As a foreign-trained attorney or international law graduate considering sitting a state bar exam in the United States —whether or not you have or are completing an LL.M. program in the U.S. ―you know you have study options with BARBRI, the #1 U.S. bar exam prep company. But what is the best option for you?
Let’s find the right one to fit your individual study style and schedule.
What is included?
First, let’s look at the similarities between the BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep (over 6 or 10-months) and the traditional BARBRI Bar Review course (over 8-10 weeks). They both have some powerful, common features and experiences, including:
- ISAAC, your Intuitive Study Assistant and Coach. ISAAC is the proprietary engine that runs the BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep and the BARBRI Bar Review course. Everything ISAAC assigns is statistically correlated to passing your bar exam. ISAAC first focuses your study on what’s most likely to be tested on your exam. As you progress, ISAAC recalibrates your PSP as it learns from you and increases your chances of passing with every minute you invest.
- Online Personal Study Plan (PSP). ISAAC creates your smart bar prep Personal Study Plan for you from day 1. Your PSP is personalized and flexible, giving you control over your study. It updates based on time left until your exam, customizations you make and the most statistically significant topics for passing the bar.
- Substantive law lectures taught by top U.S. law professors. BARBRI professors are experts at breaking down the law and the lectures are 100% examination-driven and focused on what you need to know in each subject to pass your exam.
- Full Simulated Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). The BARBRI Simulated MBE allows you to complete a timed exam and shows you where you stand on each topic and sub-topic weeks before the actual exam.
- BARBRI’s MBE Success Learning Path includes thousands of multiple-choice learning and practice questions.
- Directed Essay Grading that starts with Essay Architect, the BARBRI exclusive online instruction platform that takes you through a series of steps to learn to critically read bar exam questions, enhance the speed of your essay writing, and construct strong, winning answers. Essay Architect provides immediate feedback to build your essay writing skills quickly.
- A carefully selected series of exam essays and performance tests that you’ll submit for grading and feedback from trained bar exam writing experts.
What’s different?
The major differences between the two BARBRI options involve the amount of time you need to study, the flexibility you need in your preparation, and the 1:1 support you desire throughout your studies.
BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep is a part-time, online course designed to accommodate busy professionals and LL.M. graduates with other commitments who are studying for the California Bar Exam or any U.S. state that administers the Uniform Bar Exam (including New York and Texas). It also focuses on exam techniques that international students find difficult to master and on the topics that are most frequently examined. Here’s a closer look:
- Full bar preparation administered over 6 or 10-months. With BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep, you’ll study either 20-25 hours per week over a 6-month duration or 10-15 hours per week over a 10-month duration for maximum flexibility. With the traditional BARBRI Bar Review, candidates should expect to study 40 hours per week over 8-10 weeks.
- Foundational elements of U.S. law. With BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep, you’ll begin your studies with Foundations of U.S. Law to catch up on testable information that most U.S. law students learn during their J.D. program.
- Assigned a personal 1:1 mentor. With BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep, you are assigned a U.S. qualified attorney as your personal mentor. Your 1:1 mentor is your personal coach throughout your bar exam preparation. He or she assists with eligibility, your application, course navigation, study strategies, and schedule modifications if needed. He or she has access to your BARBRI Personal Study Plan and progress report and can guide you based on your progress as well as your strengths and weaknesses as they are identified.
What if I want to do the traditional BARBRI Bar Review course?
That’s great! We have seen many foreign candidates successfully pass their U.S. bar exam by relying on the traditional 8-10 week BARBRI Bar Review course. The shorter timeline makes it very attractive to those who want to take their U.S. state bar exam as quickly as possible. Our best advice is to begin your studies early and treat your bar review course as a full-time job.
Check out these additional U.S. bar exam tips for foreign lawyers, law graduates, and U.S. LL.M students.
Whether you select BARBRI Extended U.S. Bar Prep or the traditional BARBRI Bar Review course, we’re looking forward to being your partner.