Does anyone know occasions when a lawyer got admitted to NY Bar after not taking the preparatory courses (which are so expensive) but by self-preparation to the Bar Exam?

Any tips as to NY Bar exam will be helpful..

Thanks! 

Answer in demand. I am thinking of doing the same too-self study. Anyone wants to share their experience?

I would very highly recommend you consider taking a Bar Review Course because the process of having to take the Bar Examinations is already painful enough - you do not want to do it again!!

At the very least, purchase some notes off eBay....

G

I guess the Barmax app for iphone or ipad is a good alternative to the barbri course. You get it for $ 1000 and should contain everything you need for the exam. I heard it is nearly impossible to pass the bar exam without any professional help as a foreigner.

Thank you all, ppl!

Well, I have also heard of PEIPER (http://www.pieperbar.com/). My classmate says they help you memorize even better than barbri. Has anyone heard of that?
Anyway, this course are also expensive.

Another option is to purchase books from on-line, which would be like $200. This course will be dry, they say. But is it possible to learn it even dry for just $200 and pass the Exam???

THX,
Anna

I heard from my professor who got her law degree in Canada and passed the NY Bar after having taken the pieper course which is designed for foreign trained lawyers. She told me it was insane not to take any preparation course but another professor who had similar backgrounds said it is enough just to read the books from these providers.

Thank you guys. This is very helpful.

Does anyone know other experiences as to NY Bar Exam prep? Please, respond.

I have a foreign law degree and I'm a practicing attorney in my home country. I bought second-hand PMBR and BarBri books, studied on my own, and passed the New York bar on my first try. As far as I know, it has been done many times but of course it's not an approach that will work for everyone.

Has anyone heard any critique on THEMIS bar prep?

Is it good?

Why choose Barbri for prep?

Can Themis be an alternative???

Please, help.

I'm not a foreign attorney, so I do not know if one bar review course is better than another within that context, but as a U.S. attorney, I would not take any bar review course other than BarBri.

I took BarBri before both the California and Maryland bars (I took them 3 years apart) and passed both. The bar exams require an overwhelming amount of information and studying, but BarBri organizes it all for you and comes up with a study plan. BarBri actually makes the experience as less painful as it possibly can be.

Regarding studying on your own v. taking an actual course: I know people who bought all the BarBri books from others (and perhaps notes and study plan as well) and studied on their own and passed the NY, Florida, and North Carolina bars. If you know that you can study for several hours a day, every day for 2 months and are relatively calm under pressure, then you probably could do this on your own.

Personally, I found the BarBri schedule of classes and homework assignments helped me maintain the discipline I needed to study for the bar and alleviated a lot of panic.

Thanks!

How about THEMIS as alternative to BarBri? It's still better than no prep at all, no?

I do not know much about THEMIS, but, yes, it is better than no prep at all. I suppose the main points to look for are a prep course that is (1) familiar with the NY Bar and (2) organizes all the information in a managable way.