With my 3L year rapidly coming to a close, one of the biggest questions on my mind for the past few months has been what bar prep course I should use. We’ve all gotten the emails and seen the representatives sitting outside the library, but what is the difference between all the different options? Although I have yet to actually go through any bar prep course myself, here is what I’ve learned from my many hours questioning reps and otherwise scouring the internet.

First up is Kaplan, which touts a 91% success rate for first-time test takers who complete at least 75% of the course. Kaplan gives students the option to watch recorded lectures or attend live online classes, which has the added benefit of being able to speak directly with the instructor to ask questions. The syllabus includes a list of daily assignments to keep you on track and a plethora of practice questions and essays. One thing to note however is that while Kaplan’s essay bank uses official examples licensed from the NCBE, its practice questions are created by an in-house team, though the consensus seems to be that the questions are still solid. This is also the case with Barbri below. The course costs around $2,500. 

Next is Barbri, which many see as the gold standard for bar prep courses, and for good reason. Barbri has an AI system – the Intuitive Study Assistant and Coach (ISAAC) – which creates and updates a personalized study plan as you go. This means the course will adjust to help you focus on areas where you need the most improvement. Barbri is also known for having a great roster of instructors – many 1Ls (including myself) got a lot of help from Richard Freer when studying for Civil Procedure. The practice questions and essays include some officially-licensed examples, while others are drafted in-house (higher cost packages include more licensed questions). For some, however, the major downside to Barbri is that the videos are long and dense, devoting a lot of time to material that is unlikely to appear on the exam. Barbri offers three-different price-point tiers. Most students purchase the mid-level tier, which costs around $3,000. Like Kaplan, this tier does not include the licensed questions from previous bar exams, but these questions can be purchased separately by buying either Adaptibar or Themis UWorld (see below) for around $400, which is cheaper than buying the most expensive Barbri option (around $4,200).

Quimbee is a great resource for students during law school, and they offer a robust bar prep course as well. Those of us who have used Quimbee before are familiar with their cartoon-style videos, which make complex legal concepts more digestible. While Quimbee’s animated lessons are undoubtedly more entertaining, you lose out on having a real instructor like with other courses, which may be preferable for some people. Quimbee also has fewer practice questions than some other options, but all of their questions are officially licensed from the NCBE. Additionally, Quimbee also offers unlimited retakes and a money-back guarantee if you complete 75% of the course but fail the exam. Quimbee’s bar prep costs around $1,200, making it the most affordable option. However, they haven’t been in the bar prep business very long, so they have less experience and less demonstrated success than other options. Keep that in mind here.

Themis is another heavy-hitter when it comes to bar prep. Themis uses a combination of recorded video lessons and live workshops, and provides comprehensive hardcopy materials including lecture handouts, outlines, and practice exams that are great study tools. The recorded videos are broken up into shorter segments, making for a more comfortably paced course overall. Themis also includes access to UWorld, an additional bank of practice questions integrated into the course. This question bank includes the licensed bar questions from previous bar exams that neither Kaplan nor the mid-priced Barbri version offer. If you choose Kaplan or Barbri, you can purchase this question-bank separately for around $400. Themis costs around $2,800 and offers a free repeat of the course should you fail your first attempt at the exam. 

Finally, a lesser-known option is JD Advising, which boasts an 88% pass rate. I’ve personally used their pre-law and MPRE courses and found them to be incredibly helpful. The videos are shorter and easier to get through, but they also provide written outlines that go more in-depth. JD Advising also offers “one sheets” – focused guides (like attack outlines) for the essay portion of the exam that hone in on the most frequently tested topics. However, the course overall includes fewer practice questions than its competitors. JD Advising’s bar prep course costs around $1,500. 

Of course, this list is by no means all-encompassing. There may be other options out there that are better suited to your needs, and many of these courses have different “tiers” that offer additional benefits at a higher price. There are also plenty of opportunities to get discounts if you buy early. So I encourage you to do your own research to find what is best for you, but hopefully this can at least help you get started. BC Law students also have great in house support available in Director of Academic Success Programs Nina Farber and Assistant Director Thao Tran. You can schedule meetings with Nina or Thao to help you choose a course that best fits your needs. The Academic Success Canvas page also has a Bar Prep Course Information Page with helpful info here.

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Eddie Godino is a third-year student at BC Law. Contact him at godinoe@bc.edu.