Frequently Asked Questions

When do classes start?
What's your pass rate?
What makes The Study Group different from Bar/Bri and other traditional classroom courses?
How is The Study Group different from other home study or self-study courses?
Do you have references for me to check?
You have a lot of course options. Which course should I take?
How long does it take to complete the course?
Do I need to take any supplemental courses?
How many Multistate Questions are included in the course?
Do you work with Foreign-Trained Attorneys?
Is the MPRE Included?



When do classes start?
You can begin at any time! As a home study course, we give you maximum flexibility to adapt the program to your schedule. We have students studying for next year's exam already!

What is your Pass Rate?
First, be skeptical about any bar review's pass rate claims. Ask who they count and how they count. That said, in 2006, about 7% of the students enrolled in our Essay Trainer program (over 500 nationwide) returned to us for a refund, or a free or reduced price retake after they did not pass. We are not suggesting that all of the other 93% necessarily passed. Some of them may not have done all of the required assignments, or may not have taken the bar as scheduled. We are suggesting that our students have a very high success rate, and we stand behind our courses with guarantees for the few who do not pass.

What makes The Study Group different from Bar/Bri and other traditional classroom courses?
Our past students tell us three things: First, the essay writing and Performance Test writing instruction is much better. Other courses focus on "the rules." We cover the rules, but we also teach you how to take the exam!

Second, our home study course is much more flexible. You can start earlier, finish earlier, and even listen to lectures several times for the tough subjects! That is hard to do in a traditional six-week before the bar classroom review.

Finally, the level of personal attention is much greater in The Study Group program. We're available to all of our students by toll free phone or email.

How is The Study Group different from other home study or self-study courses?
Depth and experience. Before enrolling with any bar review course, ask how many attorneys are available to assist you when needed (The Study Group has 6), how many bar exams they have passed (our 6 have passed a total of 14 bar exams), and how long they have been in business. Also ask who the lecturers are (if any). Most self-study or home study bar review courses give you little more than paper-based outlines.

Do you have references for me to check?
For reasons of privacy and confidentiality, we don't give out past student phone numbers. Instead we publish a number of student testimonials that you are welcome to read. These students have given us permission to quote them without any compensation from us, so you can be sure they are unbiased. In addition, we provide a 3 day satisfaction guarantee that allows you to review our materials for 3 days and return them if you're not satisfied for any reason!

You have a lot of course options. Which course should I take?
We know it can be confusing, but we want to give students exactly what they need, rather than a "one-size fits all" course like most bar reviews. To simplify:

We strongly recommend The Bar Exam Essay Trainer course no matter which bar review course you take. It gives you our organizational, issue-spotting, and writing lessons along with unlimited essay critiques. It also comes with a Pass or Your Money Back Guarantee.

The Complete MBE/State Essay Course is the minimum most first-time bar takers should take if they want a complete home study course. It includes outlines, lectures on CD, past questions & exams, and a Day-by-Day Syllabus and Study Guide. If you are a repeat-taker, studying for a second bar, or plan to use other materials for part of your study, please call us at 800-239-2349 and we will guide you!

How long does it take to complete the course?
Complete MBE/State Essay Home Study courses take about 200 - 300 hours to do the assignments. These assignments include reading, listening to lectures, and doing practice questions and exams. That means about 25 - 30 hours a week for 7 - 10 weeks. Of course, the schedule is flexible so you can spread that out or condense it to suit yourself. Some students begin a year in advance and work slowly.

The Bar Exam Essay Trainer requires a minimum of 25 total hours to do the work to qualify for the pass guarantee; however you can do as much as you need because you can continue to submit essays to us for critiquing after you finish the required work.

Do I need to take any supplemental courses?
No.

How many Multistate Questions are included in the course?
Over 1500 (the equivalent of almost 8 complete Multistate Bar Exams). And no other bar review has more of the officially released exams from the National Conference of Bar Examiners than we do.

Do you work with Foreign-Trained Attorneys?
Yes. Our Foreign-trained attorneys have had a very good success rate. We do suggest beginning your studies as soon as possible to account for new law in what may be your second language. Please note the various state boards of bar examiners will determine whether you can sit for the exam. That is out of our jurisdiction!

Is the MPRE Included?
MPRE prep is free with complete MBE/State Essay Courses. Make sure you request it, as it is not shipped automatically. For others, it is $95.