Testimonials
Textbook Testimonials
“Where do I start with this amazing life saving book. I honestly wish I had discovered the bar code cheat sheet book earlier because I would have saved $1,500 from buying a bar prep program that didn’t help much with essays. The bar code book was literally all I needed to master the essay portion of the bar exam. The templates provided in the book are life savers because it lays out a special method on how to write an essay that includes everything needed to pass and particularly what bar exam graders are looking for.
Since you don’t have much time on the bar exam, starting an essay is crucial in time management. This book lays out the perfect way to start and end an essay so you have a sense of direction when writing the essay which in turn saves you so much time. Not to exaggerate, but I can honestly say that this book “literally” helped me pass the July 2018 bar exam. There was a con law question about the Dormant Commerce Clause that caught everyone off guard. The bar code book had a pre-written template on how to approach this exact question and properly answer it. I used the exact approach laid out in the bar code book on my bar exam essay because it was almost the same exact question just different facts. You have to remember the Bar Exam recycles questions because there is only a specific amount of subjects to test on. Therefore, the same type of essay question will be asked again but with different facts. The bar code book basically takes all those potential essay questions and creates a frame for you, so all you have to do is plug in the new facts. This book is one of a kind and no other supplement comes close when it comes to mastering bar essays. I would not be a licensed attorney today if I never bought this book because of that con law question. That question was just one of many the bar code book helped me master and I know you will too once you see for yourself. Get this book and you’ll pass the essay section of the bar exam, you have my word.”
~ Sam Alemi
“The Bar Code Cheat Sheets Essay Book helped me tremendously when studying for the CA State Bar Exam. I can say without a doubt, that it’s the reason I passed the exam. As a former bar grader, Whitney can identify the most problematic areas of each subject and the common mistakes made on the essay portion of the bar exam. She does a phenomenal providing information on how to avoid making these mistakes and giving guidance on how to approach difficult essay topics. I wish I had this book when I was a 1L. I highly recommend this to anyone in law school and anyone who is preparing for the bar exam. I have shared this book with more than a dozen friends and it has helped each and every one of my friends. This is truly a blessing and a lifesaver!!”
~ Sammar Miqbel, Staff Counsel, California California Correctional Peace Officers’ Association
"The Bar Code Cheat Sheets were an invaluable tool for me during my preparation for the California Bar Exam. My other review course simply did not give me any credible guidance for the proper flow and structure for an essay response. The Bar Code Cheat Sheets did just that, and even highlighted the key concepts to include when writing my answer. I'm convinced Whitney Roberts' guidance helped me pass that dreaded test, the first and only time I took it. Thanks Whitney!"
~L. Red Gobuty, Esq.
"As a multiple repeater of the California exam, I am emphatic that this book was the single best tool I could have found to finally passing the exam. Whitney’s approach lays out the sample fact patterns and answers in such a straightforward and logical manner that my test-taking anxiety all but disappeared on the exam days. It truly is about following directions and this text provides countless examples of how to approach not only the essays, but is just as beneficial when applied to Performance Tests. After the discouragement of failing the California exam four times, I started following the directions and footnotes in this book, and consecutively passed the California, New York and Massachusetts bars. This is what every law school grad I know receives from me upon graduation. Frankly, it would have been just as great during law school as well."
~Jay Cameron Ayers / Member of the state bars of California, New York and Massachusetts.
"The Bar Code Cheat Sheets study guide is undoubtedly the reason I passed the Bar Exam. The book not only helped me learn the substantive law in a new way, but it taught me how to write a successful Bar Exam essay. I loved the "cheat sheets" so much that I memorized every single one and I ended up applying them in some fashion on all six of my essays. When using this book, one really does feel like they have an advantage over all the other test takers. I personally felt like I'd seen the questions before and I knew exactly how to attack the answer, pick up the points, and move on. During the prep period, this book helped me feel confident that I was where I was supposed to be and I spent less time obsessing about my progress than my peers. If you do only one thing to supplement your studying, it should be buying, using, and memorizing this book."
~ Amanda Hairston, Esq.
"It was already late June when I started getting my regular review course essays back. I had studied my outlines backwards and forwards and knew them cold. So you can imagine my frustration when, with only a few weeks until the exam, each essay I wrote received a failing grade, but without an explanation from the grader as to why. My law was right, so what was I doing wrong? So I used Whitney Roberts' method and cheat sheets book to model and shape the flow of my answers, which in turn allowed me to spend more time where it really counted. I just found my name on the pass list. Whitney - I do not believe I could have done it without you. Thank you."
~ Nathan Bartos, Esq.
"The Cheat Sheets in Action book was an invaluable tool that I used constantly while studying for the bar exam. I read the book cover to cover several times, and often referred to it when answering and reviewing practice essays. This book breaks down a massive amount of substantive law into very discrete categories of essay questions, and then provides a framework for writing high quality answers to each of those questions. No other test prep company or program simplifies the process of writing essays quite like Whitney Roberts' "Cheat Sheets." This books makes the essay portion of the bar exam manageable, which is no small task at all."
~ Matthew Brady, Esq.
"The Bar Code Cheat Sheets are amazing. They are an easy and straightforward way to attacking the California Bar Exam. Whitney Roberts has taken something as daunting as the Bar Exam and completely removed the complexity from it. If you correctly apply the cheat sheets, you cannot fail. Seriously, they are like kryptonite."
~J. Balogh, Esq.
"I highly recommend The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action study aid by Whitney Roberts. This book was one of the best bar review purchases I made. It helped me understand how all of the legal issues fit together for some of the larger topics tested on the exam and I definitely felt more prepared because it. Because I knew how to effectively lay out the law before reading the essays, I was able to save myself time answering each of the questions. That in turn gave me more time to do effective factual analysis and most importantly, FINISH every essay. This book contains information that is just not presented in the general bar review courses and is well worth every penny! I felt more confident and at ease walking into the exam and it was all because of this book. Thank you, Whitney!"
~ Allyson Bennett, Esq.
"The Bar Code Cheat Sheets book is a total blessing. Now I just need some shortcuts for kicking butt in the legal world! Thank you so much for assisting me with this monstrous hurdle."
~ Marissa L. R. Dragoo, Esq.
" Knowing the law is only the first step toward passing the California Bar Exam; I found out the hard way. I memorized my outlines and was all-around confident in my legal knowledge. But I failed the test my first time. After reviewing my answers, it was painfully clear that my approach to the essays was inadequate. I prepared for the exam again using Whitney
Roberts' The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action. Her book helped me to re-tool my entire approach to the essays, arming me with a framework to quickly organize my answers in a format easily recognizable to the graders. The samples and tips Roberts provided also helped me to understand the graders' expectations, efficiently and effectively maximize my points and pass the exam on my second attempt. I highly recommend The Bar Code Cheat Sheets--they're a great way to get over the hump known as the California Bar Exam and move on with your life!"
~ Humberto N. Macias, Esq.
"'Just IRAC it.' 'All you have to do is IRAC.' This advice was forced upon me ad nauseam as I prepared for the California Bar Exam. People assumed IRAC was a simple and understood concept, or treated it like it was a guaranteed way of passing the exam. But having read low and high scoring essays that were all organized in IRAC form, I learned early on that IRAC was not that simple, and required much more in the bar exam context.
The Bar Code Cheat Sheets became my bible on how to attack and format the essays. Whereas other books taught a generalized approach, the Cheat Sheets offered clear and specific explanations of how IRAC is applied within each area of law. The actual templates are amazing. They showed me exactly how to separate and treat sub-issues for each selected topic. They also provided advice on presentation, so that it would be easier for a bar grader to read and grade my answer. In addition, the book is full of very informative footnotes that offer clear explanations about the proper location of certain arguments, as well as discussions of the common errors made by students and concrete ways of improving your level of analysis. The book also contains a variety of exercises and sample answers that demonstrate the level of analysis needed to pass. After practicing the techniques in the book, I made the templates my own by modifying them to reflect my writing style, deviating when appropriate, and even creating my own templates for issues not covered in the book.
This book was the best money I spent for bar preparation. No doubt—it was the most helpful resource as it provided me with the level of detail and guidance I needed to understand IRAC. I have and will continue to enthusiastically recommend this book!!! Thank you Bar Code! And thank you, Whitney!
~ Eloisa Rivera , Esq.
" Is your bar review course preparing you for the 1989 bar exam? Each year the California bar exam grows more complex with higher and higher grading standards. Yet each year, most bar review programs simply change the color of their book covers while clinging to the same old content and structure they’ve been using since your partner sat for the exam.
The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action book stands alone as the only resource available that provides step-by-step instruction on writing for today’s bar exam.
In an era of rising standards, doing what everyone else does may not be enough to pass the exam. Everyone knew enough to graduate from law school. Everyone studies hard for the bar exam. Everyone makes flashcards and memorizes rules of law. Everyone reads old exam questions and practices spotting the freight train issues. But NOT everyone knows how to present that information in an essay that addresses all the issues, major and minor. Not everyone knows what structure will make their answer easiest to grade.
Simply put, The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action by Whitney Roberts answers the question “What are they looking for on the exam?” You’ll learn how to present answers that will encourage a grader to give you the most points available. Using this book is like having your own private bar tutor. If you want a competitive edge, this is the book for you. And if you work in a firm that expects you to pass the exam, you owe it to yourself to use The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action.
I did and I passed."
~ Ted Finamore, Esq.
"Whitney Roberts' The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action exemplifies a unique study aid that takes the guess-work out of bar study. She manages to deliver each subject in a manner and format that is concise and extremely easy to follow. Rather than vaguely describing IRAC principles, this book provides concrete examples of how to nail the bar exam, issue by issue. I highly recommend utilizing this book as part of your bar study regimen! Thank you, Whitney."
~ Rina Shah, Esq.
"I cannot rave enough about Whitney Roberts' The Bar Code Cheat Sheets. Even though I was studying hard in my regular bar course class and doing all of the assignments, only after reviewing the Cheat Sheets did I realize that I didn't really understand a lot of the law I supposedly learned. I knew then that I could not possible memorize all of the law I was expected to know without comprehending how the pieces fit together. The Cheat Sheets book breaks the law down in easy-to-digest chunks that actually make sense, and then teaches you how to apply it. Plus, the tips she includes in her footnotes are fantastic - they taught me what the bar graders want, and how to pick up more points and shine among the other test takers. Her examples are both funny and colorful, which made them very easy for me to remember. I recommend this book to everyone I know studying for the California bar exam."
~ Francesca Montesano, Esq.
" The Bar Code Cheat Sheets are a MUST HAVE for anyone preparing for the Bar Exam. Knowing the law is a great confidence builder and a must when taking any Bar Exam, but the Bar Code Cheat Sheets give you the one component essential to passing - how to "unfold" the law so the graders know you understand it. They give you an easy to follow approach for all subjects to help you answer anything the Bar Examiners might ask. It's like walking in to the exam with all the answers without ever knowing the questions. Thanks again, Whitney, for the unbelievable support. I graduated in the bottom half of my class from a California Accredited Law school (non-ABA), and passed the California Bar Exam on the FIRST TIME! Could not have done it without ya."
~ Jason Palmer, Esq. (2009)
" The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action book by Whitney Roberts was one of my best resources for studying for the bar and for handling the organization bar essays require quickly. And time saved during the exam is more time to write a successful essay answer. Studying for the California Bar Exam is an enormous task and these cheat sheets were invaluable to me. I did not have to think about how to craft an approach to handle the topics covered by the cheat sheets during the bar; I knew the cheat sheets by heart and could apply an entire cheat sheet or just a portion of one depending on the call of the question. That left me time to think about factual analysis. Traditional bar study courses were not enough for me. I needed a plan and The Bar Code Cheat Sheets in Action was an invaluable resource. They are truly a "must" for effective bar preparation"
~ Diane Sabonis, Esq.