Massachusetts Bar Exam Results Reveal Worst Passage Rates In Almost 25 Years
"Passachusetts" no more?
“Passachusetts” no more?
The results for the July 2016 administration of the Massachusetts bar exam are out, and they really aren’t pretty. In fact, save for the tiniest glimmer of hope found in the state’s first-time passage rate, they’re downright ugly.
While 79.8 percent of examinees passed the exam on their first try this past summer, the overall pass rate for the July 2016 administration of the Massachusetts exam was 70.8 percent. This is the worst overall passage rate Massachusetts has seen in almost 25 years, since 1993 — and possibly beyond, but we were unable to find any other data published online.
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On top of that startling fact, the state’s passage rate for first-time takers has been on a steady decline since 2010 (save for what seems to be an anomaly in July 2013), when 91.0 percent of first-time takers passed the exam. This year’s passage rate for first-time takers increased by 0.8 percentage points since the July 2015 exam. See for yourselves:
- July 2016: 79.8 percent passed
- July 2015: 79.0 percent passed
- July 2014: 82.3 percent passed
- July 2013: 87.7 percent passed
- July 2012: 85.3 percent passed
- July 2011: 88.2 percent passed
- July 2010: 91.0 percent passed
Below, we’ve listed the overall passage rates for July exams in Massachusetts since 1993:
| Year | All Candidates |
| July 2016 | 70.8 percent passed |
| July 2015 | 71.7 percent passed |
| July 2014 | 76.2 percent passed |
| July 2013 | 82.3 percent passed |
| July 2012 | 81.1 percent passed |
| July 2011 | 84 percent passed |
| July 2010 | 86.1 percent passed |
| July 2009 | 85.7 percent passed |
| July 2008 | 86.4 percent passed |
| July 2007 | 82.7 percent passed |
| July 2006 | 82.3 percent passed |
| July 2005 | 76.5 percent passed |
| July 2004 | 77.3 percent passed |
| July 2003 | 72.0 percent passed |
| July 2002 | 72.6 percent passed |
| July 2001 | 75.2 percent passed |
| July 2000 | 73.0 percent passed |
| July 1999 | 74.0 percent passed |
| July 1998 | 73.0 percent passed |
| July 1997 | 79.7 percent passed |
| July 1996 | 77.3 percent passed |
| July 1995 | 78.3 percent passed |
| July 1994 | 82.5 percent passed |
| July 1993 | 77.1 percent passed |
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Were there certain law schools to blame for the damage that’s been done to the Massachusetts bar exam passage rates? Based on statistics from the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners, it looks like at least two law schools have been dragging down the results for the entire state. Allow us to present the July 2015 and July 2016 bar exam passage rates for UMass-Dartmouth Law and the Massachusetts School of Law.
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When barely half or fewer than half of all of your graduates are capable of passing the bar exam, you know your law school has problems it needs to remedy — immediately.
On a lighter note, three cheers for Harvard, Boston University, and Boston College, as all three law schools had first-time passage rates that fell within the 90th percentile.
Congratulations to you if you were able to pass the bar exam in Massachusetts. If you didn’t, at least you had a lot of company. Better luck next time!
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
