Yesterday afternoon the BarHacker All India Bar Exam (AIBE) bar exam preparation indexes went viral in chain emails in law firm offices between 2010 graduates and fellow bar exam takers. One thread with our 14 indexes was forwarded in at least one major law firm with Lower Parel offices and across a number of national law schools.
Unfortunately, if you got hold of one of these pirated copies do NOT use it in the exam: that version contained unintentional but critical errors and will make your bar exam harder rather than easier. Sorry, you’ll have to sign up to get the new version! (and we have improved anti-piracy measures in this version for good measure)
In many of the PDFs, page references were incorrect due to a software glitch, defeating the purpose of the index. The BarHacker team has now fixed all errors and is of course sending fresh copies to our very special subscribers by email.
While it is a bit sad to see budding lawyers so happy to break copyrights and the law, we are really glad that you really like our materials and our hard work. Bad products don’t get pirated after all!
If you know of someone who has a wrong copy please let them know not to rely on it for the exam (and do tell them to pay for the full course and get a copy for themselves – it’s worth it and you’ll both feel happier).
Show us the BarHacker love!
Lots of you have loved the indexes but we have got some great reviews about the rest of the course too. “You are a saviour,” told us one NLIU Bhopal grad in her first year at a top corporate law firm.
One subscriber to the course from Mumbai University wrote in an email: “Thanks for this wonderful initiative. like++”, and another added: “Glad to support something that’s bound to help me out.”
How to really soar
On top of the popular indexes, we offer a lot more brilliant content. Our mock exams are amazing and let you practice using the indexes in a hyper-realistic test environment.
Your accuracy levels will really soar and if you are aiming for the three BCI top scorer prizes – named after Nambyar, Palkhiwala and Khanna - this is a surefire way to go about it! More than 500 realistic and original bar exam questions are online now!
Power your way through
Plus, we have put up the first PowerPack study aid, which grills you on your weaker subjects only, and we will keep putting up more of these right until Sunday!
And our advanced strategy videos really take the cake on subjects like time management skills and how to quickly identify the easiest questions so you can clear the pass grade in a few blinks of the eye. According to the BCI model paper some are much easier than others. To pass the exam you need to find 40 (realistically 50 to keep some margin for errors) easy questions very quickly. How do you do that? The latest video that’ll be uploaded today and others will reveal the secrets for subscribers.
Our subscribers who’ve had the benefit agree. “The material seems to be really good. I tried a few mock tests and browsed through a few videos. It seems nice enough…good job guys!!” wrote one commenter on Legally India, and another who had been the lucky recipient of some illegally pirated materials wrote charitably: “It is pretty good and comprehensive.” Thanks!
LI regular Meerkat wrote: “Nice one BarHacker - coming from two guys still in college, this is a commendable effort… Haven’t written an open book exam yet, and for those of you referring to your study materials now, i’m sure you’ll find that managing and knowing where the answers are over twenty different subjects is quite a task. I’m hoping the indexes and videos help out considerably… Props for the money back guarantee and the referral system too.”
Honestly, thanks for all the feedback and kind words, we are really happy that people are liking the course!
But really, we are not that surprised which is why we offer a full money back guarantee if any course takers fail.
“Abhyudaya and Ramanuj have done an excellent job in putting together the content, techniques and method that will no doubt enable many to crack the bar exam,” said Vishwas Devaiah after evaluating the BarHacker course. Devaiah has taught at University of Liverpool, is overseas research consultant to World Health Organisation.
Did you know you can take the course for free? If you refer two other BarHackers who put down your name when they sign up, we’ll refund the cost of your course to you! Yes, all of it! And if you refer more, in fact, we’ll even pay you.
But why don’t you stop procrastinating and commenting on Legally India and try it out for yourself? You will sleep easier at night and your legal knowledge certainly will increase too! We can’t guarantee that you could pass the Bombay Solicitors exam after this course but the bar exam we are sure you will pass with our course!
You can pay instantly via credit or some debit cards or we can arrange cheque, demand draft and even cash payments. Call Abhyudaya on 0900 782 3372 for help or any questions – he’s a super-friendly guy and very happy to help you!
Do also like our Facebook page to get regular updates on strategy and important questions that we think could turn up in the Bar Exam on Sunday.
Visit BarHacker now and try the free trial and more!
Photo by comedynose
Comments
@3 and 4: Partly we are branding the product, sure, partly we are excited about it being well-received and want to share that story.
If you are not interested in sponsored posts, you do not have to read them, that is fine.
Another big point: We needed to let people know not to use the pirated earlier version indexes. There is no way for us to contact all of them, and it would be a shame for our 'branding' and for them if people went to the exam thinking these indexes are correct. What other way would there have been to get that message out?
Our T&Cs do not permit recirculation for partly that reason as we can only have responsibility to our subscribers but not to the world at large in viral emails.
Anyway, we think it is great that the course is catching on and people are liking it, that's all.
Feel free to sign up if you like, it's your choice and we are not forcing you to do anything.
Best wishes,
Kian
If the authors of barhacker really had the intention to help the students, they wouldn't have had come up with the material last minute but would have had done it much before, allowing people to discuss the merits of the study material.
I think it is a shame that a brand like legally india has fallen prey to such cheap tactics. It wouldn't be long when the articles published will be sponsored by lawyers, law firms etc. and honest and free press will again be suppressed.
Thanks for your comment but I disagree. As I explained recently, if we had had a choice in the matter, yes it would have been nice to have launched the course months ago to allow word of mouth to spread.
http://www.legallyindia.com/201102271847/Law-schools/prepared-for-all-india-bar-exam-stop-worrying-well-help-you-crack-it-sponsored
(see comments here)
Nevertheless, you are right: we assume that a lot of associates will not have had the time to study yet, so if they would like to take advantage of some assistance we are happy to give it. And many clearly are happy with what we can give them and are willing (and easily able!) to pay for it.
A lot of effort, time and cost went into producing this course and we are barely likely to even hit break-even on this project. Calling it 'nasty' is not just extreme but irrational, although I understand the resentment that CLAT preparation and other places have inevitably drawn, although everyone seems to use them anyway.
I think that any attempt to charge lawyers money for services or admissions tests or general education will always meet with resistance. However, in almost every other country this is a legitimate way that a publication can try to cover some of its costs.
More than anything here it's a take-it-or-leave-it-thing. The post is marked as sponsored in BIG letters at the top and if you prefer not reading/commenting on it, that is fine and you can ignore it.
On your final point, yes, we do intend to be posting other sponsored posts from time to time from various organisations but we will always, always be transparent about it. And as soon as there is any commercial element or money that exchanged hands for a story, we will continue to be clear about it, and that's a personal promise.
I know that domestic media and other publications in even this space do not necessarily follow this practice but I believe intelligent readers are able to discern this fairly well. Therefore and out of principle, we strongly intend to retain our editorial independence and credibility, while also managing to be a commercially sustainable publication.
If you value Legally India and our content I hope you will allow us to do so in a reasonable manner, without compromising on our overall quality.
However, I am also always happy for you or other readers to take me to task or question me for anything we do and publish.
Warm regards
Kian
There are two reasons:
1. The course is DESIGNED to be a 'last minute course'.
Firstly, you don't need intensive preparation to clear it.
Secondly, most of the students are working at wont' have the time to do that.
2.They had to PREPARE the structure, design, content and delivery of this course.
And preparing a good course invariably requires time.
That is why you are seeing the course now!
What is it with you people? I think LI has the right to sell whatever it likes. If you want it, you get it, if you don't then just shut up about it and save everyone some time!?
NRI
You must have really boring lives, I hope I will not turn out like that when it's my time.
-2012 batcher
Best regards
Kian
These guys came up with a good thing amidst all the confusion surrounding the bar exam. kudos !
@19 - thanks for the apology. Sometimes it does feel as though on some days I spend a good part of the day 'defending' LI from commenters. :-)
In this case, perhaps more than in other cases because some of the charges were serious.
If people think we are selling out or dishonest in our dealings, I would much rather set the record straight and be transparent about the way we operate, since people clearly seem to care.
Or maybe I care too much about this kind of stuff?
Cheers,
Kian
But I'm being naive, its all about money honey. :-)
X-O
Anyway, all the best to everyone appearing for the exam.
So I think that the mark is still 40%, as long as you get the minimums in each category.
Best wishes
Kian
You sir, have tapped into a basic human quality called gullibility and for that I applaud you.