BEWARE: Limits to Barmax "lifetime access" and poor explanations Forum

[RezIpsy]

I am posting this to warn others who are considering Adaptibar or Barmax to supplement their MBE studies. I took, but did not pass, the February 2018 California Bar exam. I completed the Barbri course but (like many) searched for a supplement MBE course that had real MBE questions. I considered both Adaptibar and Barmax. In early February, Barmax sent me a promo code for their MBE supplement. Everyone suggested that I go with Adaptibar but given that they were both using the same published questions and both measured your progress, I chose Barmax because they also offered "lifetime access." I figured that it was a better investment just in case I didn't pass.

After I discovered that I had not passed, I revisited Barbri and Barmax to figure out what I needed to do to regain access. After several emails and several different reasons why I couldn't get access to my Barmax account, I was ultimately told that I did not have lifetime access. I asked for more information and was told that the promo code that I used limited my access to March 1! Their only solution was for me to pay an additional $250 to "upgrade" my account to the $499 MBE course. Considering that nowhere on their website does it say that you can purchase anything but a lifetime access package, this was a shock and, I feel, very deceptive. Even their $299, questions only account has lifetime access.

While I'm not happy with the bait and switch issue I experienced with Barmax, it would still be cheaper for me to pay the $250 rather than the $390 for Adaptibar, however I will be paying a more to go with Adaptibar but not out of principle. You get what you pay for and that was evident with Barmax. To be clear, I probably wouldn't pay $390 for Adaptibar if I had lifetime access to Barmax, but given that I am basically back at square one with this decision AND I have had an opportunity to use Barmax, I think it is worth it to spend a little more and try something different. The videos on Barmax were terrible so I stuck to Barbri for lecture review. I ALWAYS had issues with the phone app and had to uninstall and reinstall it a few times in the month I used it since that was their only suggestion. But, most importantly, the explanations for the questions with Barmax were short and vague. As you know, reviewing our wrong (and sometimes even right) answers is critical to getting better at the MBE questions. The most useful tool in this regard was the ability for users to post their comments to the explanations. I got more information from other students' explanations than I did the Barmax explanation and posted some of my own to help others in return. In hindsight I can see that searching for an explanation wasted time that I didn't have in the last month.

Anyhow, I am posting this so no one else has the same experience I did with Barmax's lifetime/limited access because I wish I had read something like this prior to purchasing their course with the promo code they sent me. I don't think this is the case with all promo codes but it was for the one they sent me so be careful and specifically ask for what you're getting since they DO have LIMITED ACCESS offers! Also, I thought I'd throw in my opinion on the quality of the Barmax app and program in general while I'm at it. Since I haven't used Adaptibar yet, I can't say that it is better but I'll follow up with a comparison once I start using it.

Hope this was helpful!

[LockBox]

I am posting this to warn others who are considering Adaptibar or Barmax to supplement their MBE studies. I took, but did not pass, the February 2018 California Bar exam. I completed the Barbri course but (like many) searched for a supplement MBE course that had real MBE questions. I considered both Adaptibar and Barmax. In early February, Barmax sent me a promo code for their MBE supplement. Everyone suggested that I go with Adaptibar but given that they were both using the same published questions and both measured your progress, I chose Barmax because they also offered "lifetime access." I figured that it was a better investment just in case I didn't pass.

After I discovered that I had not passed, I revisited Barbri and Barmax to figure out what I needed to do to regain access. After several emails and several different reasons why I couldn't get access to my Barmax account, I was ultimately told that I did not have lifetime access. I asked for more information and was told that the promo code that I used limited my access to March 1! Their only solution was for me to pay an additional $250 to "upgrade" my account to the $499 MBE course. Considering that nowhere on their website does it say that you can purchase anything but a lifetime access package, this was a shock and, I feel, very deceptive. Even their $299, questions only account has lifetime access.

While I'm not happy with the bait and switch issue I experienced with Barmax, it would still be cheaper for me to pay the $250 rather than the $390 for Adaptibar, however I will be paying a more to go with Adaptibar but not out of principle. You get what you pay for and that was evident with Barmax. To be clear, I probably wouldn't pay $390 for Adaptibar if I had lifetime access to Barmax, but given that I am basically back at square one with this decision AND I have had an opportunity to use Barmax, I think it is worth it to spend a little more and try something different. The videos on Barmax were terrible so I stuck to Barbri for lecture review. I ALWAYS had issues with the phone app and had to uninstall and reinstall it a few times in the month I used it since that was their only suggestion. But, most importantly, the explanations for the questions with Barmax were short and vague. As you know, reviewing our wrong (and sometimes even right) answers is critical to getting better at the MBE questions. The most useful tool in this regard was the ability for users to post their comments to the explanations. I got more information from other students' explanations than I did the Barmax explanation and posted some of my own to help others in return. In hindsight I can see that searching for an explanation wasted time that I didn't have in the last month.

Anyhow, I am posting this so no one else has the same experience I did with Barmax's lifetime/limited access because I wish I had read something like this prior to purchasing their course with the promo code they sent me. I don't think this is the case with all promo codes but it was for the one they sent me so be careful and specifically ask for what you're getting since they DO have LIMITED ACCESS offers! Also, I thought I'd throw in my opinion on the quality of the Barmax app and program in general while I'm at it. Since I haven't used Adaptibar yet, I can't say that it is better but I'll follow up with a comparison once I start using it.

Hope this was helpful!

I was prepared to come here to say buyer beware, but after looking at the BarMax website, I agree it's a little bait-and-switchy. See their guarantee here: https://testmaxprep.com/bar-exam/guarantee

They claim that they offer lifetime access. I'm not sure what that means. It probably means stressed out law graduates preparing for the bar who are looking for solutions will probably see "lifetime access" and stop reading further. Although lifetime access implies you pay once and have access for life, it could also mean you need to pay every bar cycle to have access for life.

Go with Adaptibar is my opinion.

[scard]

do you have any documentation of your purchase that would validate one type of access or the other?

not sure where your gripe is. Barmax doesn't even offer a limited access plan. sounds like to me you are simply having account issues.

here is a screen shot where the specifically advertise lifetime access on their cheapest plan.

https://s33.postimg.cc/umxoyqo3j/Screen ... .57_PM.png

[michaelt]

Sorry to hear that Barmax had poor explanations. This essentially makes their product useless.

I am disappointed with Adaptibar's explanations, too. After answering first 100 questions in contract law, I complained that in one question they mistakenly applied common law rather than UCC; in another question their explanation completely ignored some important facts. Their response stated they consulted with their "legal team" and decided not to make any changes. In explaining why, they repeated verbatim the same explanations given in the answers on their web-site, without mentioning anything about UCC or any other point I complained about. For both questions that I complained about, I received Adaptibar's standard response the sole purpose of which is merely to create an appearance of an explanation, but in fact they did not explain anything. With such approach to customers, I have little confidence in quality of Adaptibar's explanations.

[MehranE]

Hello everyone, my name is Mehran and I am the founder/CEO of BarMax.

I just wanted to address this post because it is simply not true. We do offer lifetime access and our policies are expressly set forth on our website. In fact, we are the only bar review company to offer lifetime access.

This student purchased our MBE course for 50% off during a limited access promotion. This promotion was offered a month or so before the February bar exam for students who were looking for a last minute push. The terms expressly set forth that this promotion was access for a limited time. Hence, the 50% discount.

Despite this, we still offered every student who took advantage of this promotion the opportunity to upgrade to lifetime access by simply paying the difference in price if they wanted to continue to use our materials.

And in regards to our "poor explanations" I would recommend spending some time with our testimonials as well as registering for a free trial to decide for yourself.

Hope that helps! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me personally (mehran@testmaxprep.com) if you have any questions or concerns about BarMax.

[rosesarefree]

Barmax was a total rip-off. Poor quality. Mehran or one of his "co-founders" was the "professor" on quite a few subjects... not helpful at all! Horrible customer service, too. Avoid like the plague.

[MehranE]

How can we be a ripoff?

We are the most affordable bar review course as well as MBE supplement on the market and we offer a money-back pass guarantee to stand behind our product. This is not a "free repeat" course. Our course is lifetime access until you pass. This is a money back pass guarantee.

We have also assembled the greatest group of law professors in the history of bar exam prep and our dream team continues to grow.

That being said, we are always striving to improve our product so any feedback is always greatly appreciated.

If you have personally had issues being successful with BarMax, please feel free to reach out to me directly (mehran@testmaxprep.com).

I assure you that, unlike our competitors, I will do everything in my power to put your name on the pass list.

Our testimonials and reviews truly speak for themselves at this point.