Testimonials

I am an out of state CPA and had failed the bar exam while taking the traditional bar review courses. My tutor reviewed one essay and in 15 minutes identified my weak areas where I needed to improve. I spent about 4 hours per day during the week studying and 8 hours on Saturday and Sunday. But my time was focused not on searching for explanations and improvement, but where my errors were and HOW to improve. I took the exam and finished all sections on time (performance tests actually 5 minutes before time expired!). I knew walking out that I had passed the exam, and I did. I recommend Executive Bar Review to help all working professionals pass the California Bar.

Mark Klecka
Add owner reply

I started my own law practice a few years ago. I relocated to California unexpectedly in November of 2011. Even though my practice focuses on patents and falls strictly under Federal law, I knew that I had to take and pass the February bar exam the first time in order to ethically practice law in California.

I had several active clients at that time and as a solo had very little time to focus on taking a bar exam. I had not taken a bar exam in 10 years and knew I needed help. EBR came up in one of my searches.

I choose EBR even though it was about $5000 more than Kaplan and other "group" bar prep courses frankly because my license to practice law is pretty important to me and I did not want to jeopardize that. Not only was my law practice and license at stake, but I was also financially cautious as my income flow was not as predictable as it would have been had I worked for a firm. EBR was worth every penny.

Fedora knows the bar exam inside and out and knows how busy professionals (or newly graduated law students) need to study. It's up to the student to be willing to listen and do the work.

I began studying in the beginning of November. I met with Fedora about once a week and studied about 2-3 hours each day, with only a few days off, until the end of January. It was stressful and took a lot of time and devotion, but I never would have had the discipline to make myself study that way.

Beginning in February, about three weeks before the exam, I met with Fedora twice a week and begin studying about 8 hours a day, no days off. It is intense but I knew it was my best shot at passing.

Taking the exam is nerve-racking, but Fedora had completely prepared me. I finished every section 5-10 minutes early and KNEW I passed the exam walking out of it. I would listen to the other applicants who had taken courses such as Kaplan talking among themselves about the answers they gave on the test. None of the answers they gave even began to address the issues raised by the questions in the detail that I had been able apply to the exam. And none of those students sounded confident about passing.

Unlike the group programs, Fedora had targeted my weak areas and had been able to focus my studying on those areas rather than just throwing everything at me. Fedora could not take the exam for me - I had to be willing to do the work. And the work is hard. But I know the work would have been a lot harder had I taken any other course and I probably would not have passed.

I cannot say enough good things about EBR. I happily share my experience with others because I know how overwhelming taking the exam can be, and I know that I was fortunate to have found Fedora's website. I would recommend EBR to any student or professional who is serious about passing the bar exam.
Add owner reply

I am an attorney that had practiced for 10 years in California after passing the Bar exam on my first sitting in July, 1992. Prior to passing the Bar, I graduated Cum Laude from my law school in New York and, after passing the exam, I tried over 70 cases to jury as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. After 10 years of practice I decided to move on to something else but the law was were I belonged so I chose to return. Unfortunately, the legislature decided to enact legislation requiring anyone that has been away from the practice of law for 5 years or more had to prove a present ability to practice by re-taking the Attorney exam.

I started with Barpassers. The Barpassers team told me that Attorneys have difficulty passing the exam, so I took off from work and spent the entire day and evening, (from May-July), studying...I failed. I went with Barpassers again and failed. I do not fault Barpassers as I think they are a good program but they weren't helping me and I was at a loss. I had never been in a position like this before so I started searching for an answer. I came across Executive Bar Review"s website, read a yelp review similar to this one and gave them a call. A staff member answered the phone and I went through my story. The stand member was quick to say she could help, told me that practicing lawyers were a particular favorite of theirs, that she was sure that EBR could make a difference.

EBR sent me the materials and sent me a schedule for 1 week, with enough work to fill up 1/2 a day (or evening) and gave me at least Saturday off. I was shocked and told my tutor that I didn't think this type of schedule was enough to get me through...it was just too damn easy. I was told that I would be evaluated weekly, adjusting my schedule as needed and visit the LA office (or connect via Skype), several times (whatever was necessary), before the exam. My commitment to EBR was that I will follow their instructions to the letter...a complete buy-in. Contrary to my usual modus operandi, I did what I was told.

I completed and submitted assignments, (Honestly, I did not complete everything) and, based on the work I submitted and the work I failed to get in, my schedule was adjusted weekly. I continued to work at my job and study after work. I met with EBR to review some things in person and took the week before the Bar examination off to commit to studying. I did not divorce my wife and my kids (4) did not forget my name. Make no mistake, this was a difficult task that took an enormous amount of work but we were able to overcome several emergencies at work and family issues at home to complete the studying. However, at the end of the process, I still felt I hadn't done enough. Frankly, I had worked less (but worked smarter) under EBR's tutelage and was concerned going into the examination. I sat for the exam, for the third time, in July 2014.

On Friday, November 21, 2014, I was informed by my computer screen that I had passed the examination. I left the exam believing that I had passed and I did. I can't say enough about the system that Executive Bar Review uses, nor can I praise enough the skill, caring, and commitment of my tutor and the staff. EBR quickly recognized my weakness and we did not waste a second on work that I did not need to do. As far as I am concerned, EBR is a trailblazer in Bar exam prep, whether you're a practicing lawyer or recent graduate.

This is the part where I say that I recommend Executive Bar Review but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to tell you that if you took the time to read this review and fail to let EBR help you pass, you're nuts.

I passed the July 2014 exam with Ms. Nick and Executive Bar Review’s guidance. I cannot recommend this service highly enough.

I dropped out of a standard commercial course midway through the summer after realizing I wasn’t learning enough. Ms. Nick was instrumental in helping me compensate for this service’s failures by learning critical information in an efficient and timely manner. Most importantly, however, Ms. Nick refined and perfected my essay writing. People often say that you pass or fail the California Bar based on the essays. There is no one better to help you prepare for the essays than Ms. Nick. I walked out of the MBE sessions feeling sickly whereas I walked out of the essay sessions with complete confidence.

In addition to her superior substantive skill, Ms. Nick is also an expert in managing your concerns and nerves during an extraordinarily stressful period. She is realistic and honest.
Ms. Nick is worth every penny.

After 25 years of law practice in NY and Colorado I moved to California, and needed to take a bar exam again. A daunting task to say the least. Fortunately, I found Executive Bar Review. I wanted a bar prep program that focused on the essays only - as an attorney I did not need to take the MBE - and EBR is the only bar exam tutorial program that offers preparation specifically for practicing attorneys.

The written materials are thorough and easy to use. More important, EBR combines issue spotting and essay writing so that both these necessary skills are honed. The immediate and detailed feedback after each homework assignment is invaluable for learning and efficiency. The memorizing was a huge hurdle for me, but EBR has tried and true techniques that work.

The study schedule is personalized and flexible. I started studying in October for the February exam; because I had almost 5 months of prep time if I needed a few days off my weekly schedule would be adjusted. If a topic was hard for me, extra time could be added. EBR can provide a thorough study protocol in less time if needed.

My tutor was available by text, email and phone. She was patient when I was confused, provided detailed feedback on my practice essays, and knew exactly how to focus me on areas I needed to study.

EBR is worth every penny. You could save money on a less expensive class. But factor in the cost of needing to take the exam a second time--in expenses and lost wages-- and EBR is worth the cost.

I had a terrrific experience working with Executive Bar Review. I was studying out-of-state and managing a busy full-time practice during my preparation. My tutor sent me clear and specific study assignments and always gave me quick and very helpful feedback on the practice exams we worked through. I found the study materials to be very user-friendly. The live tutoring was essential and tremendously helpful. When I walked out of the exam I was confident I had passed. For me, Executive Bar Review was easily worth the investment.

Dear Executive Bar Review,

I am sincerely grateful for your excellent program with individualized tutoring, clear and organized materials and your energy. You helped me excel in legal analysis and writing, You effectively explained the process that I had not received in several other bar review programs. You kept a tight schedule to meet the deadline and provided much needed encouragement throughout the bar preparation process. I highly recommend your program to anyone interested in passing the bar exam. You are excellent at your job!

Sincerely, Elizabeth Furlow, Esq.

Wow.

I was a 3rd time California bar taker having gone down several points the 2nd time from the first. I had about 100+ points to make up to pass the exam. I chose Executive Bar Review basically because our 'chemistry' was good and there were a lot of common life patterns. In retrospect I chose well. I spoke with another tutor on the phone and it was obvious there was no chemistry and she rejected me without even a meeting.

Executive Bar Review basically told me that my writing style was unfocused and all over the place. They actually suggested that i skip the next bar and keep studying instead. That was unacceptable to me but it was difficult to wrap my head around all the wonderful hints that she imparted. At my age, memorizing can be challenging depending on the day of the week I am trying to 'get it'.

We finally hit a subject, Procedure, that i was strong in and my writing evidenced it. Being able to see the writing nuances in a subject i 'knew' really helped get a better grip on the other subjects. It was at that point that confidence rapidly escalated.
The best part was being able to visit Executive Bar Review on an 'as needed' basis and she knew better than I what i needed and I followed her lead. After, the Procedure section, it seemed that I needed more time since I was seeing and understanding more in each subject.
At the end of the prep time, I was told that i could pass the exam if the 'Bar G-ds" were with me. And they were and i did pass the exam solely because Executive Bar Review was good for me and pushed me in the directions I needed to go that I didn't know for myself.
Communication with Executive Bar Review was excellent and my tutor was always available at our ever changing tutor times. Emails were always responded quickly. I spoke with Executive Bar Review during the exam days and moaned that i had strayed form the 'path' but she assured that my writing was good and not to let down on the last day. I didn't.

My conclusion from my experience with Executive Bar Review is that if the chemistry is good and the prep time can be available as needed, then go for it . They have the experience and really know what they are doing and know how to get us to pass.