Themis or BarBri Forum

(Study Tips, Dealing With Stress, Maintaining a Social Life, Financial Aid, Internships, Bar Exam, Careers in Law . . . )
Post Reply
waxecstatic

Bronze
Posts: 327
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:07 pm

Themis or BarBri

Post by waxecstatic » Mon Sep 30, 2013 12:37 pm

For a question that has probably been asked many times before, I have to ask those who have recently taken the bar exam which prep program is overall superior. I am leaning towards Themis but I am wondering if there is any difference between the two prep programs in their overall effectiveness in preparing one for the bar. Themis is online and that's nice because you can study anywhere, at the gym, on the train, etc. BarBri is to my knowledge more centered around a classroom environment. I'm not sure if I want to be in a classroom with other nervous people who will probably only stress me out. Throughout law school, I've done all my learning pretty much on my own through going through the cases in the textbook and supplements. I go to class mostly because I have to. Themis is attractive because in the time I would spend in a classroom I could simply be studying on my own. The only thing that I am worried about is how disciplined I could keep myself studying online. I really would prefer studying from a book. There's something about studying from a book that can't be duplicated through online instruction. Obviously Themis is considerably less expensive than BarBri. If anyone could give me some advice on how to approach this or simply tell me about their experience in studying for the bar with either program, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Bronx Bum

Bronze
Posts: 472
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:02 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by Bronx Bum » Mon Sep 30, 2013 2:39 pm

Some will say Themis...others will say Barbri.

SEngland

Bronze
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 2:42 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by SEngland » Mon Sep 30, 2013 2:50 pm

I will say Themis

User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by kalvano » Mon Sep 30, 2013 3:42 pm

Themis gives you books. Plus e-books. Plus you can read them online.

All of my friends who took BarBri that I studied with were happy with BarBri, but no one felt that it was worth 2.5 times Themis' cost.

User avatar
A. Nony Mouse

Diamond
Posts: 29293
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:51 am

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Mon Sep 30, 2013 3:58 pm

You can do Barbri entirely online if you like - nothing requires you to sit in the classroom for it. And it gives you all SORTS of books. But no, it's not worth 2.5x what Themis costs (I did Barbri, and I passed, so it was fine, but it cost a shitload of money).

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


09042014

Diamond
Posts: 18203
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:47 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by 09042014 » Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:12 pm

Themis is much cheaper for the same thing. The only thing BarBri has is that you can watch the videos on a TV in a classroom. LOL at paying 2-3x the cost for that "value."

waxecstatic

Bronze
Posts: 327
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:07 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by waxecstatic » Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:23 pm

Thanks everyone for your input. Didn't realize Themis gives you actual books and a BarBri class consists of watching a youtube video in a classroom. I'm most likely going with Themis.

User avatar
newyorker88

Silver
Posts: 557
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:32 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by newyorker88 » Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:46 pm

waxecstatic wrote:Thanks everyone for your input. Didn't realize Themis gives you actual books and a BarBri class consists of watching a youtube video in a classroom. I'm most likely going with Themis.
Barbri comes with books as well. Video lectures, what you're describing, is an option; you can do live lectures instead.

User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by kalvano » Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:34 pm

If your firm will pay, no reason not to go BarBri. If you're paying, Themis all the way.

Also, nice avatar.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


rock steady

New
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 12:54 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by rock steady » Tue Oct 01, 2013 2:36 pm

Definitely Themis for the value. You'll get all the materials you need and the online module is helpful. Plus, it's flexible. Just stick to a schedule and you can pass.

FuturePD

New
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:46 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by FuturePD » Tue Oct 01, 2013 8:37 pm

One thing to keep in mind: if you think you might, at any point, want to study with friends, you should take whatever they're taking. I'm a study group-type, and I took a different course from most of my friends in my city who were studying for the same state as me. Any time we wanted to study together, we had to photocopy practice tests and trade around answers and otherwise go through sort of ridiculous machinations to be able to work on the material together. So, if you're like that, you should find out what your friends are taking and take that.

User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by kalvano » Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:02 pm

FuturePD wrote:One thing to keep in mind: if you think you might, at any point, want to study with friends, you should take whatever they're taking. I'm a study group-type, and I took a different course from most of my friends in my city who were studying for the same state as me. Any time we wanted to study together, we had to photocopy practice tests and trade around answers and otherwise go through sort of ridiculous machinations to be able to work on the material together. So, if you're like that, you should find out what your friends are taking and take that.
Disagree. I and a friend used Themis and studied with friends who used BarBri and it worked out fine. In fact, the slightly differing model answers and stuff were helpful. You're going to study largely the same thing no matter who you use.

User avatar
usuaggie

Silver
Posts: 546
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:43 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by usuaggie » Wed Oct 02, 2013 4:30 am

Really liked Barbri. Practice tests online give you a percentile to compare your progress vs everybody else also studying. It helped a lot. Their customer service was unbelievable too.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


Apple Tree

Bronze
Posts: 421
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:19 pm

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by Apple Tree » Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:14 pm

Piggybacking on this thread. For the practice questions, does Themis explain why the correct answer is correct, or do they simply tell you your answer is right/wrong? I read it somewhere that Themis only does the latter and am not sure if it's true.

User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: Themis or BarBri

Post by kalvano » Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:56 pm

Apple Tree wrote:Piggybacking on this thread. For the practice questions, does Themis explain why the correct answer is correct, or do they simply tell you your answer is right/wrong? I read it somewhere that Themis only does the latter and am not sure if it's true.
They give a full explanation, and they also tell you which questions are official MBE questions and which are Themis questions.

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

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


Post Reply

Return to “Forum for Law School Students”