Our UBE course helped a second-time taker score a 308 on the New York Bar Exam
Read the most recent testimonial about how we helped a second-time bar exam taker score a 308!
I have no words to express how grateful I am towards JD advising (JDA). Here is my story:
I took the Bar exam for the first time in July 2018. I chose a big commercial Bar prep program because everyone kept saying that they were the best and that they had to be the best considering all the years they had been preparing students to take the Bar exam. I have no doubt that they are very competent and well prepared, but I don’t believe it being The Best for everyone.
I think my biggest mistake was believing that the Bar exam was just a competency test so that I just needed to do a “C job” on it. While that may be true, that is not the right approach to study! I was the kind of student that would not walk into an exam room without studying everything beforehand, I never did homework without first reading everything I needed to read/know. I still failed the Bar in my first attempt.
I then understood that I had not taken the right approach: Believing that I just needed to get a C, reading and trying to learn by heart a thousand pages, answering multiple choice questions under time conditions right away.
At first I thought that I just needed a personal tutor. I found a tutor through an article in a well known website. Long story short, the tutor told me that she couldn’t help me because she thought that I had almost no chance of passing as a foreign student.
I felt devastated and I almost believed it except that I knew, deep down, that I could do this.
I did some research online and I found many other Bar prep programs. I started to call and quote them all. I made a chart highlighting the differences in terms of the program and the prices too. I ended up with a legal paper size chart comparing all of them. JDA stood out for me because:
* they never judged me because I had failed it once already
* they never discouraged me to take the exam again
* they never insisted that their program was really the best out there
They were just honest. They just explained the program concisely, without rushing it (like one of those sales calls). I just thought to myself: if this is how they take the time to explain the program itself, this must be how they take the time to teach me the law, and I was right!
The outlines were very concise and to the point. Meagan and Ambika (live instructors) explain everything using simple words and examples. They share the tips they used themselves to memorize. They do the homework for you: they figure out the nuances of the law that you must understand and learn.
JDA also has a “questions inbox” so you can send your questions as you study. I personally flagged (using color tabs) all my questions and I annotated the answers or clarifications once I had their answer. That system worked out perfectly for me because I was able to ask a question right away, while I was memorizing my outlines. They get back to you within 24hrs so you don’t forget what you’ve asked.
The practice exercises that you get with this program is intense. Basically, every week you have 5 or more essays to do and at least 2 to submit for grading. Practice REALLY does make the difference, and please believe when they say that practicing MPTs is also very important. When you practice, somehow your brain is trained on how to answer the question right away (after you have memorized the law!). When I took the Bar the first time, I wasn’t very fast with my thinking and so I spent too much time crafting the perfect IRAC. You may know the law but you don’t have a lot of time to answer. If you practice and learn the law well, the answer is like in the top of your tongue as soon as you read the question. That’s what you want!
I could write a book about my experience, so long story short: the JDA Bar prep program is just about reading, understanding, memorizing and then practicing. In that order, always (no cheating!).
Thank you to the entire JDA team. To Meagan, Ambika and my essay grader Alex, who was not only grading my essays but also sending me words of moral support.
I did not just pass the NYS Bar, I got 42 more points – a 308 –AND I will never have to take the Bar exam again in another UBE jurisdiction.
Note: their MPRE program prepared me to pass that exam the first time I took it.
Thank you JD Advising!!!!
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