Law Schools

California Bar Pleased With Initial Results From Program To Help Exam Takers Handle Stress

Test takers who took advantage of the program performed much better on the bar exam than those who did not participate.

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Ed. note: Please welcome Lyle Moran to the pages of Above the Law. He’ll be writing about developments involving legal organizations in California (e.g., the State Bar of California and the new California Lawyers Association), legal issues the California Legislature takes on, as well as legal education.

The 40.7 percent pass rate on the July 2018 California bar exam was a 67-year low for the summer test, but the result may have been even worse without a mindset intervention program designed to reduce applicants’ stress and boost performance.

The State Bar of California said test takers who took advantage of the program it offered for the first time performed much better than those who did not participate, and the bar was pleased enough with the results that it will offer the initiative again for the July 2019 exam.

For the initial go-around, bar takers who signed up for what was billed as a “productive mindset intervention” were split into two groups so a randomized control trial could be conducted.

One group was given tools and strategies to navigate common “barriers, frictions, and stressors” applicants experience when preparing for the exam, as well as study strategies, said Victor D. Quintanilla, an Indiana University law professor who served as one of the program’s principal investigators. A second group of participants received only the study strategies.

Both groups reviewed the materials in the late spring. The online initiative typically takes participants about an hour to complete.

Quintanilla said the program “incorporates a welcome message, audio and written stories from prior test takers, and a module in which participants write letters to future test takers about how to use the insights and strategies shared.”

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Bar takers who were given both sets of strategies had a pass rate of roughly 56 percent, while those who just received the study strategies produced a pass rate of roughly 48 percent. Both groups bested the overall success rate on the test.

“I was surprised by how promising the results were,” State Bar of California Executive Director Leah T. Wilson said in an interview. “At the same time, because of the relatively small sample size, it is critically important that we do what we can to encourage increased participation and participation all the way through the program this time around.”

Overall, 1,638 of the 8,071 test takers who completed the July 2018 exam — roughly 20 percent — participated in what is now being called the California Bar Exam Strategies and Stories Program. The program is free for test takers.

Amy Nuñez, the State Bar’s director of admissions, said the agency is hopeful that including the registration for the strategies and stories program as part of the bar exam application process will help boost participation.

Bar exam takers could start signing up for the 2019 initiative beginning March 1 and registration continues through June 3.

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Quintanilla said there are already signs of increased interest in the program, which was developed by the bar in conjunction with a team of law and psychology researchers from Indiana University, University of Southern California, and Stanford University.

Wilson said a larger sample size would also allow the bar to see if the intervention helps certain groups of takers, such as those from different ethnic groups and genders, more than others. In the first round of the program, the program seemed to benefit test takers of different backgrounds about equally, Quintanilla said.

The program has been funded by a $125,000 AccessLex Institute grant. The funds remaining will be used to tailor the program for the July 2019 exam, while additional funding will be sought to analyze the results on the upcoming test.

Officials at the State Bar and in legal education circles will be watching those results closely, as will future California bar exam takers.

Lyle Moran is a freelance writer in San Diego who handles both journalism and content writing projects. He previously reported for the Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Diego Daily Transcript, Associated Press, and Lowell Sun. He can be reached at lmoransun@gmail.com.

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