BARBRI Reviews 378

the material was very comprehensive and clear
the video tutorials were very useful for me to understand common law since I come from a civil law background,
the multiple questions were of practical use and I have benefited greatly from the questions to understand more and fill in the gaps

Solid course. I’d recommend it. However, be aware of mistakes in the materials. Also, understand that BARBRI does not cover 100% of what you could be tested on. The strategy is to make sure you know the most testable material well. I preferred thus approach because the goal is simply to pass, not to know every little bit of UK law. Yet, the BARBRI course still contains an unfathomable amount of information. So, anything more would not have been bearable. Just be aware that multiple exam questions pop up that you’ll have no real clue about because the course did not cover it. That’s OK. I don’t consider it to be a negative point against BARBRI unless the tested law is actually one of the most testable.

The PSP is great for keeping you on track with your studies, especially as a busy working professional.

I have taken the SQE1 preparation course, which I believe made a huge difference even though I have studied for a MA Law before.

I purchased the BARBRI Prep 20 course last year to prepare for my SQE1 exam and I passed it on my very first attempt.

I am a foreign-qualified lawyer, and I found Barbri to be a good provider for SQE preparation. I scored in the top quintile for both FLKs. Barbri’s videos and books are well-structured, easy to understand, and cover more than enough SQE topics.

However, one downside is that their mocks and MCQs are easy and do not accurately reflect the difficulty of the real exam. As a result, I had to purchase additional mocks from other providers. Additionally, just before the exam, Barbri offered new mocks that were supposedly closer to the real exam's difficulty, but at an extra cost of £700. This felt expensive, yet I felt pressured to purchase them based on their claims. This aspect of their approach was disappointing.

The staff were unhelpful during onboarding and v slow to reply to messages.

The layout of this course is hard to follow and it's hard to see the next steps unlike sqe1. Considering there are videos, its surprising there is no app. Some of the videos, like the revision ones, look unprofessional. There is no option on any of the videos to speed it up. You provide the ebooks but you only send one book as a hard copy. During the video calls, some of the people give completely the wrong answers to questions about deadlines etc. You sent a dm about whatsapp groups and when I raised that you hadn't actually created groups, I was told you weren't going to despite it being helpful in sqe1

Worth every penny!
It made the whole process very easy. Comprehensive enough but also not giving you lots of unnecessary information. Passed both flk1 and 2 on the first sitting thanks to Barbri.

5 stars highly recommend

I have just passed my SQE1 exam and I wouldn't have done it without Barbri. It is such a great and comprehensive course. I didn't have to use any external resources at all. But I believe the main reason I did pass was my learning coach Joanne White. She was so helpful, always available and so supportive!

After spending a significant amount of money on various providers and resources, I enrolled with Barbri, and I can honestly say that I would not have passed SQE1 without them. As a neurodiverse student, Barbri’s structured approach and teaching methods were exactly what I needed. Their 1-to-1 support and belief in me made all the difference. I felt truly supported throughout my journey, and I can't thank them enough for everything.

Thank you, Barbri, for helping me achieve my goal!

I think my career is promoted by passing SQE with your help.

The reading material makes it so easy to understand and the recommended method of studying, particularly the repetition, makes it all stick. I will recommend Barbri to anyone. The study material is not overwhelming yet covers everything you need to pass the SQE in flying colours.

I purchased learning materials from Barbri to prepare for the SQE exam, and my experience has been mixed.

For SQE 1, I found the materials quite helpful. They provided a solid foundation and covered a lot of the necessary content. However, when it came to SQE 2, I was disappointed. The revision book failed to cover some essential topics, such as leases, which I neglected to revise before the exam. This oversight contributed to a stressful experience during the test.

Additionally, I found the number of practice questions to be inadequate. With only 20-30 practice questions available across five subjects, I struggled to get the practice I needed. This left me feeling uncertain about how to approach the exam and answer questions effectively.

Ultimately, I failed the SQE 2 exam, which not only caused me stress but also resulted in significant financial strain. I now have to work for over a year to save money for additional materials from another company to better prepare for my retake.

Overall, I would recommend Barbri for SQE 1, but caution anyone considering their materials for SQE 2 to thoroughly assess if they will meet their needs.

Passed both exams on my first attempt. First prep course was much more structured and prepared me better. I passed with good margins. Second course was more independent and I am not sure it covered everything that came up in the exam. Tutors are really good but perhaps the material should be more comprehensive.

Well structured

I completed the SQE1 40 week prep course with BARBRI. The BARBRI teaching method was fantastic - the PSP (the learning platform) was easy to use and intuitive and their systematic problem solving approach to the SQE1 exam is, without doubt, the reason I passed. I would highly recommend BARBRI.

I’m currently studying with Barbri and I would not recommend them. Having completed the LPC, I feel this course isn’t well-suited for those who haven’t previously completed SQE1. They expect you to start with a strong foundation in FLK knowledge, which can be incredibly overwhelming as you’re left to learn it all on your own. This often leaves you feeling like you’re constantly playing catch-up—struggling to keep up with weekly tasks while also trying to learn the FLK independently.

The course is only 20 weeks long, which adds unnecessary pressure, especially when compared to other providers which offer longer courses such as a 40-week courses. On top of this, Barbri charges £599 if you want to defer your exam, which gives the impression that their primary focus is money. The course and exam are already expensive enough, so how Barbri expects students to afford an extra £599 is beyond me.

While they do offer a free prep course if you fail SQE2- provided you attend 70% of all tutor calls, submit PFAs, and complete the mocks- the overall experience feels disorganised. Their SQE2 course seems underdeveloped, with frequent changes and omissions that make it feel as though students are guinea pigs in their trial-and-error process.

The tutor feedback is another issue, as it can vary massively depending on who you get, which is frustrating and unhelpful. While they do provide both written feedback and a personalised video, the inconsistency in quality makes it hard to rely on.

You can see for yourself from the reviews on their Trustpilot page that feedback for their SQE2 course is overwhelmingly negative.

Overall, I feel there are far better and more supportive options available.

I took BARBRI’s 20-week course to prepare for the July 2024 exam, and I couldn’t be more impressed. Coming from a non-common law background, I found the course to be exceptionally well-structured. The repetition method they employed worked wonders for my understanding and retention of the material.

The course is designed to build your knowledge step-by-step, which was crucial for someone like me who had no prior exposure to common law. The mix of lectures, practice questions, and detailed outlines helped solidify my understanding of key concepts.

One suggestion I have is to include SRA sample questions within the mandatory hours of the course. Detailed explanations for the correct answers to these questions would have added immense value and better aligned the course with the exam’s focus.

Overall, I would highly recommend the BARBRI course to anyone preparing for the exam, especially those new to common law.

Thought SQE1 Barbri course was well managed and thought out. Feel exactly the opposite with the Barbri SQE2 course and would not recommend. The tutors are doing their best and are being very helpful, but the way the course is laid out and the timetabling is confusing.
Self-marking exercises are not helpful - although you think you are making the points raised in the exemplars, sometimes the tutors are looking for particular words or phrases, or are looking for the exercise to be set out a certain way, so mark you down when it comes to a tutor-marked exercise. Personally, I think all exercises should be tutor marked so that you know expectations from the outset, then the exemplars provided, preferably at superior performance level. After all, this is what you are working to for your exams!
The set-out of the SQE2 course is muddled and ill-thought out. Halfway through the course and Barbi have changed workshop dates so that we are discussing the content and feedback for exercises that are not yet closed. What is the point of discussing how you should have undertaken an exercise BEFORE you have done it???
The timetabling for this course is all over the place which makes it hard to follow and keep up with consistently, especially if you are working full time - which most of my cohort is, currently.
Very disappointed after such a great SQE1 Barbri course. Barbri have let themselves down with their SQE2 admin and conduct.
Have had to seek extra tutoring outside of Barbri to try and get me through this nightmare.