Advice on Skipping Various BARBRI Features? Forum

[GoldenPuppy]

Can you please let me know what you think about my modified BARBRI study plan?

What I've kept:
* MBE Immersion
* All the video lectures + doing the lecture handouts
* All the essay assignments
* Reading the Conviser Mini Review
* All the Learning Question Sets
* MBE X Approach Tutorials

What I've discarded:
* MBE Practice Question Sets
* MBE Refresher Exam
* Simulated MBE
* Knowledge Checks
* Prepare for X assignments
* Review AMPs

What I've added:
* Adaptibar
* Critical Pass

[estefanchanning]

Can you please let me know what you think about my modified BARBRI study plan?

What I've kept:
* MBE Immersion
* All the video lectures + doing the lecture handouts
* All the essay assignments
* Reading the Conviser Mini Review
* All the Learning Question Sets
* MBE X Approach Tutorials

What I've discarded:
* MBE Practice Question Sets
* MBE Refresher Exam
* Simulated MBE
* Knowledge Checks
* Prepare for X assignments
* Review AMPs

What I've added:
* Adaptibar
* Critical Pass

Lol, my friend is literally doing the opposite of you. She discarded what you kept, and kept what you discarded (she also added adaptibar/critical pass)

[Calbears123]

I wouldn't skip the MBE review since they take only 10-15 minutes to finish one and the MBE is 50% of the exam. I skipped writing essays and stuck to outlining or just reading through MEE's and MPT since you are basically guaranteed 100 points on that section.

[NonbindingPrecedent]

I think the "MBE Approach Lectures" are honestly a load of crap. Basically rehashing the substantive lecture in condensed form and light on the "strategy" component. If you want actual strategy advice for the MBE, I recommend Emmaul's Strategies & Tactics. Beyond the questions in the book, it includes about 30 pages of "general" MBE stategy and ~10-15 pages per MBE topic on approach tips for that subject. Not a substantive lecture by any stretch, but some of the best "strategy" material I have come across for any part of the bar.

I think the knowledge checks are worth it. They give you some decent initial feedback on your understanding of a topic before you dig deep into questions and essays and honestly don't take that long to complete.

Agree 100% on the "prepare for" assignments (especially on state specific material). Barbri can really use to beef these up.

[Wild Card]

The MBE workshops and analyses are extremely useful.

The MBE approaches are useless and made me angry at how useless they were.

Everything else, I've been feeling lukewarm about.

[FinallyPassedTheBar]

The lectures are the least important, and should be the first on the cutting block should you chose to cut things out. Using your in-class handouts and filling it out yourself by looking for the answers is actually more beneficial IMHO.

[SilvermanBarPrep]

I think dropping the Barbri MBE practice questions in favor of official questions from Adaptibar is a good move. But of the non-official questions, Barbri has some very good ones so if you happen to get through Adaptibar and all the licensed MBE Questions, you might want to add back in the Barbri questions for additional practice.

Sean (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)

[maroon175]

Anyone have thoughts on skipping lecture videos on some of the MEE subjects that seem unlikely to be tested this July (i.e. family law)?

Along the same lines, what's the bare minimum that should be done for the MEE subjects? Would it be enough to memorize some of the attack outlines and do a few practice questions a week or so before the exam?

[pfunkera]

Can you please let me know what you think about my modified BARBRI study plan?

What I've kept:
* MBE Immersion
* All the video lectures + doing the lecture handouts
* All the essay assignments
* Reading the Conviser Mini Review
* All the Learning Question Sets
* MBE X Approach Tutorials

What I've discarded:
* MBE Practice Question Sets
* MBE Refresher Exam
* Simulated MBE
* Knowledge Checks
* Prepare for X assignments
* Review AMPs

What I've added:
* Adaptibar
* Critical Pass

I would not get rid of Barbri's MBE practice questions sets, the simulated MBE, or the refresher. If you are in a UBE state the MBE is going to count for 50% of your score plus the essays will only be 30%. You want to go through a full simulated MBE with the actual time crunch and short lunch break. The actual MBE can be a long day so better to experience it as a practice run first. Plus, the simulated MBE and refresher will give you a decent idea of how you compare to others nationally. Adaptibar is great but those questions can get easy as you plow through them. The actual MBE will definitely seem much harder than Adaptibar so you want some confidence on hard questions like Barbri throws at you. Going into my exam, I felt comfortable that my scores on Adaptibar, Barbri simulated MBE, and Barbri refresher would translate regardless of how hard I thought the questions were. The actual MBE questions were rough, but I had more confidence than if I only did Adpatibar.

I skipped most of the essay assignments other than the ones you turn in (UBE state). I did a few in each subject the week leading up to the actual exam but I have always done well with essays. I suggest making your own outlines rather than just reading the conviser mini review. That way, you can shorten them as you learn the material leading up to the test.

[pfunkera]

Anyone have thoughts on skipping lecture videos on some of the MEE subjects that seem unlikely to be tested this July (i.e. family law)?

Along the same lines, what's the bare minimum that should be done for the MEE subjects? Would it be enough to memorize some of the attack outlines and do a few practice questions a week or so before the exam?

I would not feel comfortable skipping a subject lecture regardless how unlikely it may come up this round - only takes a few hours for family law (I think?). I only did a few essays for each subject and then outlined a few more the last week or two before the test (UBE state). I wanted 140+ on MBE and figured I could get an average score on the essays to pass.