Themis vs BARBRI | Which is the Best Bar Prep?

The stakes for passing the bar exam are high. There are multiple bar prep courses to choose from, but 2 top the list: Themis Bar Review®, a UWorld® company, and BARBRI Bar Review®. Which bar prep course is best for you? Which one will increase your chances of success? And, most importantly, which one provides better value?

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Themis vs. BARBRI Bar Review Comparison

We’ve chosen to compare Themis Bar Review, a UWorld company, to BARBRI’s “Elite” course package because it’s the tier that includes features that many would consider essential in a comprehensive, gold-standard bar prep course, such as a Multistate Bar Examination (MBE®) question bank supplement and flashcards. BARBRI courses below the Elite tier offer fewer features than those outlined here.

Key Bar Exam-Related Course Features		BARBRI Bar Review Elite
List price List price for comprehensive bar prep course	$2,995	$4,199
Directed study plan Daily assignment schedule to help keep you on track throughout bar prep; automatically adjusts to keep you from falling behind
Adaptive calendar Feature that allows you to select your start date, choose the days and hours you regularly want to study or take off
MBE practice questions Multiple-choice MBE practice questions with detailed explanations assigned and available in the course	4,000+ MBE questions	3,000+ MBE questions
NCBE®-licensed MBE Questions Real, licensed National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) multiple-choice questions assigned, integrated, and available throughout the course	1,350+	One, 100-question exam
Supplemental MBE question bank Supplemental MBE multiple-choice question bank with NCBE-licensed questions, unlimited practice exams, and detailed explanations	UWorld MBE QBank, seamlessly integrated	AdaptiBar® MCQ Simulator, accessible via separate, unintegrated system
Unlimited essay grading with personalized feedback Detailed essay insights and feedback for a personal and actionable essay improvement plan	Nearly immediate feedback with UGrader™ advanced closed-system AI essay grader	Feedback typically received within 3 days but may be up to a week
Flashcards Expertly created and self-created flashcards to actively learn and recall the rules of law	UWorld's highly customizable expert and self-created digital flashcards, seamlessly integrated	CriticalPass® expertly created hard copy and digital flashcards, accessible via unintegrated system
Hard copy books Set of physical materials to supplement digital course
Practice and simulated exams Full-length simulated exam, in-depth workshops, and practice for all exam components
UBE® and state-specific content Everything you need to pass your state's bar exam
Progress center Ability to track course completion and how you're personally performing in each testable subject, as well as how you're doing relative to your peers
Mobile app Allows you to study anywhere, anytime you have a few extra minutes
Full early access All course materials are available as early as 4 months before your exam
Retake guarantee Ability to retake your state exam for free if you don't pass the 1st time
Dedicated attorney essay grader A licensed attorney, expertly trained in bar exam essay writing, dedicated to you who grades your essays and provides personal, progressive essay writing feedback throughout your course
Proactive, 1:1 guidance A team of attorneys who actively monitor your personal progress and proactively reach out to keep you on track for bar exam success
Included forever access to books No deposit required to receive books	Deposit not required, books are yours	Deposit required, must pay shipping to return books and recover deposit
Published pass rates Transparent, consistently published national and state bar pass rates
Prepare for Louisiana or Mississippi Bar Themis Bar Review prepares students for 48 U.S. states. If you plan to take the bar exam in Louisiana or Mississippi, Themis is not the right course for you.

What Students Say About Themis Bar Review

Themis was just right for me. Gave me plenty of flexibility and at the same time carefully organized its lectures into small segments… There is no reason why you should be paying more money to a competitor to get the same or potentially lesser quality… Themis is a great choice for a bar review course. You will not be disappointed.

I highly recommend Themis Bar Prep to everyone! During the bar exam, I felt completely prepared, and after the test, when so many people who took other courses were worrying, I felt very confident that I had done well... Thank you, Themis, for providing such an amazing bar review course and allowing me to feel confident during and after the exam

I liked the short videos followed by practice questions format…most importantly, the practice questions read like the questions on the actual bar. I heard from other students doing other bar reviews that their questions were not formatted the same way and that it threw them off. Luckily, when I sat down to take the bar, the questions were the same as I had been studying all summer so it removed a huge test-taking hurdle for me.

All-Inclusive Price

Themis Bar Review, a UWorld company, offers a single, comprehensive course with a $2,995 list price. BARBRI Bar Review offers multiple tiers, with additional features available at higher price points. BARBRI course packages range from “Essentials” with a $1,999 list price to “Extended” with a $5,999 list price.

Why not save money and get more value? We believe no one should risk failing the bar because they can't pay top dollar. Passing isn’t a luxury; it’s our priority.

Look at the Pass Rates

Preparing for the bar is tough. Before investing in a course, you want confidence that it will give you a better chance of passing your exam. That’s why we encourage all students to look at the pass rates. Themis Bar Review is the only course that publishes national and state-by-state pass rates every year.

Supplemental MBE Question Bank

Students routinely praise our MBE questions and their close alignment with the actual exam’s format. Our 4,000+ questions are regularly updated by in-house legal experts to reflect the latest exam standards and crafted to meet or exceed exam-level difficulty.

The UWorld MBE QBank is seamlessly integrated into Themis Bar Review and offers unlimited practice exams with industry-leading visual aids designed by in-house graphic designers and in-depth explanations for correct and incorrect answers.

Number of NCBE-Licensed Questions

Exam-like practice is crucial for success. Themis Bar Review offers more than 1,350 NCBE-licensed questions, routinely updated and provided at no extra cost. In contrast, BARBRI's basic tier does not include NCBE questions, and its higher-tier courses' number of NCBE questions remains undisclosed aside from one, 100-question exam.

You’re Never Alone

When you choose Themis Bar Review, your Personal Success Team is with you from day 1 until you pass your bar exam. You’ll have a team of attorneys actively monitoring your progress and proactively reaching out to keep you on track for bar exam success. There are no limits on the check-ins and personal coaching you will receive. Plus, you’ll have 24/7 support during your bar review. You must put in the work, but we are constantly by your side. Find your school’s director now.

Zero Additional Fees

BARBRI's tiered pricing means costly extras such as book deposits, cancellation fees, and add-ons. At Themis + UWorld, we value transparency, so let us be clear — No. Additional. Fees. We won't squeeze you for access to essential tools. What you pay gets you everything you need to pass the bar.

Enhanced Visual Learning

One study* found that after 3 days, subjects retained 10-20% of spoken or written information, while they retained 65% of the visual information they consumed. That’s why we pair our questions and video lectures with industry-leading images, charts, graphs, and diagrams that break down complex rules of law.

Our in-house designers and subject matter experts meticulously crafted these visuals to create a cohesive visual language. Every element is designed to minimize distractions and reduce cognitive load, helping you make connections and retain information more effectively..

Unlimited Essay Grading with AI Speed and Expert Accuracy

Themis and UWorld have always been at the forefront of technology to provide students the best chance of passing the bar. Our bar exam and technology experts developed UGrader™, the most advanced unlimited essay-grading system available.

Real bar exam essay experts constantly train this closed-system AI tool to provide the fastest, most accurate personalized essay feedback. Of course, you’ll still have your dedicated attorney grader as well to help hone your bar exam writing skills.

With courses like BARBRI, they may market an unlimited number of essays graded, but they go to different graders and personalized feedback may be delayed several days. This is critical when you need to make continuous improvements and time is of the essence.

Hard Copy Books

Hard copy bar review materials are included with Themis Bar Review at no extra cost. No deposit is required and the books are yours. While BARBRI also offers hardcopy materials, they are only available in certain pricing tiers, a deposit is required and students must pay shipping to return books and recover their deposit.

Early Course Access

Themis Bar Review and BARBRI Bar Review both offer early access. But early access to what? For BARBRI, it may mean access to a limited amount of content and number of features depending on the course you select. For Themis Bar Review, early access means full access to the course 4 months before your bar exam.

Themis Bar Review vs BARBRI: The Verdict

The verdict is clear: Themis Bar Review provides greater value for your money. There’s a reason why more and more students are choosing Themis Bar Review over BARBRI Bar Review.

Themis + UWorld combines adaptive technology, proven learning science, superior content, and expert support to prepare students to pass the first time. For nearly two decades, that approach has helped students earn the best nationally published bar exam pass rates. Now we’re ready to help you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which bar prep course costs more, Themis Bar Review or BARBRI Bar Review?

BARBRI Bar Review has list prices ranging from $1,999 to $5,999, while Themis Bar Review’s list price is $2,995.

How long is the Themis Bar Review course, and when does it start?

Themis Bar Review opens in early March for the following July bar exam and in early November for the following February exam, giving you access to all course materials for 4 months.

We recommend that you start your bar exam studies at least 8-10 weeks prior to your bar exam and treat it like an important, full-time job.

For those who need a part-time course to extend their coursework over a longer period, particularly international candidates and Master of Laws (LLM) students, we offer an Extended Bar Prep that provides access to bar review content for 10 months

Why is Themis Bar Review better than other bar prep courses?

Themis Bar Review offers the highest caliber bar prep at the best value with features such as Directed Study with adaptive calendar, short, interactive expert lecture segments, integrated black-letter law knowledge checks, skill building exercises, in-depth workshops to prepare for all parts of your exam, access to more than 4,000 MBE questions, including 1,350+ NCBE®-licensed questions, each with an expert-crafted rationale, UGrader™ closed-system AI + dedicated attorney essay grader, expertly curated ReadyDeck™ digital flashcards, self-created MyDeck flashcards, digital notebook, full-length simulated exams, printed and digital outlines, personalized Progress Tracker, a Personal Success Team and consistently published pass rates.

How does the support system differ between Themis + UWorld and BARBRI?

BARBRI’s support depends on the tiered package that you purchase ranging from responding to substantive and study questions when you submit them through a portal all the way to proactive personal check-ins included with the $5,999 Extended package.

Sources

Dale E. 1969. Cone of experience, in Educational Media: Theory into Practice. Wiman RV (ed). Charles Merrill: Columbus, Ohio