BarMax, Critical Pass Cards, Adaptibar, Baroutlines... Forum

[jlolaw]

I've taken the Nevada bar exam several times and really need some advice. I've perused through different threads in these forums and have come across various answers on suggestions of what people found useful to passing. On my latest attempt, my essays ranged from average to above average. My MBE scores suffer greatly.

I've always used BarBri, but like others have said, I find they are just way too expensive and the lectures soak up way too much time to be useful.

I can't really afford to spend several thousand dollars on full blown course, so can anyone give me a rundown of what they recommend, especially, if you've used more than one of these alternative study courses.

I feel I need to improve all areas. I've seen people say both BarMax and Adaptibar are good because the use actual NCBE questions, however, one guy said Adaptibar has bad customer service, while someone else said Adaptibar offers slightly better analysis. From a cost standpoint though would BarMax be good for MBE and essays?

Is Critical Pass more effective for MBE? How does it stack up to the previous two?

Lastly, how effective is Baroutlines? The cost is very reasonable compared to the others, but sometimes the saying, "you get what you pay for," rings true.

I don't mind combining one or two of these, if it really helps me pass versus another few months with BarBri.

[ChiliBowlWonder]

These products are not apples to apples. I have not sat for the bar yet but I can speak to Critical Pass in particular. They are just flash cards. Extremely detailed flashcards. The mobile app is next to useless. I use them on breaks at work to review BLL. Adaptibar and barmax are more in depth and content rich, so they are different animals. I do believe critical pass is worth the investment, but I find myself rewriting rules to absorb them more. Just reading the cards is not sinking in.

[kingkonglaw]

I agree with Chilibowl, the products you mentioned are not apples to apples.

For MBE practice questions, I didn’t find anything that beat adaptibar for the price. With their question interface and accompanying analysis, it was exactly what I was looking for at a reasonable price. And considering it sounds like you need more practice, adaptibar would be a great tool for that job.

In regard to learning rules and BLL via bar outlines, I can attest to studicata’s attack outline. The condensed nature and rule prioritization really helped me prepare for the bar. Granted I was in an MEE state so the rule frequency was accurate. But the MEE is comprised of all the MBE subjects + a few more so it would still be useful for preparing for most essay sections as well as the MBE portion of the bar exam.

It sounds like for what you’re looking for in regards to rule memorization; their bundle of attack outline, flashcards, and even more condensed quicksheets is a great option as I was looking for a variety of additional study materials and also on a pretty tight budget..

Considering you have a few reps under your belt, there should be some combo of products on the market that fits all that you are looking for. If you have any questions about tools to supplement your bar prep, feel free to ask as I looked pretty thoroughly at what was available. Good luck with your prep!

[ubebarstudying]

I've taken the Nevada bar exam several times and really need some advice. I've perused through different threads in these forums and have come across various answers on suggestions of what people found useful to passing. On my latest attempt, my essays ranged from average to above average. My MBE scores suffer greatly.

I've always used BarBri, but like others have said, I find they are just way too expensive and the lectures soak up way too much time to be useful.

I can't really afford to spend several thousand dollars on full blown course, so can anyone give me a rundown of what they recommend, especially, if you've used more than one of these alternative study courses.

I feel I need to improve all areas. I've seen people say both BarMax and Adaptibar are good because the use actual NCBE questions, however, one guy said Adaptibar has bad customer service, while someone else said Adaptibar offers slightly better analysis. From a cost standpoint though would BarMax be good for MBE and essays?

Is Critical Pass more effective for MBE? How does it stack up to the previous two?

Lastly, how effective is Baroutlines? The cost is very reasonable compared to the others, but sometimes the saying, "you get what you pay for," rings true.

I don't mind combining one or two of these, if it really helps me pass versus another few months with BarBri.

Agreed, they aren't apples to apples. If color coding and or making notes on the side and grinding flashcards work for you and it's the MBE alone that you need help on, then critical pass can be helpful.

On the other hand, I don't know how many times you have not passed and you said your essays ranged from average to good, which to me says you feel you could do better. So, if you want something more comprehensive I would also recommend studicatas 3 part system - it is on sale for $168.00 without discount codes, but plenty of people have them including myself, though I have not enrolled in their new affiliate program. I liked their flashcards - particularly the app, the attack outlines are great, and quick sheets are nice to use as a checklist as well as drilling or what have you. I have a comprehensive review on my website and some materials I created.

Another option that many people do not seem to talk about is the ncbe study aid store, and see if Nevada has anything similar. They have downloadable or book versions of essay exams, mpts, and an mbe study guide. Since Nevada isn't a UBE state the essay study aid won't help, but as for MPT(s) you get the MPT, model answers, and point sheets showing what grades look for. The mbe study guide is 210 questions with portions on relevant law and answer keys.

Studicata review: https://blockbusterblawg.com/2018/01/08 ... -discount/

NCBE study aids:
http://www.ncbex.org/study-aids/

On barmax, I want more transparency and a longer tried and tested period because they charge 1 grand minimum, and I believe they're the company you need an iPad to make use out of the product as intended. Supposedly you can use a browser now. But they're a solid $1,000 (according to the bottom of their page and based on what reps try to get you to buy), they have statistics that are far out of date so it really doesn't give you an accurate picture, to me the closest their data seems to come to accurate is if they're still using stats from 2015, and they make claims on other programs manipulating data yet they have proclaimed themselves the #1 bar company (waiting for a credible source to back that claim up) and their claims vary depending on which bar course you compare them too. For example, they say how bar prep programs manipulate data by telling students the pass rate for hitting a certain mark and assert they do not give their total pass rates. That's just incorrect, I was a student rep for one of the big companies and then in my last year went to another and both do post the pass rate for people who hit a certain mark but they also post their overall pass rate. Something just seems off there.

Anyway, I hope both the suggestions and links are helpful but contact me if you have other questions. Finally, I don't know how much Barbri has charged you or how many times you took the bar or if you have taken it more than twice whether you got a deal on it. All I will say as far as that goes is I do know a lot of people that feel overwhelmed by their course structure and materials. Not to say other companies may not make you feel the same way, but if I recall the stories, barbri gives you almost 20 or 25 pounds of books and they give various assignments ranging from practice questions - which makes sense - to amp and, if you did not do well on assignments, do they still auto-generate more? If so, it hasn't changed much. But anyway, the point is I hope you haven't been robbed twice because they are the most expensive company by a decent margin from what I recall. If you want to pursue a traditional course you can call around and tell the companies what the others offered and you can negotiate with them. If you are not interested in that because of prior experiences, I suggest studicata and the ncbe aids on mpts and the MBE, then the flashcards of that works for you.

[jlolaw]

Agreed, they aren't apples to apples. If color coding and or making notes on the side and grinding flashcards work for you and it's the MBE alone that you need help on, then critical pass can be helpful.

On the other hand, I don't know how many times you have not passed and you said your essays ranged from average to good, which to me says you feel you could do better. So, if you want something more comprehensive I would also recommend studicatas 3 part system - it is on sale for $168.00 without discount codes, but plenty of people have them including myself, though I have not enrolled in their new affiliate program. I liked their flashcards - particularly the app, the attack outlines are great, and quick sheets are nice to use as a checklist as well as drilling or what have you. I have a comprehensive review on my website and some materials I created.

Another option that many people do not seem to talk about is the ncbe study aid store, and see if Nevada has anything similar. They have downloadable or book versions of essay exams, mpts, and an mbe study guide. Since Nevada isn't a UBE state the essay study aid won't help, but as for MPT(s) you get the MPT, model answers, and point sheets showing what grades look for. The mbe study guide is 210 questions with portions on relevant law and answer keys.

Studicata review: https://blockbusterblawg.com/2018/01/08 ... -discount/

NCBE study aids:
http://www.ncbex.org/study-aids/

On barmax, I want more transparency and a longer tried and tested period because they charge 1 grand minimum, and I believe they're the company you need an iPad to make use out of the product as intended. Supposedly you can use a browser now. But they're a solid $1,000 (according to the bottom of their page and based on what reps try to get you to buy), they have statistics that are far out of date so it really doesn't give you an accurate picture, to me the closest their data seems to come to accurate is if they're still using stats from 2015, and they make claims on other programs manipulating data yet they have proclaimed themselves the #1 bar company (waiting for a credible source to back that claim up) and their claims vary depending on which bar course you compare them too. For example, they say how bar prep programs manipulate data by telling students the pass rate for hitting a certain mark and assert they do not give their total pass rates. That's just incorrect, I was a student rep for one of the big companies and then in my last year went to another and both do post the pass rate for people who hit a certain mark but they also post their overall pass rate. Something just seems off there.

Anyway, I hope both the suggestions and links are helpful but contact me if you have other questions. Finally, I don't know how much Barbri has charged you or how many times you took the bar or if you have taken it more than twice whether you got a deal on it. All I will say as far as that goes is I do know a lot of people that feel overwhelmed by their course structure and materials. Not to say other companies may not make you feel the same way, but if I recall the stories, barbri gives you almost 20 or 25 pounds of books and they give various assignments ranging from practice questions - which makes sense - to amp and, if you did not do well on assignments, do they still auto-generate more? If so, it hasn't changed much. But anyway, the point is I hope you haven't been robbed twice because they are the most expensive company by a decent margin from what I recall. If you want to pursue a traditional course you can call around and tell the companies what the others offered and you can negotiate with them. If you are not interested in that because of prior experiences, I suggest studicata and the ncbe aids on mpts and the MBE, then the flashcards of that works for you.

Thanks a lot for the tips. So, I have taken the NV exam three times already. I tend to do well on the MPT, but I suppose that depends on which one is being given. This time, so far, I have my old BarBri materials and I have also bought AdaptiBar and Critical Pass. I would like to contact you for more questions, but I didn't see a means to do so here. I will try your website.

[Neve]

If I were in your shoes, I would use Emanuel's and BarMax depending on how you answer the questions below.

Critical Pass helped me, but I got my best grades in law school making flashcards over outlining. Did you study with flashcards in law school? How do you learn best? Do you need to drill yourself on practice questions? Is it your grasp of the law and the elements? Or do you need to refine your multiple choice skills? Personally, I am much stronger at essays than multiple choice questions. However, I focused equally on both during my prep period because I don't believe in putting all my effort in my weakest area.

If you doing well or decent on the essays, but not on the MBE, it tells me you have a decent grasp of black letter law and may need to focus on refining your multiple choice skills/approach to the MBE questions. Not everyone excels at MC and the MBE is notoriously tricky.

My running list of MBE supplements:

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/. 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 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.