All bar exam results from the July 2016 administration of the test have officially been released, and in California’s case, it seems that the absolute worst may have been saved for last. The results of the state’s exam were scheduled for mailing on Friday, and test-takers were able to see whether their names were on the pass list on Friday evening.
Save for a few states, bar passage rates have continued to decline nationwide, and many have been waiting to see if California’s passage rates for the July 2016 exam would tank as badly as they did in July 2015, which were the worst the state had seen in nearly three decades. If you thought last year was bad, just wait until you see this year’s results.
According to a press release from the State Bar of California, the overall pass rate for the July 2016 exam was 43 percent, while the pass rate for first-time takers was 56 percent. In July 2015, the overall pass rate was 46.6 percent, and the pass rate for first-time takers was 60 percent. Although California’s overall pass rate dropped by 3.6 percentage points, its examinees seemed to be more able than test-takers in other states. The state’s mean scaled MBE score was 1421 compared with the national average of 1403.
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Perhaps that bright spot ought to be taken with a grain of salt, because this is the lowest overall pass rate California has seen for the July administration of the bar since results were released in the fall of 1986, when only 44.4 percent of all test-takers passed the exam. The state hasn’t seen an overall pass rate this low in 32 years. In fact, this passage rate is historically mediocre — it’s actually the third-lowest summer passage rate the state has seen since 1951, when the July passage rate was just 37.6 percent.
| Year | Overall Pass Rate |
| July 2016 | 43 percent passed |
| July 2015 | 46.6 percent passed |
| July 2014 | 48.6 percent passed |
| July 2013 | 55.8 percent passed |
| July 2012 | 55.3 percent passed |
| July 2011 | 54.8 percent passed |
| July 2010 | 54.8 percent passed |
| July 2009 | 56.4 percent passed |
| July 2008 | 61.7 percent passed |
| July 2007 | 56.1 percent passed |
| July 2006 | 51.8 percent passed |
| July 2005 | 48.8 percent passed |
| July 2004 | 48.2 percent passed |
| July 2003 | 49.4 percent passed |
| July 2002 | 50.5 percent passed |
| July 2001 | 56.9 percent passed |
| July 2000 | 55.3 percent passed |
| July 1999 | 51.2 percent passed |
| July 1998 | 52.5 percent passed |
| July 1997 | 62.9 percent passed |
| July 1996 | 55.9 percent passed |
| July 1995 | 59.4 percent passed |
| July 1994 | 63.2 percent passed |
| July 1993 | 59.0 percent passed |
| July 1992 | 59.4 percent passed |
| July 1991 | 54.9 percent passed |
| July 1990 | 58.0 percent passed |
| July 1989 | 59.5 percent passed |
| July 1988 | 52.5 percent passed |
| July 1987 | 50.3 percent passed |
| July 1986 | 44.4 percent passed |
| July 1985 | 45.4 percent passed |
| July 1984 | 41.8 percent passed |
Here are some additional statistics from this summer’s administration of the exam:
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Once again, graduates of ABA-accredited law schools displayed an obvious advantage over their peers who attended California-accredited or unaccredited law schools. We’re eager to see the pass rates for individual law schools when that data is available.
Congratulations to everyone who was lucky enough to have passed the California bar exam. Fewer than half of your peers passed, so this is really quite the achievement.
STATE BAR ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR JULY 2016 CALIFORNIA BAR EXAMINATION [State Bar of California]
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.