I vote for
Vivian Dempsey
I took Vivian's bar review for the February bar last year and passed. I recommend her highly. She has a program designed for people that work for a living. I worked fulltime but took the week before the exam off. Her program requires four hours a weekday and 8 to 10 hours both Saturday and Sunday. I could not have done it without her teaching methods. It was like she got into my mind because I felt like she knew what I was doing wrong, why I was getting low essay and PT scores and schooled me to write correctly. I worked for me so it should work for you.
I did an essay seminar with
Vivian Dempsey since it is obvious that is where the whole problem lies. I called her and asked her if the bar examiners actually read the essays. She said they don't mull over your essay, since one bar grader has a thousand or so of the same essay. What he does is this. He figures out fast the things that everyone gets, then focuses in on where the problems lie.
Example: Everyone one knows the elements of negligence. However, a lot of examinees mess up on proximate causation. Ms. Dempsey said that is where the graders will focus on... to see if you got that right. The easy stuff (is assumed). She said the key is to lay out the essay so the true testable issue is visible and easy for the bar grader to navigate through.
That being said, she gave me another pointer. With reference to CA Civ Pro and Evidence, she said figure out the testable issues. Look at Federal Civ Pro and Evidence, then look at CA Civ Pro and Evidence. Focus on those areas that are testable. What has the Bar tested on for Fed Civ Pro and Evidence. and find those testable areas where CA Civ Pro and Evidence differ.
You can't memorize all the law, focus on the areas that are testable.
One other point she gave me: If you are testing high on the MBE--(I got a 152 scaled) and stillnot passing, she said to consider that you are studying for the essay portion and the performance exam portion in the same manner that you prepared for the MBE. Hmmm, I
was thinking. I never really thought of it like that.
Haven't really figured out how to fix it... but the bottom line is probably know the law on those essay testable" areas, then practice, practice, practice.
**One last point, she lays out her essay like a grocery list in her model answers to lead the grader right to that section that she contends is the testable issue or sub issue. All the other stuff, they just gloss over.
Getting off my high horse and going back to study, so I don't turn out like the guy that took the exam 50 times.
Source: scales_2004