Upon finding out that I failed the July 2018 bar, I was not only devastated, but felt helpless and confused as to how to proceed to improve my score. The MBE was my weak point, but I also wanted to feel more comfortable with the essays and performance test. I found Steve after searching for a tutor who specialized and offered guidance for the MBE. It seemed like every tutor focused exclusively on or at least emphasized essay practice. The MBE is 50% of your score, so it was important I found a tutor that provided a well-rounded bar prep. After speaking to Steve during our first call, it became clear that he would leave no stone unturned during my studies. He is one of the few tutors who understands the MBE and the performance test, which students (including myself as I prepped for July) seem to underestimate.
Steve provides strategies that completely demystify the MBE. Working with Steve, I began to see a pattern with the MBE and questions even became predictable. Steve has tricks up his sleeve that he will share with you to conquer each MBE subject, including the dreaded real property portion of the exam. After only a few weeks, I actually went from an average of 30% in the MBE to 66%. Steve makes the MBE a cakewalk – in fact, I finished the MBE on the actual exam day with 5 minutes to spare. He is one of the few people in the nation that understands the MBE portion of the exam.
As far as essays go, Steve similarly provides a formula that will allow you to crack the system. He provides GAME CHANGING boilerplate formats that will allow you to tackle essays with ease. You will walk into the exam knowing how to approach every kind of essay that the bar throws your way. The detailed feedback Steve provided on my essays was also absolutely crucial to my improvement. On test day, it felt like the words just flowed out of me and I went into autopilot. No time was wasted because Steve provided so many drills and boilerplate exercises. The same can be said as to the detailed and thoughtful strategies Steve provides for the performance test. I especially appreciated the detailed approach to the performance test that included how to allocate your time given that the PT is such a time crunch. Overall, Steve truly understands the exam and how bar graders think.
Most important, enough cannot be said about Steve’s mastery of the way to study for the exam and the emotional aspect of the exam. The test is psychologically grueling and as someone who is tempted to study hard, overmemorize, and do it all, Steve taught me how to study smart. He was always there for me and was a phone call away whenever I freaked out, and I definitely needed the tough love to stay on track. Steve also provides a nifty calendar and is extremely helpful if you ever fall behind. The scheduling aspect is completely taken care of and unlike the cookie cutter bar courses, Steve tailors a calendar to your needs. Further, I never felt alone during what was arguably the hardest time of my life thus far because I had Steve on my side. Simply put, Steve will get you to the finish line. He has a method and it simply works. From his boilerplates to his carefully thought out “Memory Week” (during which you will magically remember all you need for the bar), Steve provides an arsenal of tools that will result in you seeing the following: “The name above appears on the pass list.” — Sahar Shiralian, Esq., passed the February 2019 California Bar Examination