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bdadon

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Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by bdadon » Thu May 31, 2018 3:01 pm

I am taking Barbri and making my own flashcards. However, its very time consuming and Barbri's version of flashcards suck. Is Critical Pass worth it? Or should I continue to make my flashcards?

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Neilt001

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Neilt001 » Thu May 31, 2018 4:07 pm

bdadon wrote:I am taking Barbri and making my own flashcards. However, its very time consuming and Barbri's version of flashcards suck. Is Critical Pass worth it? Or should I continue to make my flashcards?
This is a great question. I had Critical Pass (as well as Themis) and I liked their cards. At first, I as shocked by the amount of information on them, and the sheer number of separate cards, and I figured they were not so much flash cards as they are just study notes split into cards. In other words, they're very detailed and almost contain everything you need to know, which is not exactly what flash cards are meant to do.

Having said that, I came to really like them because they contain all info, and if you want to use them like flash cards you can. This is accomplished by just reading the headings, and if you know the answer, move on. If you don't, the answer is right there for you to memorize, and you don't need to refer to other materials. Also, I found that they actually helped me to understand and conceptualize matters that I was having trouble with, cause they set out the info logically and you can be certain it's right.

However, having said that all, I'm a huge fan of making my owns notes/cards/study aids. Your own notes/cards are tailored exactly to how much info you want so as not to overload your brain, rather than relying on what someone else thinks you want. Further, you can set them out the way you want (using colors, boxes, arrows, etc) in ways that your brain understands, rather than what someone else thinks you want. And as you of course know, the mere process of making notes/cards helps. (I should add that half of each CP flashcard is blank, and there are spare blank cards, which allow you to make your own notes and write in examples of how the law is applied, etc, so this is meant to slightly overcome the above).

And I should say one thing about examples: often you remember best when there is an example of how the law is applied, rather than just simply stating the law. CP flashcards aren't great in this respect because they don't include many examples (I think the reasoning is that it's up to you which examples you want, and CP doesn't want to confuse you or contradict your lecturer). I found them deficient in this sense because I like examples, and so your own cards would be better in that they allow you to write whatever you want by way of example. The same goes for mnemonics. (Again, CP flashcards have space to write you own examples so maybe this isn't a huge deal)

Ultimately, I achieved all of the above benefits by making my own study notes (a very long but worthwhile process). I couldn't be bothered, nor do I think it would have helped, to also make my own flash cards. So I purchased Critical Pass, which was a good way to supplement my study. But if you're not making your own notes, then maybe you should make your own flashcards. It's cheaper too!

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by bballbb02 » Thu May 31, 2018 8:41 pm

Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri

sprintin23

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by sprintin23 » Sat Jun 02, 2018 4:36 pm

bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Law&coffee » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:19 pm

sprintin23 wrote:
bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.
Yes, it's worth it. You won't have time to make cards and keep up with the homework that Barbri gives you. Link for a discount (courtesy of Neve): http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9

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beckgirl123

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by beckgirl123 » Mon Jun 04, 2018 6:40 pm

Def critical pass. I tried making my own for the first week and realized how much time I was wasting....critical pass are ridiculously overpriced imo but they hit all the important points and you can jump right into them- worth it for sure.

bdadon

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by bdadon » Mon Jun 04, 2018 11:11 pm

Thanks guys

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northwood

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by northwood » Tue Jun 05, 2018 5:34 am

I agree. While I’m a big fan of making my own flash cards, but there’s quite frankly too much info/ too many subjects to do this and not enough time.

bdadon

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by bdadon » Tue Jun 05, 2018 8:29 am

Hey thanks for the discount, it did not work. By any chance, do you have another one?
Law&coffee wrote:
sprintin23 wrote:
bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.
Yes, it's worth it. You won't have time to make cards and keep up with the homework that Barbri gives you. Link for a discount (courtesy of Neve): http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


shaq23

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by shaq23 » Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:50 am

You have a limited time frame to prepare. Your best bet is to rely on an established flashcards. I've personally used them and they were very helpful. They also offer an app version of the cards, if you prefer an electronic version of the flashcards versus buying the cards themselves.

If interested, use this link for a $10 discount on ordering your cards. https://www.virginiabarprep.com/refer/criticalpass/

If you need a supplement for MBE questions, you can refer to either Adaptibar ( https://www.virginiabarprep.com/review- ... ou-get-it/ ) OR Emanuel's ( https://www.virginiabarprep.com/refer/e ... h-edition/ )

barprepforca

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by barprepforca » Wed Jun 06, 2018 10:07 am

I'm guessing there isn't a reputable equivalent for CA Law is there? I saw one company, I think it was called "Bar in a Box" but apparently some of their cards had bad law on them.

shaq23

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by shaq23 » Wed Jun 06, 2018 10:23 am

barprepforca wrote:I'm guessing there isn't a reputable equivalent for CA Law is there? I saw one company, I think it was called "Bar in a Box" but apparently some of their cards had bad law on them.
Not sure....sorry.

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by sprinx » Wed Jun 06, 2018 4:22 pm

Hey!

I couldn’t remember what thread mentioned it, but got confirmation that the law master study keys from Barbri can be unbundled and rearranged WITHOUT losing the deposit. I know it really bothered me before, so hopefully that makes them more useful.

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SouthernOutWest

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by SouthernOutWest » Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:46 pm

barprepforca wrote:I'm guessing there isn't a reputable equivalent for CA Law is there? I saw one company, I think it was called "Bar in a Box" but apparently some of their cards had bad law on them.
Took and passed CA last July on the first try. I'd definitely buy CP cards for CA and, if needed, make your own for the CA specific subjects (PR, wills and trusts). I hand wrote several charts for CA stating the fed rule on one side and the CA rule on the other (civ pro, crim pro). I felt like there was way less CA specific info and that it wasn't too difficult to make those note cards where needed. Good luck!

Bla Bla Bla Blah

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Bla Bla Bla Blah » Wed Jun 06, 2018 7:49 pm

You ain't got time to become an expert at making flashcards (i.e., re-inventing the wheel where someone has already made it more accurately, and better for you). In my opinion, having passed the CA Bar with 3 weeks to study largely in part to Critical Pass, it is well worth the saved time to plop down 150 for their system. It really works well as far as beating the rules, and the nuances within them, into your head if you can just consistently flick through a subject every couple of nights after a long day of study (MBE practice was the majority of mine).

Edit: Leansheet the hell out of the CA subjects, and supplement their shortened sheets with your Barbri/Kaplan outlines where needed for further clarification. I did this with a combination of practicing CA Essays and reviewing CA subjects through Essay Writing for the CA BeX, by Mary Boswitch (i think her name was) for a week prior to the exam and was pretty confident on rule statements, approach to my essays, analysis, and key themes that would get me points. It is the most well reviewed writing prep book for the CA BeX on Amazon if you have any questions.

frqw9201

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by frqw9201 » Thu Jun 07, 2018 4:15 pm

Law&coffee wrote:
sprintin23 wrote:
bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.
Yes, it's worth it. You won't have time to make cards and keep up with the homework that Barbri gives you. Link for a discount (courtesy of Neve): http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9
This didn't work but I found another one that works, send me a PM if you want the code

shaq23

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by shaq23 » Thu Jun 07, 2018 5:39 pm

frqw9201 wrote:
Law&coffee wrote:
sprintin23 wrote:
bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.
Yes, it's worth it. You won't have time to make cards and keep up with the homework that Barbri gives you. Link for a discount (courtesy of Neve): http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9
This didn't work but I found another one that works, send me a PM if you want the code
Anyone that needs it can use this link:

https://www.virginiabarprep.com/refer/criticalpass/

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


barprepforca

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by barprepforca » Thu Jun 07, 2018 6:26 pm

Bla Bla Bla Blah wrote:You ain't got time to become an expert at making flashcards (i.e., re-inventing the wheel where someone has already made it more accurately, and better for you). In my opinion, having passed the CA Bar with 3 weeks to study largely in part to Critical Pass, it is well worth the saved time to plop down 150 for their system. It really works well as far as beating the rules, and the nuances within them, into your head if you can just consistently flick through a subject every couple of nights after a long day of study (MBE practice was the majority of mine).

Edit: Leansheet the hell out of the CA subjects, and supplement their shortened sheets with your Barbri/Kaplan outlines where needed for further clarification. I did this with a combination of practicing CA Essays and reviewing CA subjects through Essay Writing for the CA BeX, by Mary Boswitch (i think her name was) for a week prior to the exam and was pretty confident on rule statements, approach to my essays, analysis, and key themes that would get me points. It is the most well reviewed writing prep book for the CA BeX on Amazon if you have any questions.
Thanks for the advice! I have Critical Pass and so far i've found that when I go over the cards on a subject, they match what I learned in BarBri pretty well (the one exception is Ks, which seems to be all jumbled around compared to what the lectures had). My question is... when you did go over cards, how did you approach the information in them? Did you try to remember everything on the card, or just flip through and read the cards?

frqw9201

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by frqw9201 » Thu Jun 07, 2018 6:29 pm

shaq23 wrote:
frqw9201 wrote:
Law&coffee wrote:
sprintin23 wrote:
bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.
Yes, it's worth it. You won't have time to make cards and keep up with the homework that Barbri gives you. Link for a discount (courtesy of Neve): http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9
This didn't work but I found another one that works, send me a PM if you want the code
Anyone that needs it can use this link:

https://www.virginiabarprep.com/refer/criticalpass/
The one I have is for $25 off not $10

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Calbears123

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Calbears123 » Thu Jun 07, 2018 6:33 pm

I got an e-mail from Quimbee saying I should purchase their set of 7,500 bar flash cards...who has time to read that many flash cards.

Bla Bla Bla Blah

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Bla Bla Bla Blah » Thu Jun 07, 2018 7:29 pm

barprepforca wrote:
Thanks for the advice! I have Critical Pass and so far i've found that when I go over the cards on a subject, they match what I learned in BarBri pretty well (the one exception is Ks, which seems to be all jumbled around compared to what the lectures had). My question is... when you did go over cards, how did you approach the information in them? Did you try to remember everything on the card, or just flip through and read the cards?
So this could be a long post, because I thought I had found the same issue (re: jumbled all around) until I realized that Critical Pass breaks down many of the subjects into parts... only later addressing the entire issue seperately. For example, it might reference Freedom of Expression seperately (and in more depth) than the card on the 1st Amendment (which may be more general).

I used them after a long day of MBE practice, and in my last week, Writing (with some MBE practice). Since my mind was much more accustomed to breaking the subjects into their logical parts, and had questions about WTF I thought I knew about a certain subject (before testing showed me I was sketch), using Critical Pass as what became a bedtime ritual after actively diving into the test as much as I felt like could each day was the best way to approach it in my opinion.

I would pick a subject that I thought I was weak on (due to all the practice that day), put the box lid next to me in bed, and flip through the subject (if I wasn't doing this, then it was Adaptibar and review on my phone for a bare minimum of least 15 questions before I went to sleep). Since my mind was focused on brushing up on particular issues, I was focused on reading the cards to look for those issues-which made me a more active reader than I usually am. When I would get to the exact issue I needed, I would spend time making sure I knew the topic (in reality, outside of the issue I was looking for, I would flip through the cards pretty fast, not worrying much about the cards I had accidentally zoned out on. The goal was to get through the subject color, period.).

Doing this every night, even if I wasn't entirely grilling every subject issue into my mind (and many times, I dozed off after spotting my problemantic issue if it was found more than half way through the subject deck... so I had to make time to finish the deck the next day to stick to my goal of digging into another topic that night) made me very familiar with what was in the cards. So when I tested the next day, I would sometimes start digging through a subject just to review the topic card that I was having problems with in testing that day (and I knew that the cards would have a good explanation and rule statement, which would set in a lot more when I realized I had a problem). This created a great way to active study, as finding and reviewing a card if I felt like I needed to brush up on a subject took an extra 5 minutes max.

Outside of that, I referenced my CA topic Leansheet grid on differences between Fed and CA while flipping through topics like Civ Pro and Evidence. It made it a bit more active, and allowed me to write in something (for, e.g., what kind of Felony can be let in in Civ/Crim Ev., or in Rules, the small difference in rules for Class Action). Something like:

EVIDENCE

*CA: Prop 8 Truth in Evidence (distinction for Criminal proceedure)

*Allows in Felony for Acts of Moral Turpitude... (maybe I'd make sure I could list what these were).

*Civ: Something about a 10 year limit, unstated in the las but recognized as a quasi-time limit. (Felony/Misd distinction)

*Crim: Something about the restrictions present for Criminal actions. (Felony/Misd).

*Whatever the rule 403 was for CA as last ditch to get in (301?!)

Just looking at the distinctions in my leansheet and having a simple way to actively learn them through my CP card study was great. All at once put any Fed topic that had CA distinctions into one system of study through my CP cards, and helped me see how simple, and not overwhelming, the distinctions actually were.

Outside of that, my girlfriend at the time decided to quiz me with them one night, which made me memorize through an attempt to state the rules verbatim... even if I did realize that I couldn't for most and then had to take time looking at the rule, this activity helped me to memorize a couple of the most important rules needed for the Essays on test day, and made my girlfriend realize how shitty being a lawyer really is (which finally made her shut up about how "she had taken hard tests before in College... it wasn't that hard to study for hard tests" :roll:).

In short: I. Use them at the end of the day when you're tired, for easy in-bed, box-lid-flipping study of a topic you had trouble with that day. II. Use them to simplify distinctions and for other forms of active study (only so much silent reading you can do before it kills you my friend).

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frqw9201

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by frqw9201 » Fri Jun 08, 2018 11:35 am

I have a code for CriticalPass $25 off, send me an email at frqw9201@gmail.com and I can send it to you

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Neve » Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:52 am

bdadon wrote:Hey thanks for the discount, it did not work. By any chance, do you have another one?
Law&coffee wrote:
sprintin23 wrote:
bballbb02 wrote:Critical pass was excellent and coincides well with barbri
What he said. Critical Pass is short, easy to remember, and to the point. I would highly recommend it.
Yes, it's worth it. You won't have time to make cards and keep up with the homework that Barbri gives you. Link for a discount (courtesy of Neve): http://criticalpass.refr.cc/8GVXRT9
Try this link for $10 off Critical Pass flash cards and free shipping: http://criticalpass.refr.cc/L2L68Z5

Law&coffee

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by Law&coffee » Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:57 am

bdadon wrote:I am taking Barbri and making my own flashcards. However, its very time consuming and Barbri's version of flashcards suck. Is Critical Pass worth it? Or should I continue to make my flashcards?
Don't make your own. You won't have time. Critical Pass is great and follows Barbri to a T.

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northwood

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Re: Critical Pass or Make your own

Post by northwood » Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:55 pm

Law&coffee wrote:
bdadon wrote:I am taking Barbri and making my own flashcards. However, its very time consuming and Barbri's version of flashcards suck. Is Critical Pass worth it? Or should I continue to make my flashcards?
Don't make your own. You won't have time. Critical Pass is great and follows Barbri to a T.

As someone who did not use barbri I just agree that critical pass are excellent flash cards (if I found out about them earlier I would have used them)

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


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