Seperac.com

The Seperac UBE Course is intended for examinees who were unsuccessful with traditional bar review courses and/or tutors. The UBE Course essentially merges my comprehensive subscription with my tutoring program. Any examinee who enrolls in the UBE Course will have access to the Early UBE Course site. This Early site acts as a waiting room for the Seperac UBE Course which contains (1) an Early Study Time Allocation section that tells examinees exactly how to allocate their early study time; (2) an Early Study Materials section that provides examinees on-point and up-to-date materials to enable efficient early study; and (3) an Early Study Advice section that gives examinees advice to how to avoid the most common mistakes made by failing examinees.

This new UBE Course is a major shift from what I previously made available to non-tutees. From 2008-2016, I offered a single online subscription consisting of advice and materials for the New York bar exam. A good percentage of subscriber comments here (https://seperac.com/comments.php) are based on this 2008-2016 subscription. This subscription did not involve any tutoring which I did separately. With the introduction of the UBE exam to New York in July 2016, I split the online subscription into separate modules for the MBE, MEE and MPT. While I have always tolerated some examinees sharing my materials, the scale of the sharing/stealing of my materials/priorities over the next two years by examinees (and others) was unprecedented – one newer bar review even directly copied my MEE Issue Spotting outline but made small changes to avoid infringement. Since I put a great deal of effort into trying to understand/represent the exam, having my materials exploited in such a way seriously undermines my work and the materials’ effectiveness.

In contrast, I have tutored for the past 10 years and have never had a single problem with any tutee sharing my tutoring materials. This is because there is an initial vetting process where I confirm each tutee’s identity after which they sign a comprehensive NDA before anything is provided to them. I also release the most important information in a format which is harder to copy (MP3) and it contains content unique to each tutee for tracking purposes (which is one reason why I limit UBE Course enrollment to 15 examinees per exam). Thus, I am now putting the majority of my time and energy (and accompanying materials/priorities/advice) into the success of the tutees enrolled in the UBE Course and making my materials available exclusively to them.

Accordingly, starting with the Feb 2019 exam, my comprehensive subscription merged with my tutoring program. This new UBE Course consists of the same online materials which were available through the comprehensive subscription along with other more specific materials I previously provided only to tutees. The UBE Course includes personal tutoring with me to ensure examinees are utilizing the materials properly and studying/progressing efficiently. The UBE Course is intended for examinees who have been unable to succeed with conventional bar reviews and/or tutoring. I also work with examinees who have a high statistical likelihood of failing on their first attempt (e.g. part-time studiers and foreign examinees). If you compare me to other bar reviews, I am somewhat unconventional. For example, I promote taking calculated risks and studying based on priorities I establish for each of the 367 testable MBE and MEE categories. I find that at-risk candidates usually can’t absorb/process all the information a conventional bar review gives them, so I focus on cutting out whatever I regard as superfluous for the upcoming exam (e.g. see https://www.seperac.com/analysis_ube.php) while giving these examinees the information I expect to be tested, usually with good results.

As such, the UBE Course is not a typical bar review where the instruction is foundational and from the perspective that this is your first time encountering the information. My approach is more specific and focuses on the topics I expect to appear on the upcoming exam, so you are essentially taking calculated risks and will lack some of the foundational instruction you would receive from a standard bar review. Accordingly, even with the UBE Course materials and tutoring, I cannot guarantee you will pass, but I can guarantee that you will never see a better representation of what to expect on the upcoming exam.

Thus, the Seperac UBE Course is specifically intended for examinees who have a high statistical likelihood of failing (repeaters, part-time studiers and foreign examinees). Examinees who fail usually don't approach the exam the correct way (in both study and practice). To compound things, it becomes harder and harder to pass the bar exam with each attempt. Statistically, the performance of exam “repeaters” is considerably lower than the performance of first-time exam takers. For example, in 2007, New York released a paper entitled "Impact of the Increase in the Passing Score on the New York Bar Examination July 2005 Bar Administration" (see http://www.nybarexam.org/press/ncberep.pdf, pages 83, 90-91). According to the study, the projected pass rate for Domestic-Educated First-Time Takers was 83%; the projected pass rate for Domestic-Educated Second-Time Takers was 30%; and the projected pass rate for Domestic-Educated Third-Time Takers was 23.2%. Meanwhile, the projected pass rate for Foreign-Educated First-Time Takers was 43.9% while the projected pass rate for Foreign-Educated Repeaters was 13.5% (id. at pages 95, 98). As you can see, pass rates plummet for re-takers, even for the ones most likely to pass, namely Domestic-Educated takers. I believe this is because failing examinees continue to repeat the same mistakes. For some students, passing the bar is easy, while others have a real problem with the bar. Those students aren’t necessarily inept or lazy, but they don’t standardize test well and they study inefficiently (e.g. pointlessly trying to memorize all the information rather than prioritizing it). Inefficient study affects all examinees, but it most seriously impacts at-risk examinees. I regard an at-risk examinee as one who is statistically more likely to fail the exam than pass it. At risk-examinees include all repeat takers and most part-time studiers. I made a UBE Score Estimator (which is primarily based on NYBOLE/NCBE studies) so examinees can predict an estimate of their total UBE score based on the entered demographic/grade data. The further away you are from passing, the fewer inefficiencies you can have in your studies. For example, a Domestic-educated Caucasian First-Time examinee with a high LSAT/LGPA can study rather inefficiently (e.g. not study full-time, put a lower percentage of their time into MBE study, or answer MBE practice questions from only one source, or answer only a few hundred MBE questions in practice) and still pass the exam. In contrast, if you are on the other end of the spectrum (Foreign-educated Non-Caucasian Repeat-Taker), you can’t afford any inefficiencies in your studies.

The UBE Course is limited to 15 tutees. The cost for the Seperac J19 UBE Course is U.S. $5,000.00. Anything you paid for prior subscriptions will be credited towards the UBE Course tuition fee. For example, if you paid $800 for past subscriptions, the UBE Course will cost $4,200. Please note that this is a one-time discount and I reserve the right to terminate this discount at any time prior to enrollment. The Seperac July 2019 UBE Course will commence on May 13, 2019. Starting April 1, 2019, any examinee who enrolls in the UBE Course will have access to the Early UBE Course site. This Early site acts as a waiting room for the Seperac UBE Course which contains (1) an Early Study Time Allocation section that tells examinees exactly how to allocate their early study time; (2) an Early Study Materials section that provides examinees with MBE, MEE and MPT materials for their early study; and (3) an Early Study Advice section that offers advice to how to avoid the most common mistakes I find that failing examinees make.

Again, please keep in mind that this is not a conventional bar review course nor does it provide the same level of structure that a standard bar review provides. Accordingly, if you are a first time examinee, unless you are at-risk of failing for some reason (e.g. foreign examinee, domestic T-3/T-4 with low GPA, or part-time studier), you should take a conventional bar review instead. Most first time examinees study full-time for about 60 days using Themis, Barbri or Kaplan. They generally follow the course structure but also go off course if they think they need to. In New York over the past 20 years, the July ABA First-Timers Pass Rate is 86% while the February ABA First-Timers Pass Rate is 74%. Therefore, most first time examinees who follow this conventional route of study will pass the exam on their first attempt. In contrast to standard bar reviews, I promote taking calculated risks and studying based on priorities I establish for each of the 367 testable MBE and MEE categories. I find that examinees that fail usually can’t absorb/process all the information a conventional bar review gives them, so I focus on cutting out whatever I regard as superfluous for the upcoming exam while giving these examinees the information I expect to be tested (usually with good results). Thus, rather than trying to decipher what is important to know for the upcoming exam based on the mountain of materials you have, I tell you exactly what is important to know for the MBE, MEE and MPT. This approach has brought success to a large number of examinees, as detailed here. I have enough confidence in what I do that I have been tracking the accuracy of my priorities for the past ten years (the last 22 exams from 2008 to present). This Post-Exam Analysis page also explains how my MEE prioritization approach works.

Almost all of the UBE Course materials are prioritized. Unlike other bar reviews, I don’t give you everything – I only give you what I regard as important for the upcoming exam. I also highlight sections for you to identify what I regard as critical. For example, for the MEE, I use statistical analysis to prioritize the testable MEE categories and designate about 1/3 as HIGH priority, 1/3 as MEDIUM priority, and 1/3 as LOW priority. Thus, while most examinees will study all the testable MEE areas, UBE Course tutees focus on the HIGH priority MEE categories (which usually represent only 30% of the testable categories) and these categories have typically represented over 50% of an examinee's overall MEE score. More importantly, UBE Course tutees generally put very little time into the LOW priority categories (which represent over 40% of the MEE categories), and in doing so, it only affects about 16% of their overall MEE score. This gives examinees the time to focus more time on the MBE by having the power to take calculated risks on the MEE and ignore almost 50% of the MEE categories (while greatly minimizing the danger of employing such a strategy).

Put simply, I have spent the last fifteen years trying to figure out the bar exam. In that time, I've collected thousands of law books and outlines, followed-up with with thousands of examinees, and analyzed thousands of scores & essays. As Harry Houdini once said: "The real secret to my success is simple: I work from seven in the morning to midnight and I like it." I pride myself on understanding the UBE and MBE better than anyone else and this is reflected in my materials and advice. Over the years, I have personally worked with thousands of examinees, examined thousands of score reports, and reviewed thousands of graded essays and MPTs. I explain here how I've acquired over 2,000 law looks and over 50,000 outlines to create a bar exam database. To me, the bar exam is a puzzle that can be solved if someone is willing to take the time to find all the scattered pieces and put them together. For example, by collecting a large number of examinee scores and then determining the essay/MBE scales allows me to give exam strategy advice. Comments and testimonials from subscribers who passed with my materials are here.

While most bar review courses have a standardized approach to the bar exam, my approach is data driven. Therefore, while Barbri/Themis/Kaplan simply tell you to study everything, I put a significant amount of effort into assessing what may or may not appear on the upcoming exam. Basically, when you hire a tutor, you pay for his time with you. With me, you somewhat pay for my time but even more so, you pay for my research. With each exam, I put a significant amount of my time into researching past exams to tell you very accurately what to expect on it. A standard tutor can help you to understand things you don’t understand, but what’s the point if those concepts are no longer tested or statistically not expected to appear on the upcoming exam. When this occurs, you are studying inefficiently. Examinees who follow my methodologies put a disproportionate amount of their study-time into the MBE by following my materials/study-time allocations and take calculated risks on the MEE and MPT using my materials/priorities/predictions and advice. This is what I find that works for at-risk examinees. Otherwise, they try to be good at everything and their scores will see-saw but they will fail again. Whether the Seperac UBE Course will be enough to help you pass, I don't know, but I strongly believe it will give you your best opportunity at passing. Put simply, if you previously had bar review or tutor regret, you will not regret taking this UBE Course.

If you know me, you know I go to great lengths to explain things. As such, I also have a very comprehensive explanation of exactly what this new Seperac UBE Course consists of, but I am being somewhat cryptic about it (especially in regards to the tutoring aspect) until you sign an NDA since it involves proprietary methods and materials. For example, I provide UBE Course tutees with a weekly 24 page MBE practice analysis report which contains a wealth of useful information. Accordingly, if you are interested in learning more (and viewing samples of UBE Course materials), the next step would be to email me your unredacted past score reports and/or exam application receipts so I can verify your examinee status and prepare a preliminary NDA. If you don’t have any past exam score sheets or your current UBE application receipt,  please email me from your work email account (no anonymous email accounts) with your telephone number and Linkedin profile information. If you are unable to do any of the above, you are likely a first-time examinee who is much better off with a conventional bar review course.

I have been tutoring for ten years and I regard the UBE Course as an effective combination of tutoring and exam information (once again, I can better reassure you after the NDA). If you previously taken a bar review or tutored, I can promise you that you will find yourself much better prepared for the upcoming exam (especially the MBE) as compared with anything else you previously tried. With much fewer students, I hope to see each and every one pass. Please note that this UBE Course is not a typical bar review where the instruction is foundational and from the perspective that this is your first time encountering the information. My approach is more specific and focuses on the topics I expect to appear on the upcoming exam, so you are essentially taking calculated risks and will lack some of the foundational instruction you receive from a standard bar review. This is why I strongly urge first time candidates to take a regular bar review and supplement with my smaller subscription modules. Furthermore, while tutoring is a component of the UBE Course, it is more limited than what you would expect from a traditional bar exam tutor. As explained earlier, the UBE Course centers around the premise that examinees who do well on the MBE generally pass the exam. Accordingly, my effort is put into providing advice on how to approach the exam more effectively along with specific materials/information to achieve that goal. With the UBE Course, tutees focus heavily on the MBE (using my focused MBE rules to provide significant guidance) and take calculated risks with their MEE/MPT study based on the advice/materials in the UBE Course materials. Everything in the UBE Course comes from me personally or through my analysis which is based on examinee statistics, examinee essays, and post-exam follow-ups. Keep in mind that even if I can provide you with the best materials and advice, you are still the architect of your success.

The UBE Course started with the February 2019 exam. As of this writing (4/23/19), two tutees received results (one in Missouri and one in Alabama). Each tutee had failed the bar exam at least 3x prior to the F19 exam. Both passed the F19 exam. The tutee who passed the F19 MO exam told me: "Please find the screen shots below!!!!!!! 274- I literally cannot believe it. The biggest thank you goes to YOU!!! Years of bullshit and it’s all over. I cannot thank you enough for all of the guidance, questions, support, pep talks and everything. It’s OVER!!!! Thank you again!!!!!!" The tutee who passed the F19 AL exam told me: "OMG Joe...I’m sitting here w tears rolling down my face!! I PASSED THE AL BAR EXAM!!!! No more crying over failing...I PASSED Bc of YOU!!! Bc of EVERYTHING you pushed me to do!!! I’d never done this w/o you!!! You will NEVER EVER know what you & your bar prep mean to me!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! You have no idea how happy I am! I can’t believe how well I did! I literally went from a (119, 116, 126) to a 146 with you + your bar prep...that is HUGE!!! I’m attaching a breakdown/ stats of AL exam if you wanted to see it."

While I can't guarantee you will pass if you enroll in the UBE Course, but I strongly believe the UBE Course will give you the best possible opportunity you will ever have at passing (both now and in the future). Most tutors focus on your immediate success with little regard for your eventual success, but I invest heavily in both your immediate and your eventual success. I structure all my materials/advice in a way so that even if you do not pass, you are still in an excellent position to pass on a subsequent re-attempt. For example, while the focused information I give you to rely upon will not be as on-point with subsequent exams, it will still be more helpful than any other rules or materials you may use on your future attempt. Tutees who did not have the time to fully understand and digest this information on their failing attempt always end up finding it beneficial even years later. Furthermore, all the materials available through the UBE Course site are downloadable. For example, if you didn't have the opportunity to listen to the MP3s or look at a specific outline, you can still download everything after the exam and store it for future review. All the advice and strategies on the UBE Course site are likewise printable, allowing you to keep a record of all the advice I have developed based on the results of thousands of examinees over the years. Thus, while most tutors simply verbalize their advice (which ends up being at best disorganized or at worst forgotten), you will walk away from the UBE Course with a wealth of organized materials and advice that you can always refer back to if needed. Coupled with this, all the MBE practice we do in tutoring is returned to you in a very usable/reviewable format should you decide to re-attempt the questions in the future or if you wish to review the MBE rules I prepared based on your mistakes. In addition, instead of just verbally giving you feedback for your MEE and MPT practice sessions, this comprehensive analysis is contained in WORD comments to enable you to go back and re-read it, even years later. When sitting for the exam, I strongly feel it's important for tutees to know that as much as you invested into your tutor, that tutor is likewise invested in your bar exam success. I can honestly say that every single failing tutee (except for one) who kept in routine contact with me has eventually passed the exam.

If you find that the UBE Course is beyond your needs, I offer smaller modules of helpful materials, but they are more generic and do not contain any of the priorities or predictions that are included in the UBE Course. You can visit https://mberules.com/ or https://ubeessays.com/ to learn more about these modules. These modules can be regarded as gap-fillers. For example, as far as I know, no one has written short synopsisis of the 1,800+ released NCBE MBE questions (this is my MBE Rules outline). In this outline I organize the rules by category (175 MBE categories) and prioritize them (more recent rules listed first and more comprehensive and oldest rules listed last and less comprehensive). I also created MP3s of these 1800+ rules you can create multiple memory impressioins and study in places like the gym or car. I further divide the rules based on OPE rules (NCBE questions from 2006 or later) and non-OPE rules (from 1998 and earlier). The same can be said for the other modules. For example, one CA examinee who scored a 160.6 on the J18 MBE recently told me: “Your outline is excellent and serves as a great equalizer since the questions on Adaptibar are not fully reflective of the exam.” This MBE Outlines module ($250) consists of a 175 page black letter law MBE outline in PDF format which is keyed to the 2019 NCBE Subject Matter Outline. I regard this outline as an excellent representation (both proportionally and contentually) of the current MBE. Likewise, the UBE Essays subscription will give you a lot of insight into what is required on the MEE and MPT. The subscription includes the licensed MEEs, but I transform them into more efficient study tools such as condensed outlines, comparison banks and MP3s.

Please keep in mind the available component modules (i.e. UBE Essays and MBE Rules) do NOT contain any topic priorities. Any material I produce which prioritizes/predicts upcoming exam topics such as my UBE MASTER Outline or Top 50 MEE outline is only available through the UBE Course. This is because I now regard any uncontrolled publication of my MBE/MEE priorities as observably counter-productive. For example, since stopping the open subscriptions in F19, my MEE priorities appear to be back on track. I had maintained a full course open subscription for 20 administrations (2008-2018), so it bothers me to have to switch to a closed course, but this is truly an example of where a few bad apples spoiled it for the bunch.

If you are contemplating the UBE Course, aside from the fact that these modules will give you a good introduction to my materials and approach to the exam, the amount paid for the subscription modules will be credited if you later decide to sign up for the UBE course. For example, if you purchase the J19 Combined MBE Outline + UBE Essays Modules for $500 in late-April 2019 but fail the J19 exam, if you decide to enroll in the F20 UBE Course, it will be discounted by the $500 you paid. Please further note that to enroll in the UBE course, you must provide me with information to verify your examinee status and also sign a comprehensive Non-Disclosure Agreement. If you are unwilling to do this, you should not sign up or purchase any subscriptions with the expectation of a later credit.