Home > Guidelines to Selecting Bar Exam Preparation-
Post Bar Review

Guidelines to Selecting Bar Exam Preparation-
Post Bar Review


Paulina Bandy, Founder of CA Bar Exam Repeaters' ResourceTM, advises asking questions and taking the following into consideration when researching your bar exam preparation to ensure you are making an informed decision:


1. Talk with your instructor before giving them money

If they are unwilling to speak with you prior to contracting, then it is unlikely this will improve once you pay them tuition.

To get the most out of your tutorial, you need to be able to communicate with your instructor.

2. Will they address your needs?

If they say you need to take a writing course, or jump to conclusions without knowing any of your particulars, you are headed for a pre-programmed review.

3. Will you be sharing the service with others?

Will you be sitting in a classroom in a shared experience or will you be getting lessons, and tutor time, directed to you?

4. Is the program a bar review?

Do they prepare both First-Timers and Repeaters? If so, how do they prepare Repeaters differently?

Is their teaching style conducive to your learning style? Inquire about their teaching methodology so you don't end up in a bar review course again. As a multiple repeater, you don't want to be sitting in a classroom listening to law lectures still, then submitting poorly practiced exams for generalized criticism.

5. Choose a tutor who is focused on you

Avoid tutors that dwell too much on how good they did in law school or at the bar exam. You want to know what they can do for you. Are they getting candidates, that look like you, to pass todays bar exam?

6. Read disclaimers carefully

Are they disclaiming their promises to you?

7. Avoid tutors that have a cure all

Avoid tutors that speak in generalities…they have “inside information”, the “secret”, the “key”. Passing the exam encompasses many correct choices, not a single enlightenment. A qualified tutor should assess your situation and provide a game plan for you.

8. What does the tutor do for a living?

Are they going to be available to you? Find out if this is a supplemental job for them or their chosen career. You should not be an after thought.

9. Do they listen to you?

If you sense insensitivity…it will not get better. Red flag

10. Does the pricing correlate with the program offerings?

The tuition should be proportional to the work involved and exclusivity of time and materials.

For instance, bar review and exam critiques should cost less than the private lessons offered in the Let's Do This ThingTM tutorial because it takes greater skill, time, and effort to effectively instruct multiple repeaters failing all three parts of the bar exam, there is a cap on the enrollment, and candidates have exclusive access to trade secreted materials.

11. Seek referrals from individuals that you know and trust

Know who is doing the referring. Be aware of websites with hidden advertising agendas, paid referrals, or sham reviewers. Seek legitimate referrals from individuals that you know, that know someone that can help you, and have passed the bar exam.



Choosing the right person that can help you, makes bar exam preparation a hopeful, exciting experience with productive results.

Best of Luck to You.



Paulina Bandy, Esq. is the Owner of CA Bar Exam Repeaters' ResourceTM and The Legal Education AnnexTM. She provides specialized tutorials for the multiple Repeater and has developed study aids exclusively for candidates in her program.


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