Free Bar Exam Study Resources — Curated Guide

This treatise compiles free, publicly available bar exam study materials gathered from three open-access reference guides: Brendan Conley's Bar Exam site, Fordham Law Library's "Free Resources for Bar Study," and Seattle University Law Library's "Bar Exam Preparation" guide. Use it to find official outlines, sample questions, and no-cost subject summaries.

1. National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) — Official Materials

The NCBE publishes the actual exam components and makes subject-matter outlines and sample questions freely available.

• MBE (Multistate Bar Exam): Subject matter outline and sample questions — https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mbe/preparing-mbe
• MEE (Multistate Essay Exam): Subject matter outline and past questions — https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mee/preparing-mee
• MPT (Multistate Performance Test): Past questions and guidance — https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpt/preparing-mpt
• MPRE (Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam): Preparing for the MPRE — https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/preparing-mpre
• Bar Admissions Guide: https://www.ncbex.org/publications/bar-admissions-guide/

Exam tip: The NCBE subject-matter outlines are the authoritative scope of each exam — cross-reference your VerdictUp outlines against them to confirm coverage.

2. Free BARBRI / LexisNexis Subject Outlines

LexisNexis hosts BARBRI outline PDFs for 1L and upper-level courses. These are concise black-letter law summaries ideal for quick review.

1L Outlines (https://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/contents/b/contents/archive/2016/08/20/free-barbri-outlines-for-first-year-courses.aspx):

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts and Sales
• Criminal Law
• Personal Property
• Real Property
• Torts

Upper-Level Outlines:

• Constitutional Law
• Corporations
• Criminal Procedure
• Evidence
• Professional Responsibility
• Trusts
• Wills

3. Helix Law School Mini-Outlines

Free, concise black-letter law mini-outlines covering core subjects frequently tested on the bar. Registration required (free) at https://www.helixbarreview.org/free-law-school-mini-outlines — confirmation sent from Connect@helixbarreview.org.

4. Themis Law School Essentials

Free Law School Essentials courses per subject, including lecture videos, outlines, and flashcards. Register at https://www.themisbar.com/sign_up to enroll.

5. CALI — "Passing the Bar: A Quick Reference Guide for Today's Law Student"

Open-access guide by Allie Robbins (2nd ed., Dec 2020), with an audiobook version of the 1st edition. https://www.cali.org/books/passing-the-bar-guide

6. New York-Specific (Fordham)

• NY Law Course Materials & NYLE Sample Questions: https://www.nybarexam.org/Content/CourseMaterials.htm
• Past NY Essay Questions with Sample Answers: https://www.nybarexam.org/ExamQuestions/ExamQuestions.htm

7. Washington-Specific (Seattle U)

• Washington Law Component Research Materials: https://admissions.wsba.org/getpdfform.action?id=1520 — WSBA overview of the WA Law Component.

8. Brendan Conley — Free Big-Picture Diagrams & Subject Summaries

Visual flowcharts and full-text subject summaries (updated 2019–2020), licensed Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. Useful as a big-picture structural aid alongside VerdictUp's outlines.

Site: https://brendanconley.com/barexam/

Available summaries and diagrams:

• Contracts — 42-page summary

• Big Picture diagram
• "Just the Rules"

• Torts — 49-page summary
• Criminal Law & Procedure — 42-page summary

• procedure flowchart
• inchoate crimes diagram

• Constitutional Law — justiciability flowchart, Bill of Rights, Freedom of Expression
• Evidence — Big Picture flowchart (form, relevance, presentation, hearsay, privileges)
• Real Property — present estates, leasehold privity, covenants
• Remedies — legal, equitable, restitutionary
• Corporations — organization, formation, operation, management

How to use these: Conley's diagrams excel at structure — use them to see how a whole subject fits together, then drill into VerdictUp's outlines for the detailed rules and exam tips.

Recommended Print Companion Titles

• Strategies and Tactics for the MBE
• The Bar Exam in a Nutshell
• The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam
• Pass the Bar!
• Exam Pro — Bar Prep Workbook

---

Quick-Start Plan

1. Read the NCBE subject-matter outline for each MBE subject to confirm scope.
2. Use VerdictUp's comprehensive subject outlines for the detailed rules and exam tips.
3. Pull a BARBRI outline or Helix mini-outline for a second-pass concise summary.
4. Practice with NCBE sample questions and (for NY) past NY essay questions with sample answers.
5. Use Brendan Conley's big-picture diagrams to review structure the day before the exam.

Sources: brendanconley.com/barexam · researchguides.lawnet.fordham.edu/barstudy/free · lawlibguides.seattleu.edu/barprep