Gina's an amazing tutor - go with her if you have the chance! With her help I passed the October 2020 bar exam - I couldn't have done it without her! Looking back, I think Gina's focus on strategy is what sets her apart. She knows what the exam is testing, and it has nothing to do with intelligence. She will show you how to hack the exam, even if you forget black-letter law. This approach also helped me mentally, as I could feel more confident that whatever came my way (ahem, BA as the first essay, lol), I could get through it and pass. Another thing that set Gina apart from other tutors was the amount of work that she put into essay feedback. She provided line-by-line feedback, which helped me quickly grasp the appropriate way to write bar essays. Her feedback also helped me structure essays in a way that would score me the most points. I also appreciated being able to submit rewrites of an essay to make sure I got it perfect the second time. Gina was also easy to approach, empathic, and really cared about my progress. She is honest about your performance, but continues to be encouraging and positive even if you're struggling with something. She also takes her time and never rushes you. Other tutors I approached had strict tutorial time limits and contact hours. I never felt rushed with Gina or like I couldn't contact her with a question. Another thing I appreciated was that Gina really pushed me to get the work done! I sent her weekly schedules which really helped me be productive and limit time wasting. I also really appreciated the amount of material that Gina provided me with. The resources that she offers her students is really quite extensive. I ended up using majority of it at some time or another during my study process - it really was invaluable. I have no hesitations recommending Gina to law students or foreign attorneys - I'm very glad I had the opportunity to work with her. read more

I had taken the bar 3 times after my J.D., I threw in the proverbial towel after the third failure. Years later, after the frustration and damaged pride subsided, I contacted all of the higher rated tutors on yelp. I obviously hired Gina (thus the review) and paid her way to little for her services. With her help and a lot of hard work I passed the exam with the lowest pass rate in the history of bar exams (26.8%) -Feb 2020. There is no way that would have happened without Gina's help. Why did I choose Gina? I had three requirements going into hiring a tutor, Gina met them all and the others did not. First she has a formal course which she provides and a structure to follow which seemed to me at the time to be both educationally effective and effective at keeping me on track (it turned out to be very effective - I passed the bar - and I always knew what I needed to be working on). Her structure also contains reporting and tracking mechanisms to keep everyone on the same page and on track. My second requirement was that the tutor be able and willing to be flexible and to customize to my needs (not just a "class" with review sessions once a week). Gina was able to dissect where I was having disconnects (between brain & keyboard) and created customized flow-sheets for me to use on practice essays. My third requirement was that I had to like/feel comfortable with the person in the initial 'consult' as I was going to be dealing with them a lot and I liked Gina right away. Then she started telling me how bad my essays were and I had some doubts, but then she was right so I liked her again. Value proposition: A++++ feedback. I got a great deal, I really I feel like I got one over on her considering her time and skill set... I never have to save up again to take another CA bar exam, take time off, ignore my family and my poor lonely pooch. My mom will never be sad for me again when I don't pass (she did cry when I passed but that was good). Having passed the bar my income just jumped overnight to over 10x her fee every year...forever. Man Up: You have to do the work, think of Gina as the Boss and just suck it up. I did everything, kept all the logs, did the rewrites, if she told me to do it either I did it or we found something that would work for me. The essay rewrites are a huge help, I would never have actually rewritten a practice essay on my own and this turned out to be one of the biggest learning opportunities. Using her MBE tracking guide really helped me focus and be efficient with my time . The last couple week before the test I was crushing the practice MBE exams. I used adaptibar and found the two (Adaptibar & Gina) worked perfectly. If anyone want to speak with me Gina can give you my contact info. This is my first yelp review and I don't feel like posting "I failed 3x" to the whole world. read more

Gina is a wonderful tutor! After almost passing the bar exam the first time, I decided that the bar prep courses just weren't enough. I needed more individualized attention and help with my bar prep. That's why for my second go at the California bar exam, I decided to get help from a tutor. My friend referred Gina to me because she had helped him pass the bar exam on his second try. I was having trouble with essays and performance tests. For the essays, Gina worked hard with me to improve my issue spotting, analysis, and formatting. For the performance tests, Gina went over the types of performance tests and encouraged me to practice multiple PTs even though we all know they can be extremely excruciating to write. Gina also provided me with many study materials that were more helpful than most of the materials I received from my bar prep course. I ended up passing the CA bar on my second try thanks to Gina's help. Gina taught me exactly what I needed to get over the hump and pass the test. I highly recommend Gina's services to anyone who plans to take the CA bar and wants to have individualized help from a tutor. The bar prep courses are mostly self-study aids. With the help of a tutor, you get more individualized feedback and spend more time going over exactly what is needed in order to pass the exam. read more

UPDATE: I PASSED THE CA BAR ON MY FIRST TRY! Gina's guidance, process, and methods work. Like I said before, I could not have done this without her. My commercial bar prep course left me feeling stranded and like I was another number to a huge company who didn't actually have a vested interest in my success. Conversely, Gina tailored her tutoring to my strengths and weaknesses. She kept me on track for MBEs, essays, and most importantly, PTs. Her feedback on my essay and PT performance improved my thought-process, time management, and organization. Needless to say, she is the best CA Bar tutor out there! The proof is in the pudding! read more

Being a parent and working full time, after I failed the CA bar the first time I knew, with very limited time and energy, I needed to do something different. Gina helped keep me on track and focused on the areas I needed help with. With her guidance and wealth of resources, I passed the second time. I highly recommend Be Prepared Cal Bar. read more

I passed the October 2020 bar exam and am an ATTORNEY and it is because of Gina Lee. After failing the bar exam for the third time, I felt defeated and hopeless. I knew that the only way I would pass is if I had someone to guide me down the dark and gloomy path of bar prep. The day after results, I began my search for a tutor and discovered Gina. From the first time we spoke, I knew Gina would be amazing and amazing she was. I learned so much after only a week of our tutoring session and the progress continued drastically throughout our time together. Gina was able to not only point out what I was doing wrong with my essays, mbes, and PTs, but was able to teach me how to take the exam correctly. Her teaching methods are exactly what I was missing. In addition to teaching me the correct way to take the bar exam, Gina provided me with a detailed schedule to help keep me on track. Especially with studying during quarantine and being a mom, the schedule was essential to keeping me focused and motivated. This time around, the bar exam was taking place online for the first time ever with details changing almost daily. Despite all of the unknowns, Gina was able to alter teaching methods to adapt to the new format. While I sought Gina out for tutoring, she quickly became my therapist, coach, and mentor. I would recommend Gina to everyone I know and to those who feel hopeless. I believed I would never pass the bar, but Gina helped not only change my mindset, but gave me the tools to succeed and finally pass. REACH OUT TO HER! read more

Quick summary: I highly recommend Gina and would not have had it any other way. I will explain below my history with the bar exam, Gina's approach, and why she is valued higher as a bar exam tutor than those with substantially more Yelp reviews. I hired Gina after taking both Themis and Barbri and failing the CA bar exam 3 times. I was 80 points away from passing the first time and kept getting incrementally closer for each re-take. However, I realized I needed to up my game to pass the exam once and for all. I retained Gina a week after getting my bar results and therefore worked with her for around 3 months. Working with Gina was the best decision I made because I ended up passing the bar exam with the lowest pass rate recorded in CA history (over 70 years) at 26.8%--all while working full time with the exception for the month of February. Gina takes a no-bs approach to bar tutoring. She will help you study sufficiently around your schedule and can accommodate those working full-time, but will also force you to find time that you otherwise would not have realized you had to devote to studying. What I appreciated most about her was that she told me everything as it was so that I could see my own flawed approaches and correct that in time for the bar exam. Every practice essay I submitted to her came back to me with red marks all over and paragraphs of analysis on my approach and how I could do better. She literally read through and provided line-by-line feedback to every essay I submitted to her. Even after this extensive analysis, she further deconstructed a model essay and then deconstructed my essay through real time Zoom meetings to force me to think like a bar grader. This then made me able to cater to that audience to appropriately to score the maximum amount of points on the exam. She also made sure I understood how points were valued so I knew where to focus my attention on and then analyzed when I could afford to divert my attention elsewhere. She makes sure to conduct regular meetings that function to go over substantive material as well as check-ins to gauge your stress levels and emotional well-being. She also offers stress management tips. With that being said, you also need to stay committed and put in the work to get to the 1440 passing score. She provides your road map, feedback, and guidance. However, if you are not willing to use your time wisely or not willing to put in the effort to give her the work product, she will definitely let you know. This is important because she forces you to stay on track and not waste a day of bar study. This will be a frustrating process but will be well worth it if you invest in Gina as your bar tutor. As opposed to other tutors, Gina only takes a limited number of students per exam so she can devote her focus to a more catered learning experience with substantial flexibility. She does not market herself like other tutors because she is only interested in taking in a few students--as low as 8 during my time with her. This allows her to devote a substantially more time to very focused feedback to each student and allows her to keep track of each student's relative strengths and weaknesses to re-draw her game plan with each student. One of the biggest takeaways from Gina was that I needed to slow down. I've been given this feedback from multiple past employers. However, I never quite understood what that meant and did not know how to clarify. Gina turned that around and let me know that I was sacrificing accuracy for speed. This epiphany helped me through the bar exam and will continue to be a reminder for me in the workplace as well. If you are serious about passing the bar exam and are able to take substantial constructive feedback for 3+ months, Gina would be your best pick. Her personal approach, detailed and catered feedback, and small class of students easily makes her the best choice of bar tutors. read more

Gina is AMAZING! I recommend her with all my heart, especially to repeaters and to those who would rather not become repeaters! Gina really knows how to crack the CA bar exam. She will keep you well-prepared, focused, driven, and mentally in check, all at the same time. She will teach you how to work smarter not harder! Gina really understands the psychology of the test, the way graders think and what they are looking for when reading essays and PTs. She will literally analyze and go over every sentence of your writing to help you understand what was important, what was a waste of time, and how it could've been improved. My biggest issue was timing - I could not finish the exam, I consistently spent way too much time on the first essay, rushed through the second, and then had only 10 minutes left for the last one. Same with PTs and MBEs - just couldn't finish. Gina worked hard with me to improve my timing, writing style and cater to my personal weaknesses. She taught me a specific approach to ensure that I finish while providing the graders with exactly what they want to see. She also walked me through an MBE approach and shared great resources with me. In addition, she will give you valuable tips on personalizing the study schedule that works for you. This past July exam, I FINISHED and, as a result, PASSED! (Yes, even though we had CA Civ Pro show up for the very first time, and a tricky atypical Con Law question!) Gina even showed me some "tricks" that I ended up using when I was running out of time. I'm so grateful to Gina for her guidance, patience, and care! She's the best! PS She also has the best taste in TV shows :) read more

Failed July 2018 CA bar and passed the second time around (July 2019) with the tremendous help from Gina. We heavily focused on my writing and she was able to whip me into shape in 2 1/2 months. It's often hard to accept help and follow instructions from those who know better, after all we're hard headed law grads and always think we know better! But trust me, we don't know better. You may have been editor in chief at your journal, but "bar writing" is SO DIFFERENT from law school writing. Had I known about Gina before taking the bar the first time, I would have not paid for a bar prep program and just gone straight to her instead. I wrote and wrote endlessly, had Gina give me feedback, that I then implemented into my writing. Her feedback is very specific and tailored to your responses. Theres no generic or blanket statements. She is literally going line by line. Gina will find your weaknesses if you haven't identified them and make sure you fix them ASAP. On top of that Gina made a schedule for me that covered all the topics. She had skills and tips for me to use for each topic - things that are not included or covered in bar prep programs! As for the MBE, Gina had me use Adaptibar and she has her own tutorial for the MBE as well. She made sure to schedule in a MBE "midterm" and "final" to make sure I was building my stamina and practicing under test-like conditions. Even though the MBE was my strength, Gina did not cut corners and she made sure I addressed weak spots. She's there to be tough on you but she also does "check-ins" AKA, how are you doing emotionally. She gave me tips on how to manage stress and prevent burn-out. Over all, I couldn't have been more satisfied with having Gina as my tutor. Remember that studying for the bar is an investment for your future. It will always be more expensive to take the bar twice than to do it right the first time with Gina! read more

Where do I begin?!? I know she was key to me passing the CA bar exam. I studied in NY and had been out of the legal field for several years. Took a bar prep course to re-learn the law and CA subjects, but it was not helping me with actually taking the exam. The CA bar is notoriously horrible and I was taking it during the lowest passing rates to date. I found Gina who took me on and I never looked back! Gina is a great tutor and was a lifeline for me throughout the process. Gina has a holistic approach to the bar exam - while she does ask about and focuses on weak areas, she makes sure to go through the MBES, essays, and performance tests. She also spends a lot of time on time management, which is so important (always telling me to act smarter, faster!). She teaches tricks, phrases, acronyms, and so many other things to help one attack the exam and pass it. Gina cuts through the b.s. of the exam and shows you what to focus on and how to satisfy the bar examiners - very important on the writing-heavy CA bar exam (even with the new format). Gina showed me so many tricks to writing a good essay - a few you can learn from the larger bar prep courses, but most of them were smaller things that really make a difference to a grader. I am a good writer but she still tore my essays apart (in a good way), going through them line-by-line, showing me where my strengths were and what was weak. I would get essays back with so many comments, which sounds bad but ultimately made me a better writer. She would focus on IRAC, and would require rewrites. It's a lot of work, but when the exam came, I was confident and ready to tackle any essays the examiners threw my way. Gina also made me focus on the performance tests, spending a lot of time on them and helping me organize the materials so that I could process the material quickly and succinctly and then write a response in the necessary time. These are often neglected but can be easy points if you are prepared and well practiced. Lastly, Gina does help with the MBEs - she knows how important they are and kept on me to practice questions daily. Gina was always prepared with a word of encouragement. However, she is not afraid to "tell it like it is" and would call me out if/when I got lazy, tired, or just had brain freeze. She kicked my butt many times. I needed that - I don't want someone to coddle me because the exam is a killer and you have to stay focused. The larger prep courses are good to teach you the law, but Gina provides such individualized attention - no course can do what she does! I cannot recommend her enough. Work smarter, not harder, as Gina teaches! You will pass if you have Gina at your side. read more

I took the CA Bar exam twice before hiring Gina. I was initially hesitant because of the cost, but I refused to take another failing grade; so, I went all in. That turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made. I struggled immensely with MBEs, and although my writing was strong, I was losing out on easy points due to missed issues or incomplete arguments. Gina really helped me with sticking to a regimen that proved effective. I worked full-time during bar prep, so my schedule was tight. Gina held me accountable every step of the way. She is very detailed and extremely organized, which, inevitably, forced me to become more organized. The writing and de-briefing exercises she teaches are invaluable, but you MUST do the work. Fortunately, Gina assigns homework (practice essay exams and MBE tracking guides, among others) which force you to stay engaged in a variety of topics on any given week. My MBE scores improved slowly but consistently, as her approach to tracking and debriefing was golden. I recently passed the July 2019 exam, and Gina was undeniably a contributing factor to that (I even heard her voice in my head several times throughout the exam, pushing me to stay focused and reminding me to avoid my bad habit of reading too quickly, haha). I highly recommend retaining Gina if you want to pass the CA bar; I wish I would have done so sooner. Good luck! read more

The CA bar exam is a beast (as anyone reading this probably knows or suspects). With that being said, it is easier when you have the right support system to conquer the exam. Family and friends may not understand what you are going through or how to advise you on the topic, but Gina does. Gina knows this exam. Her tutoring program will get you to where you need to be if you put in the effort and time it takes to master the skills she teaches. If something is not working for you, Gina will help you "pivot" - teaching you that if you get stuck while practicing or on the actual exam you have a sensible backup plan to move forward and succeed. Her academic insights helped me better understand the exam and put it into perspective - "it's a beast of a test but passing or failing the exam does not define you." Having the right mindset and confidence going into the test is everything, and Gina provided me with the skills to walk into the exam calm and prepared. Thank you, Gina! read more

Gina was recommended to me by a friend from law school who raved about her and her approach to the bar exam. I was not disappointed! Gina taught me everything I needed to know about how to prepare and I am convinced that without her I would have had no idea how to approach the exam let alone pass on my first attempt! Studying for the exam was challenging but Gina walked me through each and every step of the process. With her instructing and guiding me on how to prepare I never doubted that I was making the best use of my study time. Gina is endlessly encouraging, understanding, brilliant, and tough - all traits which helped me stay on track and keep working day after day. Signing up with Gina was one of the best decisions I have ever made hands down. Thank you Gina, and happy studying to all those lucky enough to have her as a tutor! read more

I found Gina last year when looking for a tutor for my wife after she failed the 2016 July bar. That review is below this one, this updated review is based upon my own experiences with Gina and the Feb 2017 CA bar exam. I had looked for a tutor 1 year prior to taking the exam. I found the guy I wanted. He had amazing yelps. I felt like he was the golden ticket. When my time came to take the bar, I used the guy. I failed the bar. I don't blame the guy, he did the best he could and by his Yelps it is obvious he has helped many people pass. For context, a little about me. I am 41. Never cared about school, never did well in school. I was thrown out of high school, but did graduate on time at a different high school. I got my AA in business management over the course of years just taking a class here or there, but I never cared, and I never really worked at it. I attended a CBA accredited school in the Bay Area. I had a hard time with first year, barely passed contracts. But, I did get the model answer in my Crim Law class. I also got the high grade in my Crim Pro class as well as the model answer, so it was clear that where I applied myself, I was able to excel. I knew that Barbri wasn't for me. I can't stand video lectures and tend to drift off. And just reading outlines was going to bore me to death. I also knew I needed someone to check in with, to hold me accountable. So I went with the guy I had found and did his program. There were things I liked, there were things I didn't like, what I mostly didn't like was that I failed the 2016 July bar. Upon getting that news I failed I reached out to Gina. I decided to work with her. We started the second week of January 2017, just 8 weeks or so before the test. Here is my take away. I had friends who used other tutors who they could call and complain to, who they could vent to and cry to, who would listen to them and console them, that's not Gina. If you want someone to cry to, go elsewhere. It's not that Gina isn't compassionate, she is, and she understands that mental breakdowns will happen, its just that neither Gina, nor yourself, have time for that bullshit. Gina is no nonsense. If you're missing something or messing up, she's going to tell you, because her job is to give you the best chance to pass the bar, not be your best friend. There were hands down times when she was frustrated with me. At one point she even suggested that I skip this bar and take the next one. See, no nonsense, honest, even if it hurt me and angered me, I respected it. As I prepared for the exam there were days I just couldn't get going, Gina told me little things to do to get me moving, and it worked. Days where I would have just sat there full of doubt and frustration, turned into productive days. Here is what I liked best about her, and what is different about her from the other tutor I used. In the first program, he taught me his way, but I didn't really adapt to his way. Gina talked to me and taught me in a way where I was able to learn, and that, I truly believe was the key to my success. Her program wasn't about me adapting to it, she was all about adapting to me. When she could see something wasn't working, she had a whole new approach that worked with my learning style. I truly believe that that is what a tutor should do, find a way to make you learn, and she did that. She was on time. She knew the material. She has really valuable exercises that she pounds into your head, her goal, to make you boarded in the bar, meaning, there are no surprises, with the training you do with her, when you walk into the bar there is little you haven't seen, and if it is something you haven't seen, you're prepared for that. On one question on the bar, I had never even heard of the issue, but I felt calm, I stuck to what Gina had told me, I never even panicked, and I wrote a killer analysis of what I thought it should be. That is a nice way to feel when taking that shitty test. I could go on and on. I have given her name to no less than 8 people. I have talked to my wife countless hours over the last few days about what we found effective and how happy we are to have used Gina, I mean, we're both attorneys now. I will close with this. Gina can steer you, but she can't lead you. Passing the bar is up to you. She can provide you with the tools, but not the motivation to get up everyday and put in the hours needed. I worked 7 days a week, 10 hours a day. I did 3000 MBE's. I wrote 60+ essays and 15 PT's. My wife did double that. If you've failed the bar, you know how horrid that feeling is, a feeling you never want to experience again. I told Gina on our first call that she was my ticket to passing, and I was right. I was indebted to her for helping my wife last year, I am forever grateful to her for helping me pass. Statistically I never should have passed. Repeat takers from non ABA schools had a 15% pass rate, I was part of that percentage, because of Gina. read more

This is a long overdue review! Gina was excellent at helping me identify my weaker areas and worked with me to make them stronger before the exam! A tutor isn't going to memorize all the law for you. You still have a ton of work you need to put in, but getting the constant feedback helped tremendously. I'm convinced she's the reason I passed the CA Bar. Absolutely recommend her!! read more

Gina assisted me with the Bar Prep and I was able to pass the February 2020 exam, which had the lowest passing score in recent history. Gina truly cares for her student and takes her time to walk them through what's needed to succeed. She is honest and conscientious and I highly recommend her to anyone who is serious about passing the CA Bar Exam. read more

I have so much gratitude for this amazing woman! Gina undisputedly gave me the edge I needed to pass the CA Bar Exam. Her methodological approach takes the mystery out of the test. Gina helped me see that the CBX is a closed universe of knowledge. It was not that I did not know enough law, but rather, that I was failing to apply the law to the facts in the specific way the graders wanted to see. Each question becomes a puzzle - each sentence is a piece and those pieces start illuminating before your eyes. Finally, Gina is a holistic teacher. Her programs emphasize the importance of balance. Things like sleep, exercise, and family time are discussed as being critical to passing. This exam is so much more than a test. It is emotionally draining. Having a trainer, confidante, and cheerleader like Gina in your corner really does make the difference. read more

AND guess what?!? I PASSED!!! even though Gina said it was impossible and that I should give up...I am so glad I didn't listen!

I would not have passed the bar the second time around without Gina's tutoring. I failed the bar exam by 130 points in July 2015 (first try) and I thought there was no hope. I was sure I'd have to take the bar at least two more times. There was no way I could close the 130 point gap. That's right: 130 points away from passing. The first time I took the bar exam I spoke with a friend who highly recommended Gina to me. While I talked to Gina and really liked her, I decided to stay with Barbri. In hindsight, that was an unwise choice. When I found out I failed, I contacted Gina immediately. She looked over my scores and consulted with me on how I could improve and pass the next time. Gina herself is a no-nonsense tutor who tells you like it is, and does not sugar coat anything for you. While she is nice, funny, and clever, she flat out tells you where you are lacking. I needed that. I needed someone to point out everything I was doing wrong and then help me improve it. Gina provides Skype tutoring sessions, which are invaluable. Unlike other tutors who work either over the phone or strictly online reviewing your essays, I got the most out of tutoring with Gina because of our Skype sessions. Additionally, her feedback on my essays was great. Because she is a former bar essay grader for the California State Bar, she knew exactly what the bar graders would be looking for. Gina forced me to criticize my own essays the same way a bar grader would. She forced me to rewrite portions of my essays, or even whole essays where I needed it. Finally, her method for attacking PTs was probably a huge factor on my passing the second time. My first time taking the exam, I knew how important PTs were, but I couldn't seem to crack the method. After a PT session with Gina, I could almost hear a "click" in my head, and I suddenly understood PTs. After doing a number of PTs and getting feedback from Gina, I felt confident about attacking PTs. The PTs for February 2016 actually felt almost easy to me. I know I would not have felt this confident without Gina's tutoring. I will be recommending Gina to my friends in California because I know passing the February 2016 bar exam would have been impossible without Gina's tutoring and mentorship. When it comes to taking the California bar exam, a one-size fits all approach simply is not sufficient to overcome the harsh grading. With Gina's help, I learned to think like a bar grader and completely change my essay writing. Overcoming a 130 point gap would not have been possible without Gina's tutoring and old fashioned hard work. It can be done! read more

I approached Gina because I failed the CA Bar Exam and I couldn't pinpoint exactly what went wrong with my essays. It was incredibly frustrating not knowing how to improve; thus, when Gina helped me understand why I failed the bar, I felt a huge sense of relief. I was finally able to feel good about studying for the bar again. I was excited, encouraged, and motivated for the first time since I got my bar results. Most importantly, Gina taught me that the bar isn't about perfection, it is about passing. I honestly don't think I could have taken the bar a second time without out her. Gina helped me approach the bar exam essays and performance test. I literally heard her talking to me as I took the bar exam a second time; I felt extremely confident and at ease because she gave me the set of skills I needed to take the California Bar Exam a second time. Gina was an incredible tutor, she was very kind, understanding, and strict. She kept me in check but never made me feel like I was asking a stupid question. I have never had a tutor or Professor that made me feel so comfortable and pushed me so much in my life - and this is the perfect combination for taking the bar. For this reason, I would recommend Gina to ANYONE who failed the bar, or anyone who needs help approaching the bar in general. Bottom line: if you failed the bar, Gina is a necessity. I really appreciate her, and I know you will as well. read more

Gina is incredible! Without Gina, I would not have passed the Bar. She gives you the right amount of tough love that you need to be successful. Gina is as good as it gets and working with Gina is a decision you will never regret. She understand the psychology of the exam and what the examiners are looking for. read more

As a first time taker, I passed the Feb 2018 Cal bar which had a 27% pass rate. And guess what? I had amazing help. What I most appreciated about Gina's program is her emphasis on using study time efficiently and effectively- not binging on every practice tip available. We really looked for exercises that were translating into results and tracked those results. I always felt she appreciated what an emotional, mental, physical, and financial commitment bar prep is. I believe for that reason, she was very insistent about not letting me waste any time or energy practicing old habits or taking up new ones that were ultimately not going to be helpful. I think that type of professional courtesy is extremely rare in the bar prep world. Her approach did feel different to me than conventional wisdom and my study-intuition, so it was a bit of a leap of faith trusting her expertise and learning to study and write toward test grader expectations. But it was a leap that paid off, and obviously, I'm very glad I took it. read more

Gina is the best. Read on for details on how great she is. Background - I am not the best standardized test taker, but with your typical prep course for SAT/LSAT, I managed to get into fairly good schools. I went to a law school that has a great reputation, but a hard time placing students in jobs. I miraculously got a big law job my 3L year. As everyone does, I took Barbri to prep for July 2016, and I have to say, there are about 8 million squared ways to study for the test under Barbri's program. They claim to have a "smart" system that caters to how you score on their study programs but really it ends up overwhelming the student with more work, not a method on where to focus for assignments. So come November 2016, I'm in my fancy job, loving my life, and everything comes crashing down when I see that I did not pass. In comes Gina/fairy godmother - I knew I would need the big guns for bar round 2 - especially since I miraculously had a second chance with my dream job. I simply could not mess this up. I found Gina who happens to be one of the only bar prep female tutors in the bay area. For the record, I did talk to a couple other tutors just to do my due diligence, but I either felt like throwing up or having a heart attack after talking to them, so I knew those weren't the right fit. Gina process - when I began talking to Gina on the phone, she immediately calmed me down, and like some mystical crystal ball reader knew where I was coming from, already had a game plan, and carved in some time for me to wallow in self-pity, get over it, and start fresh with our first tutorial. Throughout the study process, she would change things depending on how they worked for me - she really individualizes the study program, which is really important for someone that doesn't just "get" the whole standardized test thing. And with individualizing a program comes a schedule that does not overwhelm, but is serious, focused, targeted and down right shows results. Also Gina is a cool person, so I'm not sure how all the stars aligned on this one, but they did, and the process was custom, effective, and - ok bar material is not "fun" at least for me, but she made the material much more - entertaining. During the test she gives you all kinds of support and even through the prep process, you can always reach her. This is what I call a smart system. Life after Gina - I pass the bar, literally krump dance around the room, get to keep my dream job. AND, I actually use a lot of the lessons Gina taught me in my everyday life. Not necessarily regurgitating the rule for battery, but in the sense that she really helps you take control of your life and your schedule and helps you get to know who you are as a learner and what processes work best and how to tackle tasks that are particularly challenging for you but maybe not as challenging for others. The point is, I still use a lot of what Gina taught me - she taught me more than law school probably - so she is worth every penny, if nothing else. But anyone that gets me to pass the bar is a straight up hero in my book - LAST TEST EVER. Thank you GINA!!!! read more

I worked with Gina as my tutor for the California Bar and I loved my experience with her. First, Gina is very professional and organized. I truly appreciated that she was ALWAYS duly prepared before a Skype/FaceTime appointment, thereby maximizing time and efficiency of the tutorial. Furthermore, Gina helped me improved my writing skills for the Essay and PT portion of the CA bar exam. She also taught me what the Bar Graders were looking for in an answer and provided GREAT and thorough critiques of my essays! I strongly recommend her and I am sure that working with her has helped me PASS the CA Bar exam and move on with my life! read more

I highly recommend Gina as your California bar exam tutor. I missed passing the first time July 2018, by a small amount and not passing again was not an option. I needed individualized help with essay writing and the PT writing strategy for Feb 2019. I've been practicing for 20 years and just didn't have the skill of writing test answers anymore (not to mention memorizing so much material). There were many frustrating days of learning to write to maximize points, but Gina's strategy of writing and re-writing with so much guidance from her was exactly what I needed. Gina is laser focused on how to write a passing essay and gave me the feedback I needed week in and week out. I executed the writing strategy Gina drilled into me and test day was long but not hard to execute-I was so prepared. A totally different experience from the first time. Couldn't have done it without her. THANK YOU! read more

I should lead with the fact that I did not work with Gina as a tutor. I did, however, speak with her when I thought I would need help with a second taking of the bar (thankfully, it turned out I did not). Gina appealed to me as a clear thinker, and a direct and organized person. She was extremely professional and confident in her approach. She listened well, asked good questions and seemed ready to work with the quirks that each individual has. I got the sense that she would be a hard task master. But she also has an extremely high EQ. And since the bar exam is not just about intelligence and drive but also mental and emotional health, I think that's a key thing to look for in a tutor. Bar study can be such an isolating, depressing, grueling thing, it can only help to have someone in your corner during the process to give true feedback on where you stand and what you're doing right and wrong. You don't want to wait until the days of the exam itself to find that out (which is what I felt I did). If you're thinking you might need help on the bar (especially if you're an out of state lawyer, foreign attorney, LLM or out of law school for a few years and lacking that community of people experiencing what you're going through), have a chat with Gina. She doesn't do a hard sell -- she listens, is honest, offers ideas and solutions. Where you go from there is up to you, and I can't speak to her actual tutoring, but I got a good vibe from the hour (yes, she spent an hour just talking to me about my issues) I had her on the phone and the follow up email she sent. Hopefully, you will, too. And good luck on the bar. read more

Gina helped me pass the CA bar exam on my second attempt. I used Barbri to prepare the first time and I felt pretty comfortable with my essays/PTs but wanted extra help on improving my MBE scores. She reviewed my exam scores, gave me tips on independent study strategies for the MBEs, and developed a study plan focusing our work together on essays and PTs. Her approach helped me increase my overall score more quickly by strengthening the areas I was already more comfortable with instead of just prioritizing the MBEs (which is what I had planned to do before contacting her). She was efficient and made the most of our time together by assigning practice essays in a logical order based on the subjects most frequently tested, and we covered all the core topics in less than six weeks. Her essay/PT feedback was very detailed and clear, and it was always very easy to see exactly what I needed to do to make improvements. She was very easy to work with and I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a bar prep tutor. read more