » Sat Dec 30, 2017 12:20 am

List of Supplements & Brief Review for the Bar Exam (aimed toward MBE):

1) Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics for the MBE - available on Amazon. Fairly cheap book. Has good tips on approaching the MBE and contains lots of practice questions.

2) Adaptibar (http://www.adaptibar.com) - I didn't use this, but wish I had since it has received raving reviews. The only con to Adaptibar is the price.

3) Barmax MBE Questions (https://getbarmax.com/barmax-mbe-questions/ - supposedly "comparable" to Adaptibar). At only $249, it's a good price, but Adaptibar has tracking tools to individualize your MBE study and show your progress in a method that Barmax can't. But Barmax seems to be more economical than Adaptibar. You also need an iOS device to use it.

4) OPE from the MBE site to practice the most recent test questions: http://store.ncbex.org/all-online-practice-exams/. At $50 per OPE it isn't the cheapest option, but these are real, recent MBE questions and not the souped up Barbri ones. Barbri questions are not representative of the modern MBE. I hear Barmax is only $249 and has all these OPEs included.

5) Critical Pass (http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9 - referral link contains a discount code for 20% off) - Great flashcards for the MBE! You can't apply the law to an MBE question, if you don't know the law. I used Critical Pass for my bar study along with the CMR from Barbri and their simulated questions (although the Barbri questions are very different than actual MBE questions). I also used Emanuel's S&T during my study period, but not as much as I should have since it's a great resource. Note: When I purchased Critical Pass flashcards, I got a free shipping code by liking Critical Pass on Facebook. However, I don't know if this code is still available.
Last edited by Neve on Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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macgirl

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by macgirl » Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:22 pm

Just came across this website for MBE question bank that's only 199.00 (half of Adaptibar). It does track your progress although not sure it tracks it down to the subset of the subject (so you know specifically what you got wrong) but at a minimum it does some tracking.

http://www.esqyr.com

law9871

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by law9871 » Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:51 am

Save $10 off Critical Pass Flashcards http://criticalpass.refr.cc/2017JULYBAR

I used critical pass when studying for the UBE and they saved my life and I passed on my first try. I definitely would recommend these flashcards, they help you hammer down the black letter law which is exactly what the bar tests on.
macgirl wrote:Just came across this website for MBE question bank that's only 199.00 (half of Adaptibar). It does track your progress although not sure it tracks it down to the subset of the subject (so you know specifically what you got wrong) but at a minimum it does some tracking.

http://www.esqyr.com

akumar26

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE

Post by akumar26 » Wed Jan 03, 2018 4:04 pm

0
Last edited by akumar26 on Thu Jan 04, 2018 4:50 pm, edited 3 times in total.

pfunkera

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by pfunkera » Wed Jan 03, 2018 11:52 pm

I am in a similar situation as OP - full time job, wife and kids but I have some flexibility with work. I am only doing barbri (online). I was looking at the schedule and each day has 7-9 hours of material. Also, I did not see any days off other than the day or two before the actual exam. However, I did not start on Dec 28th as suggested though. I started today, but I was a little concerned about when to find study time if the actual course itself is 7-9 hours a day. Throw in work, there isn't much time left. I am not sure how OP can get through the course with only 3 hours on Barbri each night and 6-8 hours on the weekend?

I decided to take the patent bar between finishing up law school last month and starting on the regular bar exam prep - this delayed my start and any attempt to try to learn from others on forums like this. Hopefully that does not come back to hurt me!

I wasn't planning on getting any supplements so this thread worries me a bit :) I did really well in law school itself, but I barely remember things a couple days after exams so I need to memorize many of the rules again. Not sure how to work and do Barbri plus find time to actually study. Hopefully, doing Barbri itself if the studying part, but that doesn't seem realistic. :cry:

Is there is a good set of online flashcards broken down into each subject to learn the rules? I really liked using quizlet for my exams, but I just won't have the time to create flashcards. Barbri sent me some sort of flash cards, but I prefer online versions - much quicker and I like only reviewing those I get wrong.

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kc128

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by kc128 » Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:27 am

pfunkera wrote:I am in a similar situation as OP - full time job, wife and kids but I have some flexibility with work. I am only doing barbri (online). I was looking at the schedule and each day has 7-9 hours of material. Also, I did not see any days off other than the day or two before the actual exam. However, I did not start on Dec 28th as suggested though. I started today, but I was a little concerned about when to find study time if the actual course itself is 7-9 hours a day. Throw in work, there isn't much time left. I am not sure how OP can get through the course with only 3 hours on Barbri each night and 6-8 hours on the weekend?

I decided to take the patent bar between finishing up law school last month and starting on the regular bar exam prep - this delayed my start and any attempt to try to learn from others on forums like this. Hopefully that does not come back to hurt me!

I wasn't planning on getting any supplements so this thread worries me a bit :) I did really well in law school itself, but I barely remember things a couple days after exams so I need to memorize many of the rules again. Not sure how to work and do Barbri plus find time to actually study. Hopefully, doing Barbri itself if the studying part, but that doesn't seem realistic. :cry:

Is there is a good set of online flashcards broken down into each subject to learn the rules? I really liked using quizlet for my exams, but I just won't have the time to create flashcards. Barbri sent me some sort of flash cards, but I prefer online versions - much quicker and I like only reviewing those I get wrong.
Critical pass flashcards are useful for blackletter law. Not sure if an electronic PDF is available, but the physical ones are worthwhile.

Carib Guy

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Carib Guy » Thu Jan 04, 2018 4:06 pm

Planning to do the exam in either February or July, is Barbri a good course to take? I am accustomed to the UK law, so I'm more concerned with the transition and which course would better accommodate that.

Chris_H

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Chris_H » Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:55 pm

macgirl wrote:Just came across this website for MBE question bank that's only 199.00 (half of Adaptibar). It does track your progress although not sure it tracks it down to the subset of the subject (so you know specifically what you got wrong) but at a minimum it does some tracking.

http://www.esqyr.com
Hey there -- we'll have each question's "subtopic" (as outlined by the NCBE here -> http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2 ... ment%2F201) ready to go for the July exam.

On our question-count, we don't use the 1991 NCBE question bank, per the NCBE guidance -> http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mbe/preparing/ . Some of our competitors do use those questions, which increases their question count.

If anyone would like 10% off our materials, go here: http://www.esqyr.com/offer (or shoot me a message if you have any questions). As a bootstrapped company that's donating 20% of our profits, we definitely want to be responsive to what's most useful for students.

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Neve » Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:58 pm

Carib Guy wrote:Planning to do the exam in either February or July, is Barbri a good course to take? I am accustomed to the UK law, so I'm more concerned with the transition and which course would better accommodate that.
Yes, Barbri, Themis, or Kaplan would all be appropriate bar prep courses to take. You should research them since each course varies slightly in structure and cost.

Nicolena.

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Re: Feb 2018 UBE - What is your plan/bar prep + supplements you using?

Post by Nicolena. » Tue Feb 20, 2018 1:58 am

SilvermanBarPrep wrote:Strategies and Tactics for the Finz Multistate Method is an excellent book. I bring this up because it looks like you'll be covered with all the released questions and this book uses non-official but excellent questions.

Also, the NCBE has just released 210 new questions on its website that I highly recommend.

Sean (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)
What exactly is the difference between Emanuel's Finz Multistate Method book and the MBE book? This may be a silly question, but I don't see the exact difference. I know Stephen Finz is a person, but what is the difference between the books. I noticed everyone always recommending Finz instead of the plain MBE book. Thanks!

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