Seperac.com

Comments from Other Examinees

I just wanted to let you know that I passed the New York State Bar exam. I was also able to keep my job. Thank you for all your help and guidance. You advice and outline were crucial to my performance on this bar exam. I focused on the MBE and my score went up again about 5 points, giving me a 143.2. I read through you whole outline but rewrote the high and medium topics in my own words, which was particularly helpful on the corporations and real property essays. Keep doing what you do…you are amazing at it.

I passed the bar exam and I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with everything in particular the masters it helped me organize myself for the NY day so I could spend more time on the MBE. Thanks once again,

Joe, thank you for the materials. I passed NY on the first try (passed CO 2 years before on first try - took barbri). Your approach is much easier. Thank you.

I doubt you remember me among the many who wrote to you but..I passed! With 140 on the MBE, I'm pleased. I did what you said - logged the rules and memorized them - and focused on the MBE, doing 3000 practice questions. Also BarWrite's 3 day course helped so much with the essays as I had been studying on my own with old books and this was the first time I had face to face contact. Even though I had more recent material and more recent summaries, I always came back to your summaries from 2005 because I found the lay out the easiest to refer to and learn from. I'm pleased for having studied on my own, in Europe, 7 years after graduating from law school, with a bunch of old books from 2007, and while on maternity leave. A big THANKS!

I am happy to inform you that I passed the NY State Bar Exam. My appreciation for all you have contributed to my quest in realizing this achievement is beyond expression. Thank You!

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for your website seperac.com. I visited it every day when i was preparing for the bar and followed all you did. Guess what? It worked out! I passed the bar yesterday ( took it once in february and passed) with a 144.8 on the mbe. I took your advice and made sure i did all the pmbr red questions and compared my scores to yours. Thank you very much. feel free to print this or share it with anybody who wants to take the bar and use your method. It WORKS! God Bless you! Everyday i freaked out i went to your site. I studied about 15 hrs a day for two months and took barbri also. Again, Thank you so much, i cannot thank you enough, for your website definitely gave me the confidence and blue print to passing the New York Bar on one's first try.

I bought your Master Outline for the February 2009 exam, after having failed the exam in July 2008. I failed that exam too, and the July 2009 one as well. However, it was your advice to concentrate on the MBE part of the exam which I followed for the July 2009 and February 2010 exams, and which helped to dramatically increase my MBE score from a low 124.2 and 123 in the first two exams to 141 and 149.6 in the last two exams. I wish therefore to convey my thanks to you, since I have the happy news to tell you that on my fourth attempt at the exam, I passed! Plugging away has paid off. For your information, I always advise anybody intending to sit the NY bar exam to visit your website as part of their study and revision process. Many thanks, and the best of good fortune in all your endeavors,

Thanks for all of the information and links. I'm not a retaker, sitting it for the first time and as I'm a foreign legal education candidate, probably need all the help I can get! I agree with you in your assertion that the best way to prepare for the exam is to break down previous exams and analyze them. I'm pretty much following your daily schedule in that I listen to BARBRI lectures then test myself, usually majority of my day is spent on multiple choice questions then reading outlines and making flash cards. I'm already feeling burned out so early on, but I'll persevere and keep going. Thanks again for all the advice, great site!

Hi Joe - just wanted to let you know that I passed the NY state bar exam, using only Seperac and the 3-day course on the MBE. I also purchased and studied the 2 OPE on NCBE. My score on MBE was 152 scaled. They gave no results re any other parts of the test. Thanks for your website!!

your website kicks ass. I am taking the Feb 2010 bar, 1st time taker (just finished my JD MBA up at Fordham in December). WOW, your logic is amazing and our learning styles are very similar. I learn 10 x better from doing PMBR questions/explanations than staring at an outline. Also, during law school, i would make "canned answers" to bring into open book tests because i know issues would come up and I would copy verbatim. Seems like your MASTER is the equivalent of that. Your website is amazing stuff, kind of overwhelming to take in after a good reading. Anyways its awesome and will use it as a reference.

No proper words can express my thanksfulness for all your time and advices. Your analysis show me whole picture of my weakness. I am going to address them and focus on MBE and those weak subjects.

You are nothing short of a revelation. Just like you suggested, I will re-take the Exams in July, 2010. I am reading your email, digesting every details, and my eyes are swelling up with tears. I have never had such a comprehensive analysis of my results. Even when I took the first bar review course and paid for a one on one tutor, everything pales compared to you. I am so grateful for your input, analysis and advise, words cannot express how overjoyed and confident I feel about studying and preparing for the July, 2010 exam. Thank you so much for the links and pointers.

THANK YOU. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your prompt reply, great advice, and kind personal attention. I really wish I subscribed to your site earlier instead of wanting to wait until completing the Barbri material. To think about it, it doesn't make sense. Your site is about prioritizing but if I went through all the Barbri material first I would not be prioritizing at al. Silly me. Again thank you.

I am sure you know how much you are helping the students throughout the country by providing the material and your experience which in turn makes the study for the bar exam easier. The proof is that I have a friend whom I referred to you website (I met him during the Feb. 2009 exam. I took the February 2009 exam and failed by 20 points. I did not take the July 2009 because my office could not give leave without pay. My February bar exam proved me that working and studying for the bar exam is not right thing to do. But my friend took the July 2009 exam.). He bought your 2009 Master essay for July 2009. He registered to NCBE OP1. He also registered to PMBR on line course. Guess what? he passed the bar exam. He was so happy. He was saying that your materials and the information you provided him were extremely helpful. I decide to do what he has done. Hopefully this time I will pass.

I promised myself that if I had passed I would send you an epistle detailing my process so you can use it to help your students. Alas, I have forgotten most of what I did, and I will spare you the agony of reading through all that stuff. Attached is my skeleton Master 2005. I feel that coring down Master to point form was useful: 1. in terms of being able to read through it quickly; 2. because you had said that Master should be changed slightly so that thousands of students did not write the same thing and annoy examiners.

When I just started using your technique I would read all the topics for the particular past paper that I would practice. So if I was going to do July 1995, I would only read those topics, then answer the questions (cheap, I know). Thing as well is that I had started a new job on 6 July 09, so I needed effective ways to maximise my time. So I made an outline. So I could study everything and then test myself on somethings. Perhaps an outline of MASTER only becomes effective if you had read MASTER thoroughly before. I hardly read any outlines. If I read Wills once I read it alot. Some of them I never read any at all. I just studied MASTER. I studied all the topics basically in equal measure. Paying more attention to things like fruit of the poisonous tree and things like that. In the exam itself, the criminal portion was very dissapointing. I was minded to give the paper back to the invigilator and ask her to return with a criminal question more challenging (hubris, I know). It was a theft question that was'nt even theft (strange I know, imagine how perplexed I was in the exam, I had to read that question over and over and over to make sure that I was not missing something; you know, I was looking to see if it was a trick questin, but saw no real tricks). The only thing with the criminal question is that it had a portion on issuing bad checks or something like that. I remember reading that a few times from MASTER, but had not really paid much attention. I did the best I could though. I never got a chance to study during the noon break but I guess that did'nt hurt me too much. The week before the exams, I had focussed almost exclusively in terms of practice, on the area of Wills. I thought Wills would threaten to spoil my show. Believe me, your explanation of the elective share statute is the simplest anywhere. When I read elective share from MASTER I was like huh? it's that easy? listening to it on the BARBRI lectures and reading it in the BARBRI books gives it a kind of complexity that is very daunting indeed. I think elective share actually came on the exam. thing is i cant remember because I practiced it so much. Ahhh, a trust question came on the exam. thats for sure! hahaha lol. I was thinking during the exam cmon Joe, you said trust would not come!! j/k I know you didnt say trusts wouldnt come. But I think I had enough about me to fashion a reasonable response.

I dont think I did well on the NY multiple choice, but I think I might have murdered the MPT. That was the only time in all the times I have done the MPT that I finished, comfortably within time. I had 15 minutes at the end. I was like yeh, this is a good feeling. Looked over, tweaked and stuff.

For the MBE I was much less accomplished. I think I started off well in the morning. I had a brilliant idea a few days before the exam, that I would simply IRAC the multiple choice like I did the essays. So I started off very slowly, trying my best to be deliberate. But by the time I was 50 questions in, I realised that my timing was wayyy off. So I had to motor (well by my own modest standards). I finished just in time but I think my accuracy suffered. But at least this way you can tell your students that you know of a guy who passed with a scaled score of 122.8.

I made a rules list of the MBE questions I got wrong. My mother had suggested I do that even before I saw your sight (always listen to momma). I had made a rules list for the MPRE and it worked. But man the MBE is a different kettle of fish. I think the MBE still has the hoodoo over me. When I was doind the mock MBE, I was getting like 108 and 112. I was depressed. I told myself that if I could get a raw of say 125 then I would give myself a chance. At the end of the day, I did'nt even get 125 raw. 122.8 is less than 66.5%, thus MASTER must have been what did it. Thanks for MASTER man.

Enough of me.

keep spreading the word. I am sure you have made many people very happy.

I am reading your email, digesting every details, and my eyes are swelling up with tears. I have never had such a comprehensive analysis of my results. Even when I took the first bar review course and paid for a one on one tutor, everything pales compared to you. I am so grateful for your input, analysis and advise, words cannot express how overjoyed and confident I feel about studying and preparing for the July, 2010 exam. Thank you so much for the links and pointers.

Thanks for devising such an efficient study tool. The letter from the NY Bar notifying me of my passing score is of little surprise. My sentiment after leaving the NY Bar was the antithesis of the one I experienced in Tampa after sitting for the Florida Bar. Although no one is ever “knows” how they performed immediately after sitting for the exam, I had much greater confidence in the essays I wrote. Specifically, I caught issues that BarBri fails to address in their outlines, but which are identified in Master. The greatest attribute of Master is its ability to siphon out the important material. When I prepared for Florida’s Bar Exam, I spent countless time using BarBri’s approach, but felt fortunate to have received certain essay topics. By contrast, I left the NY exam knowing I addressed topics, i.e. negligent supervision of children, some evidence topics, etc., that others missed.

Thanks again for your help in making this process as painless as possible. Out of curiousity, how many Master Outlines do you typically sell? Students are foolish to not spend the $300 to ensure a high essay score.

As an aside, I purchased BarBri’s big book and MPT book, but rarely, if ever, used either to prepare. My studies, without the helping hand of a typical bar review course, entailed using Master and your BarBri outlines.

I passed. Your materials made a huge difference in the way I studied and it worked. Working a full time job while preparing for the Bar was so difficult because time was "of the essence". I do not think it would have happened without your tools. Thank you so much.

Your website should become a necessary vehicle for anyone studying for the NY bar exam. I was able to pass on the first try with just your website and a few outlines I purchased from EBAY. I just want to say thanks for making this tremendous effort to help.

Thanks! I know at this time you might be submerged underneath a flood of emails. But man! please view this one! mine! as being special!!! I realise that I am not making proper sentences! forgive me! I would not have passed had it not been for your help. I am not from America and I found the NY Bar to be quite baffling!

I took it three times. now the first time i was way off. the second time, someone turned me on to your site like a few days, maybe 5 days or so before the exam. I came within 4%. I would not have done that well had it not been for your site! Additionally, when I sent you mails, you responded and I was able to see through your logic.

Man I re-did Master and closer to the exam I broke it down to point form about 2 weeks before the exam and kicked myself for not doing so sooner. So it was only 18 pages! i read that many times. I did what you said for the MBE too. but guess what? my MBE was pooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! only got like 122.8 for my scaled score. flip knows how that passed! but alas I don't care! MASTER was what did it! All of the topics on this year's bar was on Master. Trust me! I'm a lawyer!

In the essays I felt myself being very very controlled and measured. I had practiced many essays as well. Not sure how many now though. Maybe 70 or so. I did many MBE's over 1,000. never got anywhere close to your accuracy. I was worried man! MCQs for me, are an American phenomena that I have yet to grasp as it relates to the law. I needed to be special on day 1. All I can say is thank's Joe! thanks mr. seperac. thank you a whole lot! I dont know what my overall score is because the letter doesnt seem to say! how do I find that out? If you have the time u can let me know!

Just found out that I passed the July 2009 bar exam. I just wanted to thank you because without my use of Master 2009 I don't think I would have been able to apply my knowledge to the essays nearly as well. Your MBE advice also allowed me to better allocate my studying. Keep up the good work!

I was a subscriber to MASTER 2009 and found out I passed the exam today. I just wanted to thank you for your part in my success. I took no commercial class and self studied and used your MASTER as almost my entire essay studying. So thanks again it feels great to pass on the first try without spending all the money on the barbri courses etc!

No proper words can express my thanksfulness for all your time and advices. Your analysis show me whole picture of my weakness. I am going to address them and focus on MBE and those weak subjects.

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH. I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't even believe it. I was surprised to get the notice in the mail just now and I opened it up, very scared to even look at it and when I read the first line, I just shouted, "Thank you, God!!!" and kept shouting it and crying.

If you need me to recommend you in anyway, obviously, I am your greatest fan. I just have to take the MPRE again, since my Illinois one expired---so I'll definitely look to you for info on that.

THANK YOU!

Many, many hugs!!!

I have been telling all my friends that are taking the upcoming exam that they should definitely check your website out as it is hands down the best resource out there.

A colleague of mine recommended this document as he credits it to his passing success!

Hi Joe,

Thank you very much for helping me to pass the NY bar! I'm so grateful that you shared your study program and expert advice.

Hi Joe,

Seeing as it's official, i.e. just got the letter in the mail, I just wanted to write a short thank you for all the help in passing the NY bar. I failed last summer with a disappointing 598 and I really thought there was no way I could ever pull it off this year! I knew I did well on the essay part, but felt horrible about the MBE. I now know that I only got a 120.2 on the MBE, so I must have really aced the essays!

Anyhow, I cannot thank you enough for all the hard work and dedication you put in to helping all of us. I truly believe your master document, website, forum, and advice are the reason for my success! I wish you all the best and keep up the great work!

Your outlines saved me a ton of time (I relied almost exclusively on them), and your advice was spot on. I scored a 157.5 (scaled) on the MBE.

I just wanted to thank you for your site.

Joe,

Thanks a million for your site, encouragement and even some personal help with study details (such as below). I passed the bar with a 139.2 scaled MBE and I'm thrilled to have the exam behind me forever! I also passed the Patent Bar last winter so when I'm admitted I can call myself Patent Attorney.

Your site made it very easy to prioritize essay study time, and clear up enough time to sufficiently focus on MBE questions. I used friends' PMBR and BarBri books, but didn't take any review classes - when others ask me what I used to study I'll mention those books, and then give an enthusiastic endorsement of Seperac.com.

Thanks Again,

THANK YOU AGAIN MR. SEPERAC---
I owe much of my success on the July bar exam to you and your wonderful website. Truly excellent!

Hey, I wanted to thank you, I think your materials were really very accurate. Im not sure i could have come close to performing like i did on it. But Ill have to wait for the results before i know if they helped me enough, though i think they were.

Joe, Thank you so much for the gratis subscription to Master 2008 materials. I PASSED THE JULY EXAM!!!! I had previously failed the exam after spending tons of money on Pieper and wasting hours and hours studying subjects based on how well I thought i understood them, often dedicating myself to subjects that were not tested at all on the exam. this time i was focused on the subjects I needed to know and I am so happy I passed this time. So grateful to you. Thanks again. I made flashcards of the highly tested subjects and used these in combination with the BarWrite essay book by Mary Campbell Gallagher and the MBE Strategies and Tactics book by Kimme Walton. I had extremely limited time - about 20 hours a week for 5 weeks - and no money. As a single mom with a young baby and only my mom to babysit a few days a week I really had to be strategic about how to study. You brought me right to the rules that I needed to memorize. What a fabulous resource. I will be sure to tell others about it. thank you thank you thank you!!

Dear Joe,

I am writing to thank you for your guidance and help during the July 2008 NY bar exams. My husband Paolo purchased Master 2008 for me as a present to help me prepare for the exams, and I pored over your website several times during my review--reading your advice, taking note of your tips, and comparing my PMBR scores to yours!

While I have yet to receive my MBE score, I am certain that I scored fairly well on that portion of the exam, primarily because of the numerous practice questions I had answered based on your advice.

Best of luck to you, and I am grateful that you spent the time to create and maintain seperac.com.

Joe,

I passed the bar exam on my fifth try after following the advice on your site to the letter. I started my preparation on June 1st because my grandmother passed away in May and I was very upset. My main issue on all prior administrations was the MBE, however, I still followed your advice re: the essays and was finally successful. I did 2,061 MBE practice questions. I used Adaptibar and Micromash (I preferred and highly recommend Adaptibar because they provide released questions). I also made MBE Tips flashcards. I would get to work and do 10-15 MBE questions in the morning, 25 at lunch and 17-34 in the evening (averaged about 40 a day). When I got a question wrong I would write down the rule of law on a flashcard and I would review those flashcards everyday on my way to work. On July 13th I did the 1991 MBE and got 151 correct, I felt pretty confident then because thanks to your advice I was right on track.

Even though I had contacted you about purchasing the Master Update, I remembered the advice one of my law school professors had given me, "that the best outline is the one you create yourself," so I went about updating the Master. This I believe was key to my success this time. I predicted pretty accurately what would appear on the exam and in the afternoon during the lunch break I was certain of what the next two essays were. The one way in which I did deviate from your advice was that I answered the MPT first in the afternoon. The first time I took the bar I did the MPT first and got a 62.33, on tries 2-4 I kept getting low scores in the 3 range while my essays were in the 4-5 range. Because I was certain of the essays, I devoted more time to the MPT in the afternoon and for the two essays I did the intro paragraphs and just did very simple analysis of the issues. For the essays I used Mary Campbell Gallagher's Bar Write Method. It really helps you focus on the issues and to get the essays done.

I should also tell you that I have taken practically every bar review course available. The first time, I took BarBri. I feel they do not focus enough on the importance of the MBE. I also took the 3 day PMBR course. I believe the presentation just put me in a panic because I only got a 90 on their simulated exam. The second time, I took the Marino Intensive Re-taker review. That was a complete waste of time and money. He did not provide any concrete advice as to how to approach the exam. I did most of the PMBR books the second time but I felt the questions did not look like the actual MBE questions I had experienced on the exam. The third time, I took Pieper and my score increased dramatically. His approach worked for me and I finally understood Contracts and Criminal Law and Procedure (which had been my worst MBE topics). I also took a course called Bar Write and used Adaptibar. The fourth time, I re-took Pieper and used Adaptibar again but my score remained the same. This time I just used my Pieper notes in conjunction with Adaptibar, Micromash, the Bar Write method and did not attend class. Instead I spent those three to four hours I would have spent in class preparing according to your advice. I should also mention that I was working full time this summer and would go to the library after work. I only took off July 21-30th for the test and one night I even went to a concert.

I apologize for the long, overly detailed message. My purpose in giving you this information is that it can be of help to you in continuing to help others. It is also an expression of my gratitude. When I found out that I passed yesterday, I immediately thought that it was due to my following your method. I have also not forgotten your request that anyone who benefits from your advice should donate blood. I made a promise to myself that I would donate blood the entire year when I passed the bar. Once again thank you so much for the advice. Your advice was invaluable. If you have any questions or would like me to provide you any of the documents or books I used in preparing to put them on your site just contact me at this email. Once again thanks!

Hi Joe,

I was one of the members of your July 2008 study group- one of the 300 who purchased the revised master.
I want to thank you so much- after 14 years of being out of school and having never taken the exam, I passed it on my first try. I do believe that your master and your support, along with the site and the support of others, really made a difference.

Dear Joe

I just received my exam results and I passed on first try. Thank-you so much for your help and for the work you’ve put together to help students like myself.

While the exam this year seemed to deviate a bit in terms of format (though I felt it was mainly cosmetic), having that copy of Master 2008 with me at all times really helped for nailing those essays. To be honest, up until the Bar/Bri simulated MBE, I was taking things a bit too easy (failed it) and then did I take the time to read your study regime. I know study habits are supposed to be personal, but I followed your method (bought PMBR books, MBE Annotated etc… did them all, used your spreadsheet etc…) and it delivered! I’ve already recommended your site to this year’s students and I’m sure many of them will find your resources useful.

Thanks again!

Joe just wanted to tell you I passed. My story was I was already licensed in another jurisdiction, but only 4 years so no waive in. I took barbri the first time and failed the exam (its really all about mbe), and used your materials the second time and passed. Thanks Joe, your system is awesome.

i used your outlines, tips and "master" to study for the bar exam and found it extremely helpful...wanted to let you know! thank you for your website.

I just wanted to give you a big thankful hug because without your website, I wouldn't have passed the bar exam. I didn't take barbri and i'm an international graduate, (which means the pass rate hardly exceeds 31%)
Your website also hugely helped me work strategically and not to panic.

Given that I found your web-site to be not just useful but phenomenal, you have my word that I will donate my blood as you requested.

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful work.

Hey Joe,
I just stumbled upon your website in the midst of my preperation for the bar exam. This is by far the best thing I could have found to put me on track to pass this exam

Hi Joe: I must commend you and the wonderful website you have put out there, its simply great.

I really love the site and have found it to be very helpful.

I just want to thank you, whomever you are, for your FANTASTIC notes which I've been working off of for the last month and a half (just updating where need be). They are perfect and your site is unbelievable. Thank you!!!

Thanks for all the information and the tips for the exams, very useful.

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I used your materials for the NY Bar Exam 2008 (February) and I think they are a huge help !!!

First, please allow me to commend you for your excellent website (seperac.com), and invaluable NY Bar study insight and advice. "Outstanding!" Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart. This upcoming July will be my 3rd attempt to pass the NYS Bar exam, and I'm determined to do so. With your advice and guidance at seperac.com, I believe I can finally accomplish my goal. "God Bless you!"

I want to thank you for the comprehensive materials you have created. I only wish I discovered it the first time I took the NY bar exam-July 2007. My score was 514, it was my multiple choice that I failed most of. I come from england and I have never taken multiple choice before, every answer was similar, but I identified all issues in the essay. I soon realised that even Barbri did not identify or provide breakdown tips like you have done and I just want to thank you. furthermore, I promise to give blood as your modest request for an excellent study guide.

I stumbled on your website the other day and must say that it contains immensely helpful information for which I would like to express my gratitude. As a foreign student sitting the bar exams in July 2008 (I am in the UK) and opting to study at home, you have provided me with a fair amount of insight into the intricacies of the exam.

Found your website trawing through the net. Let me just say that its probably the best resource in terms of exam technique and strategy into passing what most people reckon is the hardest exam you can do. Fair play to you !!!!!

I happened upon your site whilst wishing to scare myself about NY pass rates for foreign students, you site is a gem of a find.

I have just read the contents of your website and must applaud you on same. It is extremely useful and I only wish I have found it prior to sitting the exam a few weeks ago.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful and informative site on New York Bar Exam. I took the exam for the second time (first time I was 28 weeks prego, and did not care or understood much about the exam) and as I am a foreign law graduate, it was more difficult for me. This time I really wanted to do my best. Luckly I came across your web site and I just followed it as you said.

I passed the NY BAR EXAM. Thank you so much for creating is master piece and I will do my best to promote your web site.

Thank you once again. God bless you guys. You are doing a great job. Bravo, love you all.

I want to thanks you because I found your website very helpful, I took the NY Bar five time and I passed in the fifth attempt because I spend almost two month just concentrating on the information in your website.
I really appreciate your help

If you have any additional questions or comments, please email me at joe@seperac.com.

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