A monopoly that needs to evolve
Written: Aug 02 '01 (Updated Jul 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comprehensive and well organized
Cons: May be tempting fate by playing the odds
The Bottom Line: What choice do you have?
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| sneddren's Full Review: BAR/BRI Bar Review |
I've used Bar/Bri twice now, the first time to take and pass the NY bar and most recently to take and pass the CA bar. While I feel comfortable with Bar/Bri's methods, I do have concerns that they are so set in their ways that they could end up hurting students. Bar/Bri focuses on subjects that have been tested in the past, which is a logical methodology. Unfortunately, logical is not enough sometimes. With the CA bar, there were at least two major test subjects on the essays that were not covered by Bar/Bri and quite a few similar instances on the MBE.
I can't fault Bar/Bri for playing the odds, but they come close to stating that if you follow their topics you'll get most of the subjects that will show up on the test. My gut feeling after taking the CA bar is that the bar examiners knew what Bar/Bri was teaching and intentionally hit topics that Bar/Bri ignored. The test also totally ignored several areas that Bar/Bri spent a lot of time on (e.g., future interests in Property).
I still think that Bar/Bri is the only way to go, but any student would be well served by taking Bar/Bri's gospel with a grain of salt. The bar examiners know Bar/Bri's routine and they'll exploit it by going after neglected topics. So while Bar/Bri should not be overlooked, you MUST do your best to look for "fringe" topics and put time in on them as well. For the future, Bar/Bri should not place so much emphasis on studying past trends and should, instead, provide a more balanced approach to all topics and prepare students for anything and everything that may show up, even if it is at the cost of having to deal with some subjects less intensively.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sneddren
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Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 6 members
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