I'm not a big fan of Barbri. In my opinion they load you up with far too many books. They also taught material that they said "grey out" in your notes; meaning, we'll teach it to you, but it won't be tested. (Why bother teaching?). I also found the array of instructors to be somewhat of a comedy show. Some are good; others rather annoying.
What really gave me a hard time with Barbri is the way they tend to tap-dance around rules with hypos instead of just teaching the black letter of the law. They also use celebrity names in their hypos and use words like "dough" instead of money. If you want to sound like a lawyer, it helps if you're taught like a lawyer. I understand the idea of making the subject matter as light as possible, but I prefer rules, and then hypos to support the rule, not the other way around.
I'm a person who learns nothing during a lecture. I have to outline and teach myself. Their lecture handout book creates your notes/outlines. You fill in blanks within the book as you attend class. They have solid MBE practice questions, which are not what you'll see on the bar exam, but they make you think very hard and understand the law. Their essay book is nothing short of golden. They also provide a "conviser" book, which is concise outline of all of the bar subjects. The other books they load you down with aren't work much time.
My biggest recommendation with the Barbri material is get your outlines organized and master the law. In addition, do at least 3,000 MBE questions (you'll need other sources), which amounts to at least 500 questions per MBE subjects. If you put in nine solid weeks of study, you'll be just fine. I also recommend reading the last 10 years of actual bar exam essays. (separac.com is a great source). You can actually just read the essay answers (no questions) and do just fine on the exam. You'll discover that 70% of the exam is retested material. If you got through law school, you're smart enough to read essay answers and understand what's taking place.
I find reading essay answers is an easier way to remember the law. While multiple choice questions drill the law into your head, reading essay answers seems to make things much more practical in terms of expressing the law. You'll also discover that many of the model essay answers are very short and basic, almost high-school like. You'll actually be shocked to learn that some model answers are no more than three sentences, depending on the topic. In fact, it appears if you write too much, and go too in-depth, it can work to your disadvantage. You may have a grumpy exam grader who doesn't feel like reading what amounts to an A-level law school answer. Basically, they just want the question answered with the proper rule.
My last bit of advice is this - if you're having difficulty recalling certain rules (and you will), record them on your phone and listen to them with headphones over and over and over. If you create a model answer, say for commercial paper, you'll be amazed at how easily you will remember the law when you hear it in your own voice. Something magical occurs when you create a model answers, read it into your phone, and then listen. It also works for the MBE. Con Law is my most dreaded subject, but when I broke down all the subjects separately on my iPhone, I suddenly found that the MBE questions became a breeze because I listened to everything over and over and over and over.
Finally, 80% of Barbri takers pass the New York bar exam, so ultimately, you will have the tools necessary to pass. Personally, I recommend Pieper for New York test takers - they take a much more tailored approach in teaching the material. Whatever you choose, if you enter the exam fully prepared and confident, you'll do just fine. (Again, practice no fewer than 3,000 multiple choice questions - the MBE can make or break you. I managed to do 4,000 practice questions and scored a scaled 152 on the MBE, and I'm far from a genius). read more
