Adam McConney, Esq

I received copies of Steven Harris’ WINNIN’ TIME! and The Trigger List as part of my enrollment in his California Bar tutoring program. I highly recommend both books to Bar exam applicants, as well as law students. WINNIN’ TIME! contains substantive outlines that condense an admittedly daunting amount of law into clear, concise rule statements that are easy to apply on exam day. The Trigger List, like WINNIN’ TIME!, was immensely helpful to me while preparing for the Bar exam. It helped familiarize me with key words used by the Bar Examiners that typically always implicate particular issues. Learning these triggers was the foundation for an issue spotting structure that was reliable and easy to use during the Bar exam.

US Army Veteran passes the July 2021 Cal Bar!

Steven Harris and WINNIN’ TIME! were the secret to my success in passing the July 2021 California Bar Exam. Steven provided me with the tools, strategies, and confidence necessary to unlock my potential. His approach to mastering the bar exam is mechanical and simple.  Essential in the high stress environment leading up to and during the bar. The only mistake I made was waiting too long to call him. When I sat down at the beginning of Summer 2021 to study for the bar, I was overwhelmed. Then I got WINNIN’ TIME!. Then I got Steven.  Then I got a plan. It changed my life, and it will change your life too.

Gabrielle Sue

Hi Professor. Not sure if you remember me, but I took your Critical Studies I class at UC Hastings in Fall 2021. I didn’t mention it at the time, but I was actually set to take the February 2022 exam, not the July exam like most folks in the class. Well, I just wanted to say THANK YOU because I got the results a few weeks ago and I passed. I know I don’t get the score breakdown, so it’s entirely possible that my MBE score had carried me, but I can’t help but think that taking your writing class allowed me to succeed. It definitely helped me jump into studying right away because I didn’t have to spend time learning what bar graders look for, or how to approach the PT. The Evidence Boilerplate came in handy on February’s test for sure, and I basically did all my PR rule memorization from your book. The boilerplate definitely helped for efficiency, but I also remembered the advice about time management–I was strict with my timing even on that essay, especially since the PT was in the same session.  I’m so glad I decided to take your class!

Imran K

I highly recommend Steve Harris’ program for California Bar Examination repeaters. His books WINNIN’ TIME! and The Trigger List are absolute must-haves for anyone who wants to pass this thing. The bar exam is difficult. It is designed to trick and overwhelm students with the idea that a vast amount of material can be tested at any time. But it’s just a trick, and it is doable, and Steve has managed to prove above all else that it is predictable. The issues are predictable, the exam writers are predictable, and the graders are predictable. That means you can outwit them. Steve can help you make that happen.

New parent

Steven was an incredibly important and positive figure in my long journey to pass the bar exam.  I passed on my 6th attempt with a 7-month-old baby after working in ADR for 6 years. After spending my first two years out of law school repeatedly taking the bar exam, I needed tutoring from someone who deeply understood the exam and could teach me how to see it for what it was (and what it wasn’t). Some of the most important realities of the bar exam are really hard to see unless you’ve done the work of The Trigger List. I benefited tremendously from Steve’s predictable writing structure which made it possible for me to complete essays in the way that is credited on the exam. Now that I’ve passed, I feel like I’ve gotten a piece of myself back. I am so grateful that I had Steven’s support and care as I learned to pass this most difficult exam. I highly recommend him to anyone.

Devika Sagar

I cannot endorse Steven Harris enough! He helped me pass the California Bar Exam on my first attempt. His style of teaching was very effective for my learning style and I appreciated his outlines. I have gone through many outlines and rule books but I have to say that Steven’s study materials were very well organized and made the most sense. The material was also organized in a way to help me easily memorize the rules prior to the exam. I remember opening up the first page of the essay portion of the exam and internally screaming “Yes! I got this!”  There were moments during the tutoring process where I felt unsure and not confident that I had the ability to pass, but Steven reassured me and helped guide me on my weak points.  Overall I’d say that the one-on-one guidance and attention during bar prep is unmatched and is extremely beneficial to passing the California Bar Exam on the first try! 

Hastings Critical Studies I student passes February 2022 California Bar Examination!

Hi Professor,
Not sure if you remember me, but I took your Critical Studies I class at UC Hastings in Fall 2021.  I didn’t mention it at the time, but I was actually set to take the February 2022 exam, not the July exam like most folks in the class.  Well, I just wanted to say THANK YOU because I got the results a few weeks ago and I passed.  I know I don’t get the score breakdown, so it’s entirely possible that my MBE score had carried me, but I can’t help but think that taking your writing class allowed me to succeed.  It definitely helped me jump into studying right away because I didn’t have to spend time learning what bar graders look for, or how to approach the PT.  The Evidence Boilerplate came in handy on February’s test for sure, and I basically did all my PR rule memorization from your book.  The boilerplate definitely helped for efficiency, but I also remembered the advice about time management – I was strict with my timing even on that essay, especially since the PT was in the same session.  I’m so glad I decided to take your class!
Thanks again,
Gabrielle Sue
UC Hastings College of the Law

Devika Sagar, Esq., WINNIN’ TIME! and Memorization

I cannot endorse Steven Harris enough!  He helped me pass the California Bar Exam on my first attempt.  His style of teaching was very effective for my learning style and I appreciated his outlines.  I have gone through many outlines and rule books but I have to say that Steven’s study materials were very well organized and made the most sense.  The material was also organized in a way to help me easily memorize the rules prior to the exam.  I remember opening up the first page of the essay portion of the exam and internally screaming “Yes! I got this!”  There were moments during the tutoring process where I felt unsure and not confident that I had the ability to pass, but Steven reassured me and helped guide me on my weak points.  Overall I’d say that the one-on-one guidance and attention during bar prep is unmatched and is extremely beneficial to passing the California Bar Exam on the first try! — Devika Sagar, Esq., passed the February 2022 California Bar Exam

Devika Sagar, Esq., passed the February 2022 California Bar Examination

I cannot endorse Steven Harris enough!  He helped me pass the California Bar Exam on my first attempt.  His style of teaching was very effective for my learning style and I appreciated his outlines.  I have gone through many outlines and rule books but I have to say that Steven’s study materials were very well organized and made the most sense.  The material was also organized in a way to help me easily memorize the rules prior to the exam.  I remember opening up the first page of the essay portion of the exam and internally screaming “Yes! I got this!”  There were moments during the tutoring process where I felt unsure and not confident that I had the ability to pass, but Steven reassured me and helped guide me on my weak points.  Overall I’d say that the one-on-one guidance and attention during bar prep is unmatched and is extremely beneficial to passing the California Bar Exam on the first try! — Devika Sagar, Esq., passed the February 2022 California Bar Exam

Santa Clara repeater passes February 2022 Cal Bar Exam!

I was referred to Steven by my school’s Bar-prep program coordinator. When I first spoke with Steven, he took over an hour to speak with me on the phone, whereas another tutor I was considering only spoke to me for ten minutes. That’s all I needed to know to see that Steven cared about his students because he gave me the time to get to know me and how I would be a good fit for his program.
As an average law student, I knew that I would need additional help outside of the traditional bar prep courses to conquer this exam. I decided to work with Steven again after I failed the July 2021 Bar Exam for two reasons: 1) I knew I didn’t want to go through the rigorous study schedule again without someone who would make studying the material less daunting, and 2) I needed Steven’s expertise again because each bar exam is a different “beast.”
After I failed, Steven spoke with me to decipher my score and made me feel better knowing that I was one or two multiple choice questions away from passing. Steven prepared a 30-plus page report of Essays 1-5 and the Performance Test that helped me understand exactly where I went wrong and how the scores given on the first and second read were accurate after comparing multiple student sample examples and the Bar’s sample answers. This provided me with a comprehensive overview of my strengths and weaknesses in my essays. It also gave me the confidence I needed that I wasn’t starting from scratch the second time around.
Another weakness for me was the MBE. To address this, Steven created a tailored schedule so that I could bake in more MBEs into my study schedule. Steven encouraged me to take two mock MBE tests in preparation for the February 2022 exam.
I enjoyed working with Steven because after every weekly meeting, Steven left me feeling focused. Steven has a way of making the subjects on the bar exam fit into categories so that information is not overwhelming. His materials make the subjects easy to digest and memorize.
The best thing about working with Steven is that he KNOWS the Bar Exam inside and out.  Any updates, rules, or nuances about the bar exam – Steven knows it all!  He takes the guesswork out of the bar exam and when you’re in the midst of studying, there’s no time to stress about the small things.  One must save their brain power for the actual material.
Steven’s approach to the CA Bar Exam, the skills and strategy he teaches, is not something I could find elsewhere.  —Santa Clara alum, passed the 2022 February California Bar Examination