“I had been unsuccessful on the bar on two prior occasions, both of which, I received ‘second reads.’ Though I thought I knew the law well enough to pass the exam, Steve taught me how to better write my exam so that the bar grader could better find my issues and analysis. He provided with strategies such as using my best analysis at the beginning of the essay and writing about "minor issues" towards the end. Additionally, Steve taught how to write an exam, so that even if I did not know that law sufficiently to pass, I could make the essay ‘look pretty,’ so that the bar graders may not find misstatements or incomplete rule statements. Steve also taught my to elementise each rule of law and then lead with each element. Steve provides MBE drill downs, where I was to look at all of my wrong answers and then determine why I got them wrong. Steve then trended my repeat mistakes so that I could better review those areas of law that I was repeatedly missing. By doing this, I was also able to recognize patterns in MBE questions so that I could better recognize the correct answer. This was extremely helpful. Although the price may appear expensive, I went from a two time bar failer to a one time bar passer.”—Steven C. (Western State College of Law)
“When I hired Steve, I had failed the bar exam
by about ten points. I was frustrated and needed guidance on what I had done
right in preparing and taking the exam, and what else I could do to ensure I
got through the finish line the next time. Steve’s program gave me a process
and a plan for test day that helped me fight test anxiety and prepared me for
whatever questions the exam had to offer. Steve’s feedback on and advice for
essays and MBE’s is practical and it works. He is tough and his no-nonsense
approach is exactly what I needed during such a long and grueling process where
it is easy to get discouraged. I highly recommend Steve and his program.”--L.B.
(UC Irvine Law School)
“I failed the CA Bar Exam several times prior to working with
Steve. I needed a lot of help with timing and simplifying my writing style. I
had tried most of the commercial bar prep courses and apps which were
essentially all the same. I was stuck in a depressing cycle of study for
several months, wait for results, grieve, seclude myself from society, repeat.
I stumbled across a review of Steve’s tutoring services on Yelp and was
immediately skeptical due to the vast number of excellent, upbeat reviews. Was
this the Holy Grail of CA Bar prep I had just stumbled upon or an ingenious scam
preying on the hopeless? How could so many students be so complimentary of a CA
Bar Exam tutor? Within the first few sessions of working with Steve I learned
why. Steve’s methods are not taught by any commercial prep program but they
make more sense and more importantly they actually work. His outlines are
actually useful and not some 2,000 page telephone book that is as useful as,
well.. a telephone book. Steve gave me a whole new perspective about the CA Bar
Exam which helped my writing and reduced my anxiety. Every task and instruction
Steve gives you during your work together is packed full of meaning and
mini-lessons. If you know very little about the law, you can probably still
pass the essay portion of the exam by utilizing Steve’s techniques. As such,
Steve will challenge your critical analysis and give you invaluable insight
into how to approach answering essays, mbe questions, and the performance test.
In conclusion, if you have committed to taking the bar exam one last time I
suggest calling Steve and he will do everything he can to help you achieve your
goal.”-- Robert W. (Thomas Jefferson School of Law)
“I wrote the California Bar exam in July 2018
and Steve was a tremendous help throughout the entire Bar process. I’m an
attorney from Canada and was starting from scratch in terms of everything I
knew about the CA bar. Steve is tough but fair and his process is challenging
but so is the Bar. Steve’s tutoring prepared me both mentally and physically
for this exam. (1) Essays: Although I have always prided
myself on being a good essay writer, I realized only after working with Steve
that I didn’t know how to write an essay that the bar graders can easily read
through and extract relevant issues from. His step by step essay process makes
you understand not what to write, but how to write to get you the most
points. (2) MBE’s: His 3 question process for the MBE was ingrained in my
brain by the time I was writing the actual exam. It helps you understand how to
quickly eliminate the wrong answers and use your best guess or judgment to
choose the right one. His practice questions and rigorous drilldowns I am
certain are what helped me pass the MBE portion. (3) PT’s: Steve’s process
for the PT’s helped me to realize how important paying attention to instructions
is, and that misreading one sentence can mean the difference between passing
and failing. Organization, structure and attention to detail are especially
important skills he taught me through his practice PT’s. (4) Price:
Although I did find that the fees were more expensive than I had expected, what
I appreciated is that Steve offers different bundles based on your budget and
the amount of tutoring you think you need. Personally speaking, it was
absolutely worth it.”—Umber H. (City
Law School: City University London)
“I failed on my first
attempt of the CA Bar Exam with one of the big bar review programs and decided
to look for tutors - I found Steve and I couldn't be happier. He tailored the
program for my strengths and weaknesses and gave me support when I needed it,
but he didn't sugarcoat my performance - he kept me on track and gave me the
structure I needed to study and pass the exam. Above all, he kept me
accountable, which I sorely needed. After just one of his MBE exercises, I
started looking at the test in a completely new light. The essays I wrote on my
first attempt were jumbled messes compared to the essays I wrote under Steve's
instruction. His outlines are fantastic and easily accessible and the exercises
he uses for MBE review are stellar. Studying with Steve will change the way you
look at the bar exam and will give you what you need to pass. It did for me!”--
Charlie F. (University of North Carolina School of Law)
“After three failed attempts at taking the CA
bar exam, I sought the help of a tutor, and ultimately decided on Steve Zikman.
He elevated my approach, particularly in the written portion of the exam, and
provided me with an excellent method and structure for tackling any essay
question. He also provided me with outlines that were particularly helpful with
preparing for the written portion of the exam. His program also allowed me to
do a higher volume of MBE questions than I had ever done before, and, perhaps
most importantly, he provided excellent analysis and feedback to my MBE practice
results, so that I knew which substantive areas required additional focus and
improvement. I was over 150 points short of passing on the exam prior to
working with Steve. After my first time working with Steve, I improved 90
points (Feb '18), leaving me just 65 points short of passing. I worked with
Steve again for a second time, preparing for the July '18 exam, and he provided
an approach and game plan that was tailored to my previous results and getting
me over that final hump. I'm happy to say that, with Steve's help, I
passed the July '18 exam. Working with Steve was the big difference between my
previous unsuccessful attempts, and my final two attempts, which culminated
with me finally passing the exam.”-- Mike L. (Suffolk Law School, Boston, MA)
“Steve’s guidance and support was absolutely
crucial to my success in passing the 2018 California Bar exam—one of the 12%
that passed as an out-of-state repeat taker! I spent weeks searching for
the most qualified person to work with—this turned out to be Steve. His
program is tremendous, including outlines, practice questions, detailed
conversations and constructive criticism. Where else do you get a
line-by-line review of your tests, and an HONEST assessment of where you are
and what you need to do? I felt confident going into the exam knowing
that I had repeatedly practiced essay questions, PTs, and MBEs under realistic
time pressure, and had been coached on my personal areas for success. I
cannot anyone recommend more, thank you Steve!!!!”—R. P. (Michigan State
University College of Law)
“I cannot express how tremendously thankful I am for
Steve's help in passing the 2018 bar exam where only 16% of repeat takers
passed. I was unsuccessful several times in the past while using one of
the major bar prep programs and I needed something different. If you're
struggling in writing or MBEs, Steve’s strategy will help you in either
area. Prior to using Steve, my previous essay scores were in the 55's and
60's but Steve's approach obviously helped me see the mistakes I was making in
my structure and analysis. In addition, I saw my MBE score increase
30 points using his strategy. His packages aren't cheap but they are worth
every dime. I strongly recommend Steve for anyone who is willing to bust
their ass and take tough criticism in order to conquer the bar exam.”-- Clifford H Young (Thomas Jefferson School of Law)
“I passed the
California Bar thanks to Steve where only 16% of repeat takers passed. Steve's
method is targeted, specific, and extremely helpful. For essays, Steve
initially identifies your writing style, strengths and weaknesses and even your
personality and how it comes across in your writing. He is able to expand on
your writing abilities by targeting the specific level of detail the examiners
are looking for. He explains where to impress them and where to get to the
point to ensure you have a thorough essay in the time provided. For MBE's,
Steve's Drilldowns help you focus on what you got wrong, why you got it wrong,
how many of that category you got wrong and it allows you to truly see the
patterns and fix the problem in bulk which will increase your score. I took the
bar 3 times and passed on the third. I took Barbri classes for my first time
and a private tutor for the second, but nothing compared to the specific
targeting, repetition and dedication you will find in Steve's course. I highly
recommend Steve Zikman to anyone taking the bar for the first time or on
repeat. Thank you Steve!”—Corey H. (Loyola Law
School)
“Steve helped me
immediately identify/confirm where my strengths were and where my weaknesses
lied. His program is tough, but in a way I needed to ensure I remained on the
right path. We continually worked on where I needed the most help without
neglecting my strengths. We’d also tweak and hone in on new areas that came up
during my practice. Going into the exam, I was calm and new I could rely on my
training to take me whatever was thrown my way.”--Kasee K. (Golden Gate
University, School of Law)
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