May 7 / GBP Team

How to Actually Use Goat Bar Prep

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^ That's us

You've done it.


You made the leap and bought the Goat Bar Prep bundle. Welcome to the Pasture.

You're probably asking yourself, "This is a lot of content. I just read it all? Is that what this is?"

Basically, yes.

But there's more to it than that.

"How do I use GBP?" is probably the number one question asked on the r/GoatBarPrep subreddit. 

So much so, that I went through some of the top threads and pulled some great comments to make a short guide that should help you get started. 

Let's get into it.
1. Make an outline
A lot of students find value in creating their own outlines from the GBP modules. They can be as detailed as you need. Writing something down always helps with information retention and recall.
"I made an outline using his materials and switched up a few things. I changed all of his cute examples to my cats’ names for easier recall lol. Then changed all the evil people examples to people I hate."
- u/Plastic-Ad-4791
Some people even re-write each module by hand. I'm not sure I'd recommend it if you're short on time, but it probably helps!
"I bought a bunch of notebooks for the subjects and handwrote GOAT's notes. One notebook per subject. No proper outline."
- u/moodykillerwhales
2. Integrate Practice Questions Early
This is a big one that we hear all the time. Many people recommend reading a GBP module or two, then answering some practice questions on the same topics.
"While studying I would read and write, read and write. I actually never went back over my notes, I just was actively learning by writing. And then taking MBE questions on the topic. It’s about active, intentional learning and making a ton of mistakes at first."
- u/Different-Metal-4728
"...study 1-2 modules for a subject a day + practice those subjects by doing MCQs (10-15 questions is enough to cover particular topics like Hearsay or Joinders, etc). See how you do. If you hit 70-80% correct, then move to the next module. If not, go back and go over again."
- u/Background_Gold_3878
"I read each module and took detailed notes on my computer. I did a 10 question quiz on each subtopic as I went. I aimed to hit 50 questions a day so it took around two weeks to finish all mbe topics. Then I started doing mixed sets to see where I was struggling and kept referring back to my notes from goat as needed and moved onto incorporating essays"
- u/CertainYellow4569
"Read a chapter and do questions of that lesson. I wish I did that sooner. Good way to get exposure to the questions and apply them. Just do 5-10 max anything more than that is overkill lol. I tried doing 20 mortgage question in a row. Save mix questions till the end"
- u/Aggressive-Writer-96
3. Get creative - Do what works for YOU
"I tried the traditional big bar prep approach the first time and fell 4 points short of passing. I have a very creative brain and found that I can’t stay focused on bar prep unless I am creating. So as I was reading through the modules, I had Canva pulled up on a second screen and created a power point presentation based on the module. I then used this power point to review, teach the modules to others (mostly my dogs), and did MEEs and Adaptibar questions based on that topic. I found it more helpful to intermix my studying just to stay focused. I think studying for the bar depends on how YOU learn."
- u/MotionToStitch
"I made flashcards or wrote notes in my GOATNOTES notebook when going through goat material of the big points he made. But, I’m a hand writer for memorization. It definitely helps!

My final tip: stick with what method worked for you during law school. So however you’d normally go through material for say finals, do that here. As my bar prep director at my law school reminded us from day 1: “bar prep is NOT the time to try new things.” Lol. She’d joke and say “if you’ve been in a bad marriage all through law school, stay in it until after the bar. If you did drugs to study for law school finals, now isn’t necessarily the time to quit and go through withdrawals. Stuck with what worked.” A little nuts, but she was right. Lol"
- u/Lopsided_Function330
4. Listen to it like a podcast
"Highly recommend using the "read aloud" feature on microsoft edge to keep you focused. I also took hand written notes during listening."
- u/spicyjared
Everyone loves a podcast. While we all wait for Goat to personally read every module like an audiobook, we can settle for screen readers. My personal favorite is having Snoop Dogg teach me about Tort law. We recommend Speechify but there are a lot of great options out there!
"I also used a screen reader app to have my phone read it to me like a podcast. Then I could do it while I was driving or out walking."
- u/Brokenscroll
Goat note: A lot of screen readers don't work natively on the content, but we made a Chrome extension that will allow them to work. Check out the FAQ for info on how to download it and get it working.
5. Incorporate other bar prep resources
While the GBP content is amazing and one-of-a-kind, it's not currently designed as an all-in-one bar prep course. One day, but not yet. A lot of students pair GBP with other tools to fill in the gaps, especially for practice questions or flashcards.
"I incorporated critical pass flashcards, Quimbee stuff, UWorld charts, and of course GOAT."
- u/Historical-Shark77
"I used Goat Bar Prep along with UWorld as a first-time taker and passed."
- u/turn0search18
"I’m a J24 retaker. This time, I used the Goat coupled with the Emmanuel Crunchtimes. I had Themis outlines and stuff, too. But I would recommend for sure buying the Strategies and Tactics for the MBE by Steven Emmanuel to go along with the GOAT."
- u/Lopsided_Function330
Goat-Note: Goat says that most students find success in using GBP alongside UWorld or Joe Seperac's OPE 860 Questions(Seperac is a legend). Read a section of the GBP course, then answer UWorld questions or do the 860 problems. We aren't getting paid to mention these resources (although we'd like to). These are what have worked in the past.
6. Get involved
This is my own advice, but I recommend joining the r/GoatBarPrep subreddit AND Discord server to talk to other goats who are studying along with you! Last cycle, we had some active Discord members who organized study sessions and other activities. People are always around to answer questions, so don't be afraid to ask!
Final Thoughts

Here's the play:
  • 🐐 Read the modules
  • ✍️ Make your own outlines
  • 💥 Do a ton of practice questions (MBE + essays)
  • 📚 Supplement if you need to
  • 🧠 Review everything, repeatedly

Happy studying!

As always, hit up Goat at goat@goatbarprep.net if you need anything or have questions.

- GBP Team

Sources:
Reddit: How do you suggest outlining using Goat Bar Prep Modules?
Reddit: I passed the NY Bar
Reddit: How to use the GOAT materials efficiently?
Reddit: How do you study Goat Material
Reddit: How do you suggest outlining using Goat Bar Prep Modules?
Reddit: How long to do Goat Bar Prep?