u/IndependentLive5804

This is my experience. But, I feel very lucky to have found Studicata as a 56 year old who passed the Attorney's exam in CA even though Studicata is more applicable to MBE and the Multistate Essays.

I was 30+ years removed from law school, and practice. I passed the IL Bar Exam in 1994. Moved to CA 7 years ago and became inspired to pass the CA Bar Exam even though I only used limited law skills in my job the last 20+ years (I work as a sports agent).

I purchased BarMax and was frustrated by the audio-only format and the clunky legal outlines. Because I was so far removed from Law School, it was difficult to get "up to speed" on such basic/first year subjects as CIVPRO, TORTS, PROPERTY, etc.

I thought maybe there would be lectures on YouTube to get me up to speed and found Michael/Studicata. I started with CIVPRO and found the subject matter so much easier to understand than BarMax. He broke down the subject matter into simple chapters, was a dynamic speaker, and was repetitive without being boring. The outlines he included in his lectures were life saving and prevented me from repeating or slowing down the BarMax audio.

So, I purchased the Bar Package for $30 or so a month to supplement, but I ended up spending 60% or 70% of my primary studies using Studicata. Studicata did not have CA only courses, so I learned Community Property, Trusts and Wills, Professional Responsibility, CA CivPro and CA Evidence on BarMax. I also used ChatGPT for mini-essay generation and to create some outlines - incidentally, I realized I knew the subject matter when I had to correct ChatGPT - it made some mistakes - so be careful, but by knowing "more" than ChatGPT, it made me confident.

Anyway, I feel Studicata can be a front-line resource - especially for the Multi-State test taking states, and I feel it was a critical asset that helped me pass. That said, there are some drawbacks. One, it is not specific to CA law - you will need to supplement, but great for general common law subjects. Two, there are some subjects where there is mysteriously less content than others - again, if you study prior exams, you will know where you need to supplement.

The best thing I can say about it though is the instructor/instruction itself - Michael assumes, as was the case with me, that the listener knows NOTHING - as one of my instructors said way back in the day, when facing a complex problem, "begin at the beginning" - Michael did that, and he repeated key phrases and concepts - which drilled fundamentals without boring me.

I went to an ABA accredited law school in IL, but it was not at all a highly regarded law school, and while I did reasonably well, I was not a stand-out student - I hated speaking in class and went out of my way to avoid participating. I was 30+ removed from taking any courses. This product was a lifeline to me and I appreciated having this resource so much and credit it for passing on my first try.

So, I've been licensed in Illinois since 1994 - but, barely practiced - worked in the sports industry representing brands in sponsorship where a law degree was helpful, but not required. Moved to CA 7 years ago, went through a bad divorce, and just wanted to take my mind off things and see if I could pass and maybe open up some new job options for when I retire. 30+ years removed from law school / the law and I went to a 4th tier accredited school, so felt odds were not with me.

I passed. I paid for BarMax, but barely used it. Used Studicata to relearn the essentials and that dude (Michael?) was maybe the best instructor I ever had in any course ever. He was repetitive and basic without being boring. I found him on Youtube, than paid very little (monthly) for his videos. He was an incredible resource and his videos were uplifting. I can't thank him enough. I agree that they are not always 100% comprehensive, but I used old CA exams that had subject matter he did not cover, then used AI to supplement those issues he did not.

BarMax helped mostly on the CA-only subjects like Community Property, Professional Responsibility, Trusts and Wills - but, thought the audio only was too boring, and the outlines too messy - used the Studicata outlines and supplemented them with AI for subjects he did not cover, or those that I needed more detail.

I purchased 3,000 index cards and used them all - I made flashcards I did not even use, but writing down the subject matter helped. I did use certain flashcards almost exclusively at the 2-week mark for studying, but had AI make practice mini-essay exams and burned through every conceivable old CA test leading up to the exam. And that was so humbling because I missed so many practice questions - but, you don't miss them twice, so that is the best way to drill.

I did not go to a top 50, or even top 100 law school - was 30 years removed from law school or law practice, and did not kill myself studying - although I took it slow and over 4 months - I had a full time job, but the divorce made it feel like I had more free time than I knew what to do with. Found a girlfriend with about 4 weeks to go - which was bad timing, but by then was in a groove and was able to focus on the test - we are still together and I was less anxious than I was the first time I took the test, with my wife at the time when I almost cratered our marriage before it began.

I hope this is helpful - I think the tools are available to fit just about any study style, but don't be afraid to use what works best from among the tools and you don't need a "standardized" approach, as I did back in 1994 when studying for the IL bar (Bar-Bar-i). Good luck to everyone!!! This reddit was helpful to me and I promised I would write my experience whatever it was. I was surprised I passed, but if I had not, I would have done it again, and again, and again.