I apologize in advance for the somewhat stream of consciousness blog post below. In an effort to be different from some other blogs out there, I want to talk about my actual experience vs just giving a list of BarMax’s features.
I’ve been somewhat anxious to write a post about BarMax since writing the one about Themis below. Why? Because I think BarMax could be an excellent alternative to Themis for someone who is independent, on a budget, likes iPads and Apps, and wants no more content than necessary when studying for the bar. Keep in mind, you have to be cool with being lectured by someone without a video, because unlike every other review course out there, BarMax does their lectures without a video (you read the outline or fill out a blank one while listening).
Something I want to clarify before writing any further, I am in no way affiliated with BarMax or Themis and haven’t been paid to say anything positive or negative about either course. These are my unbiased opinions based on my own personal experience, and hopefully they can help you decide what review course is best for you!
Anyway… here are my thoughts:
It’s not a scam, it’s an actual review course
If you are anything like me, you might be wary of BarMax at first. They are the the course tabling at your law school with the least amount of visitors (sorry BarMax, but it’s true). If you’re on their mailing list, they send you kind of suspicious emails about special promotions (actually this is kind of cool, and real!) where you can get an iPad mini included in the cost of the course. They are the most expensive app on the iTunes store. They also haven’t been around for very long.
Well, BarMax isn’t a scam. Nor is it just some wannabe app masquerading as a review course. It’s an actual real review course that you can take and be adequately prepared for the exam. And perhaps some aspects of the course might actual prepare you better for the exam than Barbri, Kaplan, or Themis. In fact, BarMax is endorsed by the Barbri’s former president.
It’s an app for the iPad/iPhone– unlike the other review courses, all of their content is app-based
BarMax is basically an iPad/iPhone app that provides you with what I’d say are all the basic tools necessary to study for the bar. You get the app, then they email you additional files which you download to your computer (which include outlines you can fill in and past essays) and that’s it! Unlike Themis, they do not mail you books that correspond with the course, or send you skinny outlines as the course progresses. Also unlike Themis, all of the content, (save for the emailed stuff) including Practice MBEs, essay lectures, lectures, and outlines, is available right there on the app. Themis’ bar review app for iPad/iPhone only provides you access to the the video lectures and nothing more. That means, if you want to do, for example, practice MBE’s using Themis’ course you’re going to have to do them online through their website NOT through the app. Which means you’re going to have to have wi-fi access or 3G/4G. BarMax, on the other hand, has all of their content on the app available to download so that you do NOT need to be on wi-fi or 3G/4G to access the content. I really like this feature.
No additional books
Ok, one major difference I need to point out again… BarMax is NOT going to send you any additional books. You know those huge books you see for Barbri, Kaplan, and Themis for sale on ebay… yeah, BarMax doesn’t have those. It doesn’t necessarily mean the course isn’t as good. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t like or need 3 different outlines on a subject and just wants one concise outline, then trust me, not having all those extra books is probably going to work better for you in the long run. A criticism is that BarMax doesn’t provide you with skinny outlines to study from, which does seem a little lazy on their part. But, the one outline they do provide you with seems pretty damn good and pretty concise all things considered.
Real MBEs/Real Essays graded by former CA bar exam graders
The other thing that makes me respect BarMax is that they’ve made it a point to obtain licensing for real MBEs. This is great. If you see my post below on MBE study resources, you’ll see that I explain why practicing real MBEs is valuable. The one problem I have with BarMax in this area is that they only provide detailed answer explanations for the first 300 questions you do. They say they do this because they believe it is beneficial after that point to then self-regulate by going and finding the reason you got the answer wrong on your own. Like I said before, I understand the logic and potential benefit, but I don’t really think anyone studying for the bar has the time to do this.
I also respect BarMax because they provide essay grading by real former CA bar exam graders. The other review courses do not. See my post here explaining more about this in the context of the Themis review course. Former graders, I believe, are going to be the only way you get truly trustworthy feedback on your practice essays (this is my belief, I’m sure plenty of people disagree). You get two free graded essays included in the cost of the course, then will need to pay $20 for any additional essays you need graded (a VERY good price compared to the cost of a tutor). The $20 is no more than BarMax pays their essay graders, so BarMax does not make any more money off of you in this instance.
Important Note: I have never submitted an essay for grading with BarMax, so I can’t speak to the quality of feedback or turn around time. BarMax does send you a sample if you ask for it… but, of course there is the danger that it may not be of the same quality. I want to believe if it fell below quality they’d remedy it for you.
Cost
BarMax is affordable. My understanding is that it’s going to be less than $999 and there’s a good chance you can get a free iPad mini thrown in, or pay a bit more and get an iPad 2 or iPad air. If you are a public interest student, they can offer you a pretty heavy discount (iPad not included). I’m not sure if they offer you a deal if you already own an iPad and only need the course, but it’s worth inquiring about because BarMax seems pretty flexible for students serious about taking their course.
Shortcomings
As discussed above they don’t provide you with a skinny outline to study from in the last two weeks of studying. They also only provide feedback for 300 MBE questions.
Do I recommend BarMax?
Yes. In fact, BarMax gives you life-time access which can’t be said of the other courses. I think BarMax is a good option in conjunction with other resources out there (Bar Breaker book, Strategies and Tactics, Tutors, etc) and because of its affordable price you can still afford to use those other resources. But, keep in mind, BarMax is really for the independent learner and thinker. There isn’t handholding in this course, and you are really going to have to be self-motivated. The outline content is much smaller than the other courses, so you are also going to have to feel comfortable with that notion. But, if you buy BarMax and find the outlines insufficient, there is the option to purchase Barbri, Kaplan, or Themis books on ebay.
CalBarista 