BAR/BRI: A valuable package deal that includes an MPRE review!
Written: Feb 05 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The package provides support for students throughout law school!
Cons: Expensive, but I suppose it will be worth it (if I pass!)
The Bottom Line: The early bird gets the worm. If you sign up early, you'll get a great BAR/BRI package to help you throughout your 3 years of law school.
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| Krissieliz's Full Review: BAR/BRI Bar Review |
** NOTE: this review will cover the BAR/BRI Bar Review package that students receive PRIOR to graduation. Once I take the bar exam this summer, I'll review that portion of the package. And, by the way, I don't understand why being able to name off every single Saved By The Bell episode doesn't qualify me to become a licensed member of the bar. **
First year law students, in addition to being caffeine-crazed stress monkeys, are easy to take advantage of. I know this, because I like to listen in on their conversations in the elevator. Oh, and also because I was a 1L back in 2001. Those suckers can be bought with the most trivial of freebies. Give 'em free pizza, and they'll join your club. Give 'em a plastic mug, and they'll tell all their friends how cool the alumni office is. Give 'em a free mesh bag, and they'll be loyal to Lexis instead of Westlaw.
BAR/BRI, those infamous folks who charge an arm and a leg for a bar prep course, have perfected the art of the freebie. From the first week of law school, they sit at tables in the cafeteria and stalk their prey, offering free candy, keychains, mugs, and entries in their hourly raffles for frisbees. They got my attention back in September 2001 by giving out free Snickers bars (yeah, so I’m cheap and I likes me some sweets). As I took a bit of that chocolate-peanut-caramel goodness, they asked me if I had signed up for BAR/BRI yet. “No, I’m just a 1L,” I said. “Fresh meat!” they said. Well, they didn’t actually say that, but I’m pretty sure the BAR/BRI rep’s eyes glowed red for just a moment. Out came the clipboard. Out came more candy. And out came a free travel mug.
I wondered why on earth I should sign up for bar review when I wasn’t even convinced I would make it through my first month of law school. But the BAR/BRI rep quickly told me that signing up so early would ultimately save me hundreds of dollars (I would lock in the 2001 rate). I would get a gigantic book of outlines for all my first-year classes. I would get free admission to first-year review workshops. I would get free admission to an MPRE review course.
So, the catch was that I had to make a $125 initial deposit, and my account would have to be up to $175 by the end of the second year. I decided to sign up. I mean, I knew I was going to have to take BAR/BRI anyway, so why not sign up early and reap all these benefits?
The greatest benefit I’ve received thus far (keep in mind that I don’t graduate until May) has been the BAR/BRI MPRE review course.
What is the MPRE?
The MPRE, or the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, is a standardized ethics test that most law students must pass in order to become a licensed member of their respective states’ bar. This exam consists of fifty multiple-choice questions and focuses on such topics as attorney-client privilege, conflicts of interest, and judicial ethics.
This exam is given four times per year, and the exams are scaled differently each time. Traditionally, the scales have been rather large. For example, I missed 10 out of 50 question, yet still got a score above 100. Each state establishes its own passing score, or has none at all. For example, the passing score for New York and Virginia is 85, whereas Maryland does not require the MPRE at all.
Why is the BAR/BRI MPRE class such a good deal?
Chances are that you will have taken a law school ethics class by the time you apply to take the MPRE. However, each professor is different, and may choose to focus on different topics. I can tell you that I got an A in my ethics class (would you expect any less?) but when I first glanced at the MPRE sample questions, I got only about ¼ right. This exam covers a wide variety of topics and tests the nuances of some very tricky subjects, such as fee-splitting arrangements. If I hadn’t taken the BAR/BRI course, I doubt I would have passed the MPRE on my first try.
When I first started hearing people chatter about the MPRE this fall, I became concerned about how I would study for it. Then my friend said, “didn’t you sign up for BAR/BRI first year? You get the BAR/BRI class for free.” I called the local BAR/BRI office, and sure enough – I was able to enroll in a BAR/BRI MPRE review class for free!
Now, I know you smarties are rolling your eyes, because nothing is ever free. And that’s true. I am paying $1800 for BAR/BRI bar review, but these folks consider MPRE prep as part of the bar review package. So, along with the “free” class, I also got a “free” workbook that consisted of outlines and 4 practice tests, with a detailed answer key.
What’s the class like?
My local BAR/BRI offered the review course almost every night of the week, for the full 2 weeks before the November 2003 exam. The class itself was presented on videotape, and it lasted right around 4 hours, with 3 10-minute breaks separating the hours. Watching a lecture on videotape was distracting for the first 10 minutes, but then I became so absorbed in the review that I completely forgot about the medium and focused instead on the message. The lecturer was very entertaining, an expert in his field, and he presented the material in a very systematic format. The BAR/BRI center distributed an outline worksheet for us to fill out as we watched the lecture, which kept us all focused. This was very effective, as I left the review course with a very thorough outline to study.
But, I didn’t really need to study that much. The lecturer told us all (via videotape, of course) to do a few practice tests, and to look through the detailed outline from the BAR/BRI workbook, but only if time permitted. He said that if we were crunched for time, we should just memorize the outline from class, and that would give us 90% of the answers for the test. I had about 48 hours before the exam, so I used the class outline as my guide, and only referred to the BAR/BRI workbook for clarification. I did only two practice tests, but I did nearly memorize the class outline.
The MPRE itself seems very difficult at the time. I walked out of that exam, sure that I failed. I did not believe that BAR/BRI had covered a lot of the material on the exam. But you know what? It did – it just wasn’t straightforward. While it did not give us all the answers, it taught us enough that I was able to use that knowledge to narrow down some of the multiple choice answers. I was able to answer 10 of the 50 questions immediately. For nearly all the other questions, I was able to narrow it down to 2 answers. And, like I told you before, I missed 10 out of 50 – with a very high passing score, due to the gods of the big big curve.
What are some other benefits of signing up early for BAR/BRI?
The price savings are the major benefit. As promised, I locked in the price of $1800 by signing up first year, whereas the current charges are around $2100. $300 savings is a good deal when you consider I only had to put down a $175 deposit. And I got a lot in return for thinking ahead:
- the MPRE course and MPRE workbook
- attendance at first-year review classes, taught by local professors
- a First-Year Review workbook, consisting of outlines and sample exams for first-year topics, like Constitutional Law, Torts, Criminal Law, Property, and Contracts.
- a Second-Year Review workbook, consisting of outlines and sample exams for typical second-year topics, like Evidence, Corporations and Criminal Procedure.
All in all, I’m glad that I signed up for BAR/BRI my first year of law school. Sure, I have a drawer full of free highlighters and a cupboard full of free mugs, but I believe the real value is the whole BAR/BRI package. While it definitely stings to be paying nearly $2000 for a bar review package, the benefit of having an MPRE review included was so helpful to me!
Recommended:
Yes
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Krissieliz
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Location: Washington, DC
Reviews written: 104
Trusted by: 287 members
About Me:
I'm a lawyer who loves to laugh, nap and watch bad TV.
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