You’re going to hate me because I keep sharing ridiculous stories…
An international law graduate passed the July 2025 New York Bar Exam on her first try with a score of 325 (!) at just 21 years old (!!).
💬 “Here is my NY bar preparation journey (which I passed with a 325!). I wanted to come back and share my experience, as MTYLT definitely helped me throughout this journey.”
💬 “I have an LLB from England, and did an LLM in the US (took the exam at 21 and found out I passed at 22 – so for any young takers, do not let age deter you!). English is also not my first language (though I am proficient in it).”
A lot of my non-traditional passers are older, so I was absolutely delighted to hear from the other end of the age range.
I wouldn’t be your surrogate Asian dad if I didn’t hold you to impossible standards and draw out 125% of what you thought was your max power.
Have hard feelings toward me if you must. Come back with a passing story if you want to shut me up.
💬 “I followed my gut (thanks to you!) and only used Themis as it benefitted me, instead of mindlessly doing everything it told me to. By exam day, I felt prepared and even though I did not know everything (as I do not think you can ever know it all), I went to the exam ready to do my best and enjoy the experience.”
Resources “A” used to pass the New York Bar Exam (UBE)
💬 “It was made exactly how I like to study (to the point, concise, and everything in as few pages as possible).”
💬 “This was my main reference through all of bar prep.”
💬 “This was gold for the scheduling guide. I planned every day until the exam broadly, including any trips I had, rest days, and buffer days. Even though this took some time, it was definitely worth it in the long run.”
Themis Bar Review
💬 “Your newsletter is also incredible. It felt very nice to have someone message every week with advice, and a lot of mental mindset. I would also recommend signing up to the newsletter before your bar exam session (so for me, I signed up to the Feb session) as this helped me get the right mindset even before I started studying.”
If I were in your shoes and reading this, I might feel a bit jealous, ashamed, impatient, confuddled, maybe even left behind…
How could this 21-year-old law student who didn’t go to a U.S. law school do what I haven’t been able to??
But then I’d feel inspired and optimistic:
- “If she did it, I totally can.”
- “Let me steal her strategies.”
1) Find out by finding out.
I asked a creator whether his materials would be helpful for my situation.
He gave me his best guess but ultimately said: “Find out by finding out.”
I loved that answer. I bought his materials and found out. The cost is worth the certainty of finding out.
Even though it didn’t result in the outcome I wanted, it gave me a new framework (distilled from his years of experience) and an opportunity to try it. Now I pull it out every time a similar situation arises.
Some of you neurotic overthinkers are talking about some:
- Should I get AdaptiBar or UWorld?
- Should I do 27 or 28 MBE questions per day?
- What’s the best course/outline/tutor/etc.?
Dude, if you’re not sure, just try it and see what happens. There are trials and samples. Finding out is one way to progress.
Also, don’t just look for the “best.” Look for what’s right for you.
Barbri is the “best” course, but you’re here reading the best-kept secret in bar prep, aren’t you?
“A” found out what she wanted to use for her bar studies based on trial runs and looking at samples.
💬 “I used studying for the November MPRE as a trial run of the different providers. I tried Themis, Barbri, Quimbee, and GoatBarPrep. . . . From doing the MPRE, I definitely preferred the Themis platform and question bank, so I went with them. However, I loved GoatBarPrep material as it went into detail on tricks used to trip you up during the exam (and also made the content fun) so also decided to get this.”
💬 “I viewed your Magicsheets sample on your website and absolutely loved it. . . . This was my main reference through all of bar prep.”
2) Make your bar study plan fit you, not the other way around.
As a first timer unfamiliar with some of the subjects, “A” initially wanted to go with a big box bar review course
💬 “I was going to get one of the ‘main’ providers, regardless, as this was my first time, and as foreign-educated student, there were a lot of subjects that I had not studied.”
But despite her lack of background, or maybe because of that, she realized the default wouldn’t work for her and built her own plan.
💬 “I started using the Themis’ provided schedule. However, I quickly realised that was not going to work for me. Thus, I also purchased your Passer’s Playbook resource. This was gold for the scheduling guide. I planned every day until the exam broadly, including any trips I had, rest days, and buffer days. Even though this took some time, it was definitely worth it in the long run.
From then on, I had a clear plan on what to do each day. I followed my gut (thanks to you!) and only used Themis as it benefitted me, instead of mindlessly doing everything it told me to.”
Once again, your course is merely a supplement to your self-study endeavors. She shared a screenshot from her schedule in the full story.
Instead of drowning in 1000-page outlines, she built her prep around streamlined references that freed up her time to practice, and only dug deeper as needed.
💬 “When I received Themis’s HUGE books, I knew I had to find something else as I was definitely not going to have time to go through all of that (even though I was not working nor had any major commitments from end of may-july). This is when I found your resources through lots of Reddit experience posts.”
💬 “As I had the Magicsheets, I did not lose time doing outlines, and started doing MCQs ASAP. I only referenced the long outlines when looking for clarifications.”
This is the “just in time” vs. “just in case” approach.
“A” optimized her time for learning and used the resources for her personal benefit. You don’t get extra points for the most pages read.
3) Learn from your opponents (practice questions and answer explanations).
This isn’t speed dating. Don’t just “do” the questions. Take your time, and get to know them on a deeper level. Probe, and find out what they’re about.
💬 “Yes, I indeed read over the answers (both correct and incorrect) for the MBEs. In my booklet (your printed outlines), I would write out anything that tricked me on the margins as well or anything that I did not know about.”
💬 “Later in the process I looked at my worst percentages of subtopics (e.g. easements or mortgages) and really took time in understanding more of that topic and doing many MCQs to see what the tricks were that got me or typical fact patterns.”
Her essay breakthroughs came from studying real answers, not just model ones.
💬 “I also liked to read over the sample NY bar answers instead as I could see what a good answer from a candidate actually looked like (instead of the perfection Themis wanted).”
4) Keep flexible discipline.
I’m all for fitting your bar prep around your life instead of slaving over an inflexible regimen that doesn’t make sense to you.
The scheduling guidance in Passer’s Playbook heavily emphasizes a plan that’s highly personalized to your needs.
But I also think it’s ideal to do something bar-related every day to keep the consistency going. Even 1 MBE question is a perfect place to start if you’re feeling unmotivated because motivation comes after doing. You’ll probably want to do another, and another.
Missing one day at the gym is fine. If you miss twice, it’s over. The habit is broken, and you’re back to looking for the next hack.
“A” didn’t let herself miss even during off days or travel days.
💬 “For days I had ‘trip days’ or others where I did not specifically add anything for study, I still tried to do something if I could (in the plane, in the morning before leaving, etc).”
And when the exam arrived, she went in with calm, not panic. She was prepared and ready to do the real thing as if it were practice.
💬 “By exam day, I felt prepared and even though I did not know everything (as I do not think you can ever know it all), I went to the exam ready to do my best and enjoy the experience.
Highly recommend going with the mindset to enjoy the exam bar days. By then, you cannot do anything else except to try and enjoy the experience, so I did just that.”
Full story
Hi Brian,
Just wanted to let you know I passed the NY Bar! Thank you so so much! Will send a more detailed email with my process soon.
Have a great day.
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Hi Brian,
As promised, here is my NY bar preparation journey (which I passed with a 325!). I wanted to come back and share my experience, as MTYLT definitely helped me throughout this journey. Happy for you to share this in your newsletter if you find it useful, but I would prefer it if it remained anonymous.
For background: I have an LLB from England, and did an LLM in the US (took the exam at 21 and found out I passed at 22 – so for any young takers, do not let age deter you!). English is also not my first language (though I am proficient in it).
Main resources that I used: Themis, MTYLT, GoatBarPrep.
Experience:
I used studying for the November MPRE as a trial run of the different providers. I tried Themis, Barbri, Quimbee, and GoatBarPrep. I was going to get one of the “main” providers, regardless, as this was my first time, and as a foreign-educated student, there were a lot of subjects that I had not studied, so I did see some value in the video explanations. From doing the MPRE, I definitely preferred the Themis platform and question bank, so I went with them. However, I loved GoatBarPrep material as it went into detail on tricks used to trip you up during the exam (and also made the content fun) so also decided to get this.
However, when I received Themis’s HUGE books, I knew I had to find something else as I was definitely not going to have time to go through all of that (even though I was not working nor had any major commitments from end of may-july). This is when I found your resources through lots of Reddit experience posts. I viewed your Magicsheet sample on your website and absolutely loved it. It was made exactly how I like to study (to the point, concise, and everything in as few pages as possible). Thus, I decided to get your bundle of MagicSheets and ApproSheets (though, to be honest, did not really use the ApproSheets). I printed all of your magicsheets and bundled them together, and added anything that was missing in the margins or extra blank pages I added in between subjects (as I did MCQs I could see what the magic sheets did not cover so just added it). This was my main reference through all of bar prep. I started doing some of the content from January, but not a lot, only when I had some spare time. This is because I had purchased the LLM Advantage Themis course, so had some content available already. I started my full revision in end of May after graduating from my LLM. As I had the Magicsheets, I did not lose time doing outlines, and started doing MCQs ASAP. I only referenced the long outlines when looking for clarifications.
I started using the Themis’ provided schedule. However, I quickly realised that was not going to work for me. Thus, I also purchased your Passer’s Playbook resource. This was gold for the scheduling guide. I planned every day until the exam broadly, including any trips I had, rest days, and buffer days. Even though this took some time, it was definitely worth it in the long run.
From then on, I had a clear plan on what to do each day. I followed my gut (thanks to you!) and only used Themis as it benefitted me, instead of mindlessly doing everything it told me to. By exam day, I felt prepared and even though I did not know everything (as I do not think you can ever know it all), I went to the exam ready to do my best and enjoy the experience.
Highly recommend going with the mindset to enjoy the exam bar days. By then, you cannot do anything else except to try and enjoy the experience, so I did just that. I saw some people queuing from my school, so I spent the whole two days with them, which was great to calm my nerves. I also became friends with the girl next to me in the exam hall, which again calmed my nerves during the waiting time.
I truly hope this helps. Again, thank you so much. This process would not have been the same at all without your outlines; they are a game-changer. Your newsletter is also incredible. It felt very nice to have someone message every week with advice, and a lot of mental mindset. I would also recommend signing up to the newsletter before your bar exam session (so for me, I signed up to the Feb session) as this helped me get the right mindset even before I started studying.
Thank you Brian.
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Planned the days: I used your scheduling guides and based off mine from it. I started with the MBE block, then mix, and then final review. I also included the MPT Tuesday days. After I finished the MBE block, I always started the day with 14 mixed questions test mode. Then I would review X subject, do MBEs for that subject, and MEEs. I also walked to the library, so on the way there I would memorize topics (I memorise by talking outloud). I included a screenshot for an example.
For reviewing practice questions, i am not the best example. I did not have a separate doc for all the questions I got wrong for review. However, I did include them in my MCQs to do each day (as I included both new questions and old incorrect ones).
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Yes, I indeed read over the answers (both correct and incorrect) for the MBEs. In my booklet (your printed outlines), I would write out anything that tricked me on the margins as well or anything that I did not know about.
For the MEEs, I just would read over the answer and the comments of my graders when I got any graded essays back. They were very harsh graders on Themis, so I also liked to read over the sample NY bar answers instead as I could see what a good answer from a candidate actually looked like (instead of the perfection Themis wanted). I then started copying the sample answers in a doc and highlighted the IRAC in different colors. This was to help me keep track of the usual topics that would come up for each subject and how well-structured essays looked.
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I think I realised Uworld was already tracking my correct and incorrect questions or topics, so later in the process I looked at my worst percentages of subtopics (e.g. easements or mortgages) and really took time in understanding more of that topic and doing many MCQs to see what the tricks were that got me or typical fact patterns. This is in addition to usually adding the questions I got wrong in my MCQs tests (how I usually started the day later in the process).
Also, for days I had ‘trip days’ or others where I did not specifically add anything for study, I still tried to do something if I could (in the plane, in the morning before leaving, etc).
