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New York Bar Exams: Pieper Bar Review

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  • 14-10-2011 2:55pm
    #1
    Johnno-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭


    I am sitting the New York Bar Exams in February 2012 and have been looking around for different Prep Course Providers. Friary Law are too expensive (€5,000 plus travelling costs each week) and The Griffith Course does not look very substantial. I see Pieper Bar Review do quite a good course for about €2,450 online and they will send the material out. Does anyone have or know of anyone with experience of the Pieper Course? Any help will be appreciated.
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    #2
    cfarrell1980
    Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭cfarrell1980


    I just got my NY Bar results today - passed first time with a 166.9 scaled on the MBE. I didn't do any of those courses. What I did was get copies of the books and lectures (lots of people sell them after the exams) from BarBri (Kaplan has good MBE books too) and self studied. For the MBE I took Adaptibar (costs about $400). Multistate Edge is another option (costs about $400 as well).

    I don't see why you'd need to spend $5000 on anything...


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    #3
    Johnno-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭Johnno-


    That's fantastic news! Fair play!
    When did you start studying if you dont mind me asking?


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    #4
    cfarrell1980
    Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭cfarrell1980


    I started studying properly just after the February 2011 exams were over - this was because it was only then that I could log in to Adaptibar and start doing questions. I had started listening to lectures from BarBri on my phone while jogging since before Christmas 2010 though. That is really useful - and it doesn't get in the way.

    The last couple of weeks before the exam are the most helpful though. If you've got the substantive law learned before then, you can just practice essays and do all the multiple choice you can. The key to this exam is the MBE. It's where you pick up points and you can practice properly for it (i.e. you get instant feedback on whether you were right or wrong). Be happy when you get an MBE question wrong because you can read the answer and you'll (hopefully) never forget it again. I kept a log of my progress here: http://is.gd/IRjGYb

    I wrote a summary of essay topics which is public on Google Docs here: http://is.gd/XWWJBp. I'll add the July 2011 topics as soon as they are released.

    Here are some links that I found particularly interesting when studying (especially Seperac):
    http://is.gd/Z09tb0


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    #5
    Johnno-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭Johnno-


    Thank you very much for the links and reply.

    Apologies for my delay in doing so, the boards.ie notification went into my spam.

    I have been listening to the lectures the last couple of months. I will start studying properly next monday as i finsh work this friday to begin studying.

    I have decided to go with the Pieper Bar Review, if anything just for the discipline of having to study certain topics by certain dates. I have Barbri books from 2007 to get me started.

    Again, much appreciated that you have sent those links on to me.

    Regards,

    Johnno-


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    #6
    Aisling23
    Closed Accounts Posts: 39 ✭Aisling23


    Hey, I hope the study is going well!

    Just wondering how you found Pieper? Also I'm wondering why you chose them. I'm thinking of going with Kaplan or Barbri. The Pieper Early Start programme sounds interesting (as i will be working full time) but soo expensive!

    Thanks and good luck!


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    #7
    Johnno-
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭Johnno-


    Hey Aisling23,

    I am very happy with Pieper Bar Review, a bit intensive as the lectures started a week before Christmas. The man who gives the lectures, John Pieper (and his two sons) really knows his stuff.

    He seems to live and breath New York State Law and MBE Law. He says, and i believe him, that he is fantastic at issue spotting for the exams, even down to topics that have not appeared in years. As i said, the lectures are intensive, 4 hours each of solid typing or writing, but everything is explained so well. Unlike Barbri, they don't seem to be afraid to concentrate less on topic that will not appear and to me that shows confidence in their system.

    I did the early start programme and in retrospect wish i had used the facility a bit better but that's always the case when you look back at the first month or so of studying for exams. I did listen to Kaplan/PMBR lectures and as lectures go i thought they were quite good to be honest.

    In the end I went with Pieper because i could study from home, no travelling costs to Cork for Barbri lectures. I also reckon I will save the guts of 3000Euro between the course fees and travelling. I also didnt fancy giving Friary Law 5,000euro for a course that is about $3,000 in the US.

    If you have any other questions just let me know.

    Regards


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    #8
    Mokaras
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭Mokaras


    Hi, good luck in the exam!
    The feedback is really helpful as I am thinking of doing the Pieper home study course for the July exam.

    I´ll be working full-time (in Switzerland). It would be good to hear from others thinking of sitting the July exam to compare courses/study and help keep eachother motivated etc.


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    #9
    Antoninus
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Antoninus


    Hello to all, first time poster here.

    I've just started to check various NYB course providers and was quite impressed by what you wrote about Pieper.

    Can I ask if you ordered the Pieper Home Study Program?
    If so, is that the most suitable course, or are there other alternatives (e.g. the 'early start programme)?
    Is it possible to study the entire materials remotely?
    Are the lectures you mentioned totally up-to-date?
    How long did it take for your study materials to be delivered?

    Sorry for all the questions.

    Thanks.
    Johnno- wrote: »
    Hey Aisling23,

    I am very happy with Pieper Bar Review, a bit intensive as the lectures started a week before Christmas. The man who gives the lectures, John Pieper (and his two sons) really knows his stuff.

    He seems to live and breath New York State Law and MBE Law. He says, and i believe him, that he is fantastic at issue spotting for the exams, even down to topics that have not appeared in years. As i said, the lectures are intensive, 4 hours each of solid typing or writing, but everything is explained so well. Unlike Barbri, they don't seem to be afraid to concentrate less on topic that will not appear and to me that shows confidence in their system.

    I did the early start programme and in retrospect wish i had used the facility a bit better but that's always the case when you look back at the first month or so of studying for exams. I did listen to Kaplan/PMBR lectures and as lectures go i thought they were quite good to be honest.

    In the end I went with Pieper because i could study from home, no travelling costs to Cork for Barbri lectures. I also reckon I will save the guts of 3000Euro between the course fees and travelling. I also didnt fancy giving Friary Law 5,000euro for a course that is about $3,000 in the US.

    If you have any other questions just let me know.

    Regards


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    #10
    Mokaras
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭Mokaras


    Hi Antoninous,

    I just started the Pieper early start home study course. That gives you all the lectures from the most recent season (so I have the lectures that led up to the Feb 2012 exam). The materials were sent out to me a few days after I enrolled so I got them about a week later. I went for the ipass option (streaming videos) rather than getting dvds and it took them a few days to set up my account with access to all the lectures also.

    The early start course will give you the entire set of lectures in one go so that you can start earlier than the normal course. If you wanted to enrol in a normal course you could get the materials sent to you and study from home by using the ipass lectures, which would be uploaded to your account a day or two after the lecture takes place, so you would be following the normal course schedule, just a few days behind. (Mid May - mid July for the July exam or mid Dec - mid Feb for the Feb exam). As I couldn't keep up with the normal course schedule while working (typically a 4 hour lecture every day Mon-Fri), I went with the early start course so that I could get through the course at my own pace.

    You can email or post in essays from home for correction, so it is possible to do everything from home.

    I hope that helps.


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    #11
    Antoninus
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Antoninus


    Hello Mokaras,

    That's such a great help!

    My work schedule seems to mirror yours, so the early start programme makes sense. Not sure if I have the funds to spare right now, so I'll have to check my options.

    I'll let you know if I manage to sign up for the early start.

    Many Thanks.


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    #12
    conmo
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭conmo


    So 1 year later, what methods were successful? Help please! Considering doin NY Bar next FEb!!


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    #13
    misha1970
    Registered Users Posts: 8 ✭misha1970


    I'd like to sit the NY bar exams in February too! Conmo, after seeing the amount of people who have managed it on their own with second-hand books I think I'm going to give that a try...Does anyone out there have a complete set from last years NYB for sale?


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    #14
    tinman09
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭tinman09


    Also considering February or more than likely a later sitting. Anyone have a second set of books and notes after the poster above gets sorted? Anyone know how dated the notes get, ie would barbri manuals from 3/4 years ago not be up to date enough to pass?


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    #15
    Adrian Bannon
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭Adrian Bannon


    Hi, rest assured a lot do not make it on their own with notes. I know because I work for Friarylaw and we get a lot of 'second-time' round candidates who tried it on their own first and tell us that they angrily spent money on flights, accommodation, exam fee, hotel and notes etc. If they did it with us (Friarylaw / BARBRI International) we do not even charge for repeats (many other providers do to the best of my knowledge). We actually got acquired by BARBRI who are the number one trainer of all US Attorneys and trained more Attorneys than all other providers combined. They acquired us because basically our pass rates are very good and we work our students hard. Make no mistake they're tough exams expecially for us as candidates not used to multiple choice legal IQ speed reading. Go with a reputable provider and they won't charge you for a resit because the reputable providers do not have many resits.


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