Themis Score Stats vs. Actual Bar Exam Score (2018) Forum

[Respondeat_Inferior]

Barbri has a similar thread, so I thought I'd make one for Themis. I saved these statistics for myself in the event that I failed, but also because when I was looking into classes I wanted a comparison of how well people were scoring in the Themis practice sets vs. on the actual bar. I doubt very many people saved as much information as I did, but if there are any Themis takers out there who have any of their score stats vs. their actual scores, I thought it would be useful to compile them here.

February 2018 UBE (Oregon)
First time taker, graduated August 2015, full-time job (50 hours per week, no take-home work), began early study on November 6th,2017.

No supplements used, used the Themis quiz builder to do approximately 400 or so additional questions, purchased lean sheets and Emanual's Strategy and Tactics but ended up running out of steam and being unable to make myself use them.

No special approach to study, I just did what the course told me to do, reviewed lecture notes frequently, read every explanation for MBE answers whether correct or incorrect, and did a few extra MBE questions with the quiz builder because I was worried about forgetting info from the beginning of the course due to starting so early.

Themis Stats:

Course Completion - 100%

MBE
Practice Exam 1 (45 qs) - 58%
Practice Exam 2 (55 qs) - 65%
Practice Exam 3 Part 1 (100 qs) - 72%
Practice Exam 3 Part 2 (100 qs) - 73%
Practice Exam 4 (100 qs) - 69%
PQs overall: 2316 completed, 68% correct

MEE
Essay 1 - Contracts, 5/6
Essay 2 - Real Property, 3/6
Essay 3 - Torts, 4/6
Essay 4 - Civil Procedure, 3/6
Essay 5 - Criminal Law, 5/6
Essay 6 - MPT, 2/6
Essay 7 - Corporations, 5/6
Essay 8 - Wills & Decedents' Estates, 4/6

Actual score:
MBE: 157.9
Written: 146

[Neilt001]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

I'm a Canadian/Australian, law school in Australia class of 2011, admitted in Australia and Bermuda, first-time taker, never studied US law. I work full-time so couldn't take time off to study, hence my choosing Themis as it was 100% online. Studying was the bane of my existence, but I thought Themis was amazing.

Anyway, I have way less info than you, but here goes:

State: Feb 2018 New York
Study regime: Began November 1, studied evenings/weekends (and sometimes at work!); purchased Critical Pass flash cards but didn't use them much
Course completion: 100% plus maybe an additional 300 questions
MBE practices questions and tests: between 50% and 65% (and no higher than 68%). Quite poor I thought!
MEEs: usually around 2 to 4/6, but never 5/6 or 6/6.
Total MBEs completed: around 2200

Actual score:
MBE: 151
Written: not provided but calculated 149 based on UBE/MBE scores
UBE: 300

[Respondeat_Inferior]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

Congrats to you as well. When I was looking into classes I could start early I was actually looking into Barbri's 6 month program for non-US students. Glad I didn't waste an extra 5,000 bucks on that.

I work for a 403(b) non-profit and I ultimately picked Themis because they offer a public interest discount. Barbri was too pricey and I knew just as many people who had passed using Themis as I knew that passed using Barbri. I also used Themis for the MPRE because trying to read Barbri's outlines gave me a headache. I didn't use Kaplan because the student rep for Kaplan at my school was obnoxious.

For what I liked about Themis:
- I appreciate that the lectures are presented in bites rather than a two hour slog.
- I really like the fill-in-the-blank notes for the lectures because you get the memorization advantage of kinesthetic involvement without having to actually write your own notes.
- I liked all of the lecturers, except for the new evidence guy (too hard to follow what the hell he was saying because it often didn't line up with the lecture notes).
- I felt that the practice questions were pretty representative of the difficulty of actual MBE questions.
- Good amount of available essays.
- Quick responses from support.
- MBE explanations that were actually in fucking English.
- I'm not sure that my lecture grader graded in any particular way other than throwing darts at a board but I did find his writing tips helpful.

What I didn't like about Themis:
- Their MPT strategy was really bad for me and trying to follow it caused me to take double the amount of time to finish a single question, once I abandoned it and developed my own approach I drastically improved in time.
- The MBE quiz builder repeats questions sometimes even though there are questions in the bank I haven't done yet.
- Some things can't be unlocked before they are available on the schedule, some things can't be completed in flex mode if you're doing stuff out of order which affects your overall completion percentage (this drove me crazy).

[animalpeople]

First time taker, Pro Bono Scholar (i.e. graduate law school in May 2018), parent of two school aged children and pregnant, began study last week of January due to morning sickness.

Used Adapitbar during final week.

State: Feb 2018 New York
Study regime: Began last week of January, studied weekdays from 9am until 2pm. Planned on studying after I picked up from kids from school and during the weekend but my family schedule didn't allow for it.
Course completion: ~64% plus 400 Adapitbar questions.
MBE practices questions and tests: Ranged from 68-72%. I didn't take the simulated exam.
MEEs: 4/6.
Total MBEs completed:

Actual score:
MBE: 147.6
UBE: 297

[Neilt001]

First time taker, Pro Bono Scholar (i.e. graduate law school in May 2018), parent of two school aged children and pregnant, began study last week of January due to morning sickness.

Used Adapitbar during final week.

State: Feb 2018 New York
Study regime: Began last week of January, studied weekdays from 9am until 2pm. Planned on studying after I picked up from kids from school and during the weekend but my family schedule didn't allow for it.
Course completion: ~64% plus 400 Adapitbar questions.
MBE practices questions and tests: Ranged from 68-72%. I didn't take the simulated exam.
MEEs: 4/6.
Total MBEs completed:

Actual score:
MBE: 147.6
UBE: 297

Wow that's not easy. Congrats!

[Neilt001]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

Congrats to you as well. When I was looking into classes I could start early I was actually looking into Barbri's 6 month program for non-US students. Glad I didn't waste an extra 5,000 bucks on that.

I work for a 403(b) non-profit and I ultimately picked Themis because they offer a public interest discount. Barbri was too pricey and I knew just as many people who had passed using Themis as I knew that passed using Barbri. I also used Themis for the MPRE because trying to read Barbri's outlines gave me a headache. I didn't use Kaplan because the student rep for Kaplan at my school was obnoxious.

For what I liked about Themis:
- I appreciate that the lectures are presented in bites rather than a two hour slog.
- I really like the fill-in-the-blank notes for the lectures because you get the memorization advantage of kinesthetic involvement without having to actually write your own notes.
- I liked all of the lecturers, except for the new evidence guy (too hard to follow what the hell he was saying because it often didn't line up with the lecture notes).
- I felt that the practice questions were pretty representative of the difficulty of actual MBE questions.
- Good amount of available essays.
- Quick responses from support.
- MBE explanations that were actually in fucking English.
- I'm not sure that my lecture grader graded in any particular way other than throwing darts at a board but I did find his writing tips helpful.

What I didn't like about Themis:
- Their MPT strategy was really bad for me and trying to follow it caused me to take double the amount of time to finish a single question, once I abandoned it and developed my own approach I drastically improved in time.
- The MBE quiz builder repeats questions sometimes even though there are questions in the bank I haven't done yet.
- Some things can't be unlocked before they are available on the schedule, some things can't be completed in flex mode if you're doing stuff out of order which affects your overall completion percentage (this drove me crazy).

Wow $5,000! Thank god I didn't choose that. price wasn't a huge decision for me but it's def nice that Themis is cheaper than the others. I just read a bunch of reviews and it really seemed like Themis was just as good or better than the others. And agreed, there's a bunch to dislike about Barbri and it just seemed miserable.

Agree with everything you said, but yeah, I definitely did not appreciate being locked out of certain tasks even though I was on flex mode. Like, why weren't they made available?!

One other thing I liked about Themis is they aren't afraid to use humor in their lectures. I don't know why but I really enjoyed them keeping it light. You stay more engaged and don't get bored when there's jokes. If it was just some boring lecturer (like the civ pro guy!) I may just zone out.

Do you recommend it for MPRE? I still have to do that.

Thanks!

[Beanboi]

First time taker. Graduated in 2012 and have been a stay at home Mom for these years. I have two small children.

I started doing a self study of mbe topics October 1. Then started Themis in mid November. I did 3 days a week for a few weeks and started 5 days a week in mid December. By January, I did some studying every day. I used the Emmanuel’s book and the mee one sheets.

I think I did 2700 mbe questions. Averaging 70ish. I had a 145/200 on the big practice test. I think I had around 58-60% on the first 2.

The mee q I remember:
Contracts- 3/6
Property- 5/6
Secured transactions 3/6
Mpt 6/6
Wills 4/6
IL civ pro 6/6
I had another 4 and a 5 maybe for the others?

I completed 100% of the course

I passed IL and I’ll never know my scores

[Respondeat_Inferior]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

Do you recommend it for MPRE? I still have to do that.

Thanks!

Yep, I just did what they told me to do and I got like....103 or something, I forget exactly. Two week program but I was able to complete everything in one week (after work) watching the lectures at 1.5x. It would have been more comfortable to take the two weeks they suggest but I couldn't stop myself from procrastinating.

[Neilt001]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

Do you recommend it for MPRE? I still have to do that.

Thanks!

Yep, I just did what they told me to do and I got like....103 or something, I forget exactly. Two week program but I was able to complete everything in one week (after work) watching the lectures at 1.5x. It would have been more comfortable to take the two weeks they suggest but I couldn't stop myself from procrastinating.

Oh that's good to know, thanks. Is 103 good? (I don't know much about the scale yet). Also is Themis' MPRE course really free??? wow.

[animalpeople]

Wow that's not easy. Congrats!

Thank you! I was already mentally prepared to take it in July.

[Meggoca]

First time writer. I used Themis to prepare for MA in Feb 2018, along with critical pass flash cards and spaced repetition for drilling. I am Canadian and did not go to a US law school, so all the law was new to me and learned 100% from the Themis lectures.

I completed about 90% of the Themis program, and fully wrote or outlined about 60 essays plus the 8 graded essays. My scores on the graded essays ranged from 4s and 5s to 1 6/7. I completed 2200 MBE questions, and by the end was consistently scoring 65% - 75%+ in my sets. In the last month of prep I switched my focus to more intensive MBE drilling and outlining and reviewing the essay subjects, and almost entirely stopped writing practice essays. All the way through I looked at the sample essay answers and the rationale for the MBE answers so that I could learn from my mistakes, and I think this definitely helped.

I worked full time during prep, so I started a little early, Dec. 6, and tried to simply work the Themis program. My usual schedule was working at the office until 5 or so, then bar prep from 6-midnight every day during the week, with 12-14 hours of prep each day Sat and Sun. I’m not going to lie - the schedule started to wear me down by the end.

Passed the bar exam with a 152.6 on the MBE and 156.38 on the essays (309 total).

[meat tornado]

Think I underperformed on test day based on my Themis results, so definitely try to aim MUCH higher in practice than you actually need to pass. I was consistently getting above 75% on my final mixed MBE sets and finished every MBE question in the program. Got two 7/7s on the essays, and no below 5/7. Only ended up with a 288 overall/141 MBE.

[Neilt001]

First time writer. I used Themis to prepare for MA in Feb 2018, along with critical pass flash cards and spaced repetition for drilling. I am Canadian and did not go to a US law school, so all the law was new to me and learned 100% from the Themis lectures.

I completed about 90% of the Themis program, and fully wrote or outlined about 60 essays plus the 8 graded essays. My scores on the graded essays ranged from 4s and 5s to 1 6/7. I completed 2200 MBE questions, and by the end was consistently scoring 65% - 75%+ in my sets. In the last month of prep I switched my focus to more intensive MBE drilling and outlining and reviewing the essay subjects, and almost entirely stopped writing practice essays. All the way through I looked at the sample essay answers and the rationale for the MBE answers so that I could learn from my mistakes, and I think this definitely helped.

I worked full time during prep, so I started a little early, Dec. 6, and tried to simply work the Themis program. My usual schedule was working at the office until 5 or so, then bar prep from 6-midnight every day during the week, with 12-14 hours of prep each day Sat and Sun. I’m not going to lie - the schedule started to wear me down by the end.

Passed the bar exam with a 152.6 on the MBE and 156.38 on the essays (309 total).

Sounds just like my regime! I'm Canadian too (schooled in Aus though), first time, started studying early November. I was so miserable and over it by the end.

[Respondeat_Inferior]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

Do you recommend it for MPRE? I still have to do that.

Thanks!

Yep, I just did what they told me to do and I got like....103 or something, I forget exactly. Two week program but I was able to complete everything in one week (after work) watching the lectures at 1.5x. It would have been more comfortable to take the two weeks they suggest but I couldn't stop myself from procrastinating.

Oh that's good to know, thanks. Is 103 good? (I don't know much about the scale yet). Also is Themis' MPRE course really free??? wow.

It's passing in every state so it's good enough. State requirements range from 75 to 86 at the highest, I needed 85 for Oregon. I think the scale is 50 to 150 but I have no idea what that actually means in terms of percentage. I think I was in the 65%ish correct range for practice questions.

[Neilt001]

Good idea! Also congrats that's a great result. What did you think of Themis overall and why did you choose it?

Do you recommend it for MPRE? I still have to do that.

Thanks!

Yep, I just did what they told me to do and I got like....103 or something, I forget exactly. Two week program but I was able to complete everything in one week (after work) watching the lectures at 1.5x. It would have been more comfortable to take the two weeks they suggest but I couldn't stop myself from procrastinating.

Oh that's good to know, thanks. Is 103 good? (I don't know much about the scale yet). Also is Themis' MPRE course really free??? wow.

It's passing in every state so it's good enough. State requirements range from 75 to 86 at the highest, I needed 85 for Oregon. I think the scale is 50 to 150 but I have no idea what that actually means in terms of percentage. I think I was in the 65%ish correct range for practice questions.

Thanks! have signed up with Themis.

[Correctness]

Just got my score so I can add in - I passed! (YAY)

I completed about 98% of the Themis course and did over 2200 MBE questions on the portal. I also subsidized the MBE with Emanuel's strategies and tactics for the MBE. I did almost all the questions in that book as well. I also used critical pass flashcards and LOVED those. I think I had an overall average of 68% for the MBEs but by the end was consistently scoring in the 70-75% range.

For graded essays, I got one 3, some 4s & 5s, and two 6s. For probably like 50% of my practice essays, I typed in "written" and hit submit. But by the end of it, I got nervous and was going back and doing some of those. However, I definitely heavily focused on the MBE. I did like two practice MPTs.

Which is why when I got my score I was pretty surprised!

MBE: 135
MEE: 175
UBE: 310

Complete opposite score of what I expected *going into it*, however, after taking it, I was like wow the essay portion wasn't that bad! And then I got to the MBE and was just like fml. I didn't start studying into January and took many days off. Definitely a believer in of "if you do the work, you will pass."

[PSK_246]

78/71 on practice exam. 162 on MBE. Passed Maryland while working full time, moving, and dealing with significant personal issues. Used Themis to pass Virginia a few years ago.

Highly, highly recommend!

With this, I retire from TLS. Good luck everyone.

[Respondeat_Inferior]

Just got my score so I can add in - I passed! (YAY)

I completed about 98% of the Themis course and did over 2200 MBE questions on the portal. I also subsidized the MBE with Emanuel's strategies and tactics for the MBE. I did almost all the questions in that book as well. I also used critical pass flashcards and LOVED those. I think I had an overall average of 68% for the MBEs but by the end was consistently scoring in the 70-75% range.

For graded essays, I got one 3, some 4s & 5s, and two 6s. For probably like 50% of my practice essays, I typed in "written" and hit submit. But by the end of it, I got nervous and was going back and doing some of those. However, I definitely heavily focused on the MBE. I did like two practice MPTs.

Which is why when I got my score I was pretty surprised!

MBE: 135
MEE: 175
UBE: 310

Complete opposite score of what I expected *going into it*, however, after taking it, I was like wow the essay portion wasn't that bad! And then I got to the MBE and was just like fml. I didn't start studying into January and took many days off. Definitely a believer in of "if you do the work, you will pass."

WHOA, those written scores. Did you calligraph your answers by hand on ye aulde rolls of the chancery?

[Makivani]

Completed 62% of the course.
Themis MBE - 59-61%
Actual MBE - 152
UBE total score - 267, passed.