“Steve’s instruction is especially helpful in two
respects. First, his methodology is very regimented. This made the
essay easier to write and easier to read-the latter of which is invaluable,
given the examiners spend approximately 60 seconds grading each essay.
Second, although his outlines and instruction are thorough, he focuses on the
rules that are highly tested. This systematic and focused approach gave
me confidence going into the July 2016 bar exam, which I passed. Having
previously taken Barbri, I can say that you won't get this kind of detailed
instruction with the major bar study programs.” --BJK (Thomas Jefferson School
of Law)
“Steve was my tutor for the July 2016 California Bar
Examination. His strategies and methods helped me transform my writing style to
be tailored specifically to master bar essays and performance tests. He
diligently walked me through each of my essays, line by line, to help me
improve my writing technique which was too vague and wordy. His attention to
detail helped me spot important issues and properly analyze facts that I had
been overlooking. He took the time to help me focus on areas that I was
struggling with, such as my time management on the essays, second-guessing
myself on the MBEs, and wrong issue recognition, to help me improve in those
areas tremendously. Furthermore, Steve taught me how to analyze each issue on
the bar exam logically and in an organized fashion. Steve was not only a
fantastic tutor, but also a great mentor that helped me reach my ultimate goal
of passing the California Bar Exam.” –R.R. (Pepperdine Law School)
“I passed the July 2016 California Bar Exam and I owe it all
to Steve Zikman. I’m an out-of-state practicing attorney with over 20
years of experience and I failed the Bar in 2015 after using one of the popular
bar prep courses. I thought that with my decades of “real world”
experience practicing at a big firm, and a few months of hard studying, that I
could pass the Bar. However, despite hundreds of hours of watching classroom
videos and studying late into the night, I failed the 2015 Bar by a wide
margin. When I decided to try again in 2016, I knew I had to hire a coach
who would work with me one-on-one, tell me exactly what I needed to know, and
respect that I also had a busy practice to run. I interviewed several bar
coaches, and Steve’s approach and attitude stood out from all of them.
But, it wasn’t until I started working one-on-one with Steve that I fully
realized what a good choice I had made. Not only did Steve provide me
with concise subject matter outlines that were spot-on as to what I needed to
know, but most importantly, he showed me how to change my writing style to
write essays and PTs that would impress the graders. Steve worked with me
to write and re-write essays and PTs until I knew exactly how to write to pass
the Bar – something that decades of practicing never taught me. Steve’s
coaching and “visual writing” technique made me understand for the first time
what I needed to do to pass the Bar, and it worked! I highly recommend
that anyone trying to pass the Bar work with Steve.” –J.K. (Washington
University in St. Louis)
“If you are willing to put in the time and effort necessary
to pass the Bar exam, Steve Zikman is one of the best tutors to guide you towards
a passing score. Shortly after failing the bar exam for a second time, I
realized that studying via Themis and Barbri was not working for me. I used
Google to search for a tutor, and I am incredibly lucky to have come across the
services of Steve. From the onset of the tutoring, Steve is very disciplined
and dedicated to ensuring you develop the skill set necessary to achieve a
passing grade. Steve completely changed the way I approached essay questions
particularly on performance tests. Over the course of 2 months, we tackled every
Bar subject in great detail, both in terms of issue spotting and structure and
with Steve's help I learned to identify recurring issues and possible ‘partner
issues’ for various subjects. In addition, Steve spends a good deal of time
making sure his students learn to structure their essays in a manner that is
favorable to bar graders. I was able to pass the Bar on my 3rd try after
tutoring with Steve. His wealth of knowledge of the exam is a definite boon and
I highly recommend Steve for anyone who is struggling to achieve a passing
score and be done with this exam forever.” –Basil Bokhary (Golden Gate
University School of Law)
“As a person who went to law school outside of California,
taking the CA Bar Exam was no easy feat for me. I am so glad to have found
Steve to be my tutor; there really is no other coach like him. He is very
thorough and compassionate, and is very intentional about all of the advice he
gives - each and every correction he makes on your practice essays and PTs is
really tailored to how to improve upon your writing style in order to match a
passing score. He was able to pinpoint all of my weaknesses, both in the MBE
and written portions, and coach me through what exactly I needed to do in order
to pass. His outlines were succinct and very easily digestible. He wastes no
time with his instruction at all and makes sure to cater to whatever concerns
you might have. I really owe my success and the passing of the bar to Steve.
Without his help, I can unreservedly say that I would not have succeeded. Thank
you Steve!” --Abner P. (Suffolk Law School)
“I took the July 2015 California bar
examination. I assumed going in that with decades of experience
practicing law, previous success on bar examinations, taking a popular bar
review course and diligent study, I would succeed. I was wrong. I
retained Steve to help me prepare for the July 2016 bar examination. He
disabused me of the notion that analyzing an examination question is the same
as evaluating a client’s problem. Through numerous practice question
exercises he instructed me on what graders expect to see in answers, and how
the information must be organized. He reinforced his approach through the
structure of his extensive course outlines. Anyone retaining Steve should
be prepared to work hard, however. He takes his students’ success
seriously and expects them to do likewise. The study and practice
examination schedule is demanding for someone who also is working. The
commitment is well worth it, given the wasted time and money a bar examination
failure entails.” –Larry C. (University of Nebraska College of
Law)
“Before Steve, I used three "major" bar-prep
courses over multiple attempts! Provided my ability to compare Steve to other
"major" bar-prep courses, I can compare and contrast Steve's
instruction with other major players and confidentially say that Steve is a
MASTER COACH!! The strategies and techniques Steven taught me, is unparalleled
to his competition. I wish I found Steve the first time I took the bar!!
Don't make the same mistake!” --Hamlet Y. (Pacific Cost University College of
Law)
“I hired Steve to tutor me for the July 2016 bar exam.
I had previously taken the bar twice, and although my scores improved, I knew I
needed to do something different this time in order to improve my scores enough
to pass. The problem for me wasn’t that I didn’t know the material or
even that I wasn’t a good writer, but I needed to know how to format the
information and present it to the examiners in way that made it easy for them
to see. The things I learned from Steve that I found most helpful
were: how to write up the issues so that they are easy for the grader to
see; how to manage your time so that you always finish an essay or PT and what
to do if you start to run out of time; what to do when you’re not sure how to
write up an issue; little things you can add that could get you an extra few
points; and how to identify any patterns you have that are causing you to
answer MBEs incorrectly. I chose to work with Steve on all 3 areas
of the exam in order to improve all of my scores instead of just working in my
weakest area. I’m glad I did because it proved to be enough to help me
pass this time!” –Suzy W.
“Steve is 100% the
reason I passed the California Bar Exam. After two unsuccessful attempts, I
knew I needed someone to help guide me through the process. The first time I
used Barbri and felt extremely uncomfortable throughout the entire program, and
the second time I tried to self-study. While my score improved, it was not
enough to pass. Steve offers a really well-developed program and holds you
accountable every step of the way. I felt myself improving during each tutoring
session and growing in confidence. His laser focus on structure, analysis,
common sense and reflection is unparalleled and his commitment to your success
is evident. Probably the most important takeaway from my experience was that
working with Steve improved my confidence and greatly reduced my anxiety. For
anyone who has taken this exam more than once, you know that the anxiety
increases with each bar. I walked into the July 2016 bar exam knowing that
because of Steve, I had done everything I possibly could to prepare. This is
the best money you will ever spend - it was a privilege to work with him and I
could not more sincerely recommend someone. My best wishes for your success!”
--Joanne Heilbrun (California Western School of Law)
“Taking the attorney portion of the
California Bar Exam is no easy task when you're working full-time and managing
cases all over the country. After two unsuccessful attempts, I knew I had
to change my approach. I had previously studied with BarBri and The Bar Guru,
but I needed more substantive rather than a generic method if I was ever going
to pass this beast of an exam. I did my research on Steve and upon speaking
with him, it was evident that his direct approach, line-by-line review of
my essays and timed essay drills is exactly what I had been missing from the
other bar review courses. Plus, I did not have the time to travel to and from a
bar prep course, so telephone meetings were key allowed more time for studying. Steve's tutoring was invaluable. He taught me
how to break down the question to determine precisely what the examiners were
looking for in the answer. He showed me how to write effective (and
point-generating) essays and PTs, and his emphasis on Professional Responsibility
provides you with a platform to knock out any PR question quickly and successfully.
His no non-sense approach is fool-proof and you'll walk away after the exam
with confidence.” --L. Smith (Loyola Law School, New Orleans)
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