Which Bar Review Course? (Virginia)
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Anonymous
| I am a member of the bar in another state but haven't practiced in years so need to take the Virginia Bar. Which companies offer bar prep, and which are the best? When I took the bar the first time, BarBri was the only game in town. I understand that is no longer the case, but don't know who all the new companies are and which are any good. I haven't thought about some of this stuff in many years so I need a really good course. Thank you! |
Anonymous
| I would do barbri. |
Anonymous
| BarBri |
Anonymous
|
Thanks, guys. Unfortunately, the hours BarBri is offered are really difficult for me (no daytime session, and I have kids + a traveling husband) so I'm looking into others.
Anyone done the online-at-home course? This is what one friend of mine did from law school, and she was the only friend who didn't pass the bar the first time, so I'm wary, but timing may require it. Any experience with Kaplan? |
Anonymous
| Sorry, but I honestly don't know a single person who has had a good experience with a non-Barbri course in VA. Maybe the alternative courses work better for 'easier' states, but remember VA has a ton of subjects, plus that weird True/False/fill in the blank section of the test. Your best bet is a BarBri course run by people who've been around the block with the VA exam. I find it hard to believe there are no daytime classes anywhere--I would call up the local law schools and see what is available. |
Anonymous
| Thank you. I have heard that Virginia is dreadfully specific, so going with an experienced company is good advice. As of now, BarBri is only posting the one time in Arlington (and one other in the District); I'll have to see if better ones come up over time. |
Anonymous
For some reason, I seem to recall that there are barbri courses using barbri methods and materials, but not shown on the barbri website. Like franchisees vs company owned. Call the law schools and dig for more info. |
Anonymous
| Everyone I know who tried to study without BarBri failed. Why don't you call them and see what they offer. |
Anonymous
| I took barbri in va and if I remember correctly, all the lectures were available on line. I think they strongly encouraged you to attend the lectures but you could still watch them at your convenience if necessary. |
Anonymous
|
I did BarBri entirely from home and passed easily. (Maryland, not Virginia.) The hours of the "live" course didn't work for me. Plus, the "live" course would actually just have been pre-recorded lectures - may as well lose the commuting time and watch from home! There was no aspect of the course that wasn't do-able remotely (this was two years ago), and I think not being around a bunch of other bar studiers was an advantage - no peer-induced hysteria.
I don't know about any of the alternatives for Virginia, so I'm not saying BarBri is your best option, just saying that it can be done remotely. |
Anonymous
| BarBri is the only one worth taking. I don't know anyone who passed using the other programs (though to be fair my sample size is small because I only know three people who didn't take BarBri). I would do BarBri online before trying something else. GL!! |
Anonymous
| I am not a lawyer, but my husband took NY and VA and passed both on his first try using BarBri. The second time he did the online one and was allowed to sit in on the in-person version when his time permitted. He was greatly limited by time because we moved in the middle of his studying AND our son had surgery AND we had an infant to care for. Therefore the online lectures really met his needs....but he had to seriously structure his time to accommodate the rigorous studying. |
Anonymous
| Barbri |
Anonymous
| Barbri -- get the home version. Back in the day, 10yrs ago, they mailed you a box of CDs with all the lectures. I hear then they started loading ipods with the lectures. |
Anonymous
+1! I passed VA on the first try. |