BARBRI vs. AdaptiBar: Full Course or Question Bank, and Why the Answer Is Often Both

They are different kinds of product

What AdaptiBar sells

BARBRI's AdaptiBar page listed the MCQ Simulator at $495 with more than 1,375 licensed MBE questions from NCBE, an adaptive algorithm and statistics by subject and subtopic. The Writing Guide was $295 with real released essays and performance tests, tutor tips and a rule funnel feature. Video lectures taught by Jonathan Grossman ran 20-plus hours across all seven MBE subjects at $395, or $295 with the simulator. The page also says over 40 percent of 2023 bar takers used the simulator, a claim we cannot verify.

What BARBRI includes without it

Premium lists 1,000 or more NCBE-licensed MBE questions plus BARBRI-written practice. So the difference is not licensed versus unlicensed. It is a larger licensed set (AdaptiBar lists 1,375-plus against BARBRI's 1,000-plus) and the adaptive engine, plus a large library of released writing.

How real users describe the gap

A recurring complaint about course questions on review sites is that they differ from the real exam. That is why many candidates add a bank of licensed questions and compare results. If your score on AdaptiBar is much higher or lower than on course questions, the licensed questions are the better predictor.

Which to buy

If you need a whole course, buy the course. If you already have a course from your school or firm, or your weak spot is multiple choice, buy the simulator. If your weak spot is essays or the MPT, buy the Writing Guide. If you are unsure and want everything, Elite bundles both plus flashcards and videos.

The bundle arithmetic, using BARBRI's own listed prices

Add the two AdaptiBar products BARBRI lists separately and you get $790: $495 for the MCQ Simulator and $295 for the Writing Guide. Add the MBE video lectures at the $295 bundle price and the total is $1,085. Elite costs $1,000 more than Premium, so after the $790 of AdaptiBar products, the CriticalPass flashcards and Quimbee SideBar videos account for the remaining $210 of the gap.

CriticalPass is the fourth piece. BARBRI's page describes physical flashcards with digital access, or a digital-only version, with six months of digital access included with a print purchase, custom decks, quiz questions and progress tracking. Cards are a memorization tool and the simulator is a practice tool, so they answer different weaknesses.

UWorld as the alternative bank

UWorld's MBE QBank listed at $449 with more than 1,900 questions including more than 1,150 licensed items. See our AdaptiBar vs. UWorld comparison for how the two banks differ.