“I have no doubt
in my mind that I passed the California February 2015 bar exam because of Steve
and his system. I researched several
tutors/coaches after I failed in July 2014.
I realized that there was more to the exam than just knowing the
law. Steve’s process was a game
changer. He pulls the curtain back for
you on the bar exam and reveals how to play the “game” effectively and
successfully. It was tough at times,
because I had to learn this new perspective and way of writing. I listened to his past students and I trusted
the process – I followed every instruction he gave me. He showed me that it was ok to let go of my
inner perfectionist, because it did not serve me on the bar exam. Steve helped me to shoot for excellence
rather than perfection and I discovered that the exam anxiety and paralysis
subsided. It was a lot of hard work, but his system became second nature and my
approach to the essays and the performance exams became mechanical. I knew that I could write a passing answer to
whatever was thrown at me. He is not a
cheerleader, but that is not what you want at this stage of the game! What you get is a tailored approach to target
your weaknesses and maintain your strong points. On exam day you will have his voice in your
head and his process to pull you through and then, like me, you name will be on
the PASS LIST!!!” --Kristin M. (Suffolk University Law School)
“I took the CA bar in July 2014 after using Barbri as my
prep course. After completing dozens of practice essays, several PTs, and
hundreds of MBEs, I was incredibly disappointed to not see my name on the pass
list in November. By then, I was working full time and was not sure how
to tackle the next exam. My husband contacted Steve and, after Steve
reviewed my scores, I signed up with Steve and the February 2015 exam.
Steve hammered the importance of structure and consistency with my essays, and provided
excellent, specific feedback on improving my essays. He went through each
practice essay with me 1-3 times and each time we discussed what score I would
have gotten on the essay. This helped me to realize that an above passing
score was possible on each essay and to not be intimidated by any question or
issue. My PTs were my strength and Steve's approach with me was to focus
on earning as many additional points as I could out of each PT. Coming
out of the February exam, I definitely felt like my PTs would help me get on
the pass list. Steve is practical, to-the-point, and treats you like a
professional with feedback that is designed to promote improvement rather than
complacency. I highly recommend Steve to anyone who wants to put the CA
bar behind them!” –Mary C. Vegher (University of California, Hastings College
of the Law)
“I just found out that I passed the
February 2015 California Bar Exam thanks to Steve’s help. He really
took the time to find out what I needed from him as a tutor, and help me in the
areas that I needed it. When I took the bar the first time I failed because I
had no idea how to write a passing PT or Essay answer. Steve taught me a
process for both, which I practiced over and over with him. By the time I
took the exam, I felt that I was ready for anything the examiners threw at
me. His technique worked – I passed the exam the second time I took it
and I owe it to all of the help and support that Steve gave me. I would
definitely recommend Steve as a tutor to anybody taking the California Bar
Exam.” --Maureen A. (Atlanta's John Marshall Law School)
“Steve is an exceptional motivator and coach. I can truly say
that I put all my faith into his approach and this was a very difficult thing
for me to do. In the end, however, it all worked out because I passed the
CA Bar. His individualized approach allows him to assess his students’
weaknesses and strengths, giving them the capabilities and confidence to get
their name on the pass list. Steve is with his students during the entire
bar-study experience, and having him available for a pep talk during the actual
exam was a great relief. His patience and diligence helped me stay
focused on succeeding!! I would recommend The Strategic Bar Coach, Steve
Zikman, to anyone who sincerely wants to take a serious attempt at getting his
or her name on the CA Bar pass list!” --Trevor
S. Potts (Thomas Jefferson School of Law)
“Steve
specifically helped me by identifying my individual weaknesses, motivating me
to overcome them through practice, and by capitalizing on my strengths to
maximize my scoring potential. To address my number one issue of timing, Steve
reviewed my essays and taught me how to eliminate excess verbiage that did not
count for points. To address my number two issue of synthesizing the
performance test material efficiently, Steve taught me a universal road-map for
deconstructing the law in the library and gathering relevant facts from the
file. To capitalize on my strength with the MBE, Steve taught me how to
identify patterns in my incorrect answers. Steve also highlighted the subjects
and topics in which I scored lower percentages on the MBE, and this helped
raise my original MBE diagnostic score of 63.7% to an 86% on my final MBE
practice set.” --Gabriel C. (USC Gould School of Law)
“I
highly recommend Steve as a bar tutor whose methodology and caring persistence
were essential to my success passing the Feb. 2015 CA bar exam. As a practicing
attorney who had just moved from another state, I was determined not to take
the CA Bar twice. My previous experience with BarBri had been mixed. I
struggled to keep up with the self-study schedule and to format my essays in a
manner that would consistently score high points. Steve presented a solution to
both of my challenges. His strict, no-nonsense enforcement of a customized
schedule kept me on track even through the busy Christmas season when my
husband and I (newlyweds in Nov.) were faced with holiday responsibilities of
thanking and attending to our many wedding guests. Steve was a pro at honing my
ability to draft essays according to a strong IRAC formula and pushed me to do
so consistently with attention to both quality and time efficiency. I thank God
for Steve who coached me to never have to take the CA Bar again!” –A.C.
(Harvard Law School)
“I would not have passed the bar without Steve. As a foreign
lawyer I needed qualified information and guidance on approaching the prep in
the best way possible: how to prioritize, how to allocate my time, how to
reason and write. Steve’s straightforward approach was reassuring from
the start. On our first phone call he laid out how the coaching was going
to be structured and asked me a couple of key questions to understand my
motivations and background. Over the entire prep period he was very
professional and kept me focused. Steve made me work hard, there’s no denying
that. But I know that without his disciplined approach I would have had
neither the knowledge nor the confidence and poise to tackle the three days of
exams with success.” --Michael F. (Swiss Lawyer)
“Steve was 100% the difference between failing in July and
passing in February. After finishing the July exam with Barbri, I felt
thoroughly unprepared. I felt that I spent an inordinate amount of time sitting
through painfully slow videos and switching back and forth between multiple
outlines, which made it incredibly hard to know what or how much of a subject
to study. After one week with Steve, I fully understood why I felt that Barbri
had failed me. First, Steve gives you ONE outline which shows you exactly how
to attack a particular issue. The outlines themselves made a world of
difference, as I finally understood how to break down every possible topic if
it came up on an exam. Second, the process of actually going through the essays
and then getting feedback from Steve quickly shaped my writing and attack
process. I didn't really understand what it took to write a "great"
essay before Steve. He just made the process click and really showed me what it
took to kill the bar exam. Finally, the MBE drilldowns really helped me improve
on my MBE's. Being able to target problem areas made me realize what topics I
didn't really understand, which also helped me with the essays. In sum, I am
eternally grateful to Steve, and would recommend him to anyone who wants to take
the bar for the last time.” –Andrew Kantor (UC Irvine)
“I had taken the CA bar twice when I came to Steve. My
failures had left me feeling confused, ashamed, and dejected. But Steve
immediately put me on a course of study that enabled me to regain my confidence
and go into the bar exam feeling prepared and ready to pass -- which I did! I
implemented Steve's test taking techniques and believe this is the reason I
passed. While working with Steve, he read my essays and analyzed my weaknesses,
then worked with me to write passing essays. He gave very specific feedback and
this allowed me to correct the mistakes I was making. Having Steve tell me what
I was doing wrong and then give me a method to fix it was truly invaluable and allowed
me to pass the CA bar. Steve restored my confidence, because I truly did not
understand what I was doing wrong and through Steve's constant analysis and
correction, I was able to finally understand what the graders were looking for
and then give them just that on exam day(s). Additionally, Steve's method for
'attacking' the PTs was extremely valuable. This is an area of the bar where
you can capitalize points and Steve took the time to thoroughly explain how to
write a passing objective PT versus a subjective PT versus a client letter,
etc. and worked through each one with me. So on exam day, when we received a
rather difficult and involved PT, I was able to take a deep breath and 'attack'
it using the structure Steve taught me. There was zero stress involved. I am incredibly
grateful to Steve and I recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a
tutor to take the CA bar, whether it be the first time -- or third.” –Megan G.
“I was a repeater who had come so close before that it
hurt. Other tutors I had spoken with took a ‘it won't take much’
approach; when I spoke with Steve I told him I didn't want to risk being close
again, I wanted someone who would push me above and beyond. Well, be
careful what you wish for! Steve's no-nonsense approach taught me to
strive for perfection. While I worked incredibly hard under his
direction, I was able to work through all of my prior hang-ups and bad habits
before the test. I knew exactly what to do on the exam, I felt in
complete control of the situation. If you are ready to get serious about
passing and moving forward, Steve Zikman will get you there.” –B.V.
Nobody worked
harder than I did over the eight weeks leading up to my first attempt at the
CBX. When I didn’t pass, it mystified me more than anything else. I mistakenly
believed that I had hit the written portions of the exam more or less out of
the park. Steve Zikman showed me why I had not. Foremost, my analyses lacked
depth. I was hurling issues at the wall just to see what would stick, but I wasn’t
delivering enough meaningful factual analysis. Steve taught me how to write
essays that had substance, essays that focused on answering the call of the question.
He showed me what factual analysis is all about. It was exciting. Steve did not
teach me the law: he taught me how to exhaust the facts. With every essay that
I wrote and rewrote, he opened my eyes to something new and fine-tuned my application
of his methods, line by line. His “elementized” approach required some effort
on my part before it became second nature, especially since I had to work full
time during my prep. But Steve kept me focused. He pays strict attention to the
business of passing the bar, and didn’t
let me waste time on distractions that would have impeded my progress. Happy to
say, it worked. I committed to his method, embraced it, and applied it on my
second attempt at the bar. And I passed! I cannot recommend Steve Zikman highly
enough. He is simply an outstanding coach, tutor and mentor for passing the
California bar exam. Steve Zikman gave me the game plan for success that put my
name on the pass list. Thank you, Steve! — Duncan P. (Lincoln Law School of Sacramento)
“Steve's approach helped me pass the bar. He had a specific
way to start and end each essay and PT. He actually spends time and goes over
essays with you, line by line, and makes sure you don't forget the approach. He
is consistent and structured, and makes you do the same, so by game day, you
don't do anything different. Steve always made himself available by email, and
phone. I highly recommend him to anyone who needs help with writing and just
working more effectively with the little time you have. Trust in Steve's work
and his approach and guidance. He knows his shit.” --L.E.
“I choose Steve
because I was at my wits end. Steve has an excellent program. The difference
between this program and any other is that it taught me to set up a structure
to argue both sides of an issue. I had to practice. My initial belief was that
you don’t have enough time. I had gotten use to spotting issues laying down the
law as fast as I could. This led to very short essays. I thought I was typing
long essays and I found I was coming in with 500 words. My mind was a race-horse
that forgot to put its feet on the ground. Steve gave me a course with hurdles
to jump. This helped stream what I knew into the form. His PT method
taught me how a PT was constructed. Once I saw that it made it much easier to
organize and write. Steve is a strong energy and no non-sense person. He shows
up on time and completes the tasks. This is good because its like moving next
to a stronger horse you start running the same way. He has a good and kind
heart but is stern.” –Josephine Gerrard (Golden Gate University)
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