We pretty much suspected this was coming — after all, the Multistate Bar Exam scores that typically comprise between 33 and 50 percent of the overall score in MBE jurisdictions, are up this year — but we can officially be cautiously optimistic about the July 2019 bar exam scores. Though the majority of states have not yet completed grading the most recent administration of the bar exam, a bunch that have are trending up.
Of the jurisdictions that have released bar scores so far, Florida is the largest and their overall pass rate is up 7 points to an impressive 74 percent. North Dakota’s pass rate shot up 10 points to 73 percent. Alabama had 61 percent of applicants pass, up 6 percentage points from 2018. Connecticut’s pass rate now sits at 60 percent, up from 55 percent. Plus New Mexico, Oklahoma, Alabama and Oregon also saw their pass rates rise, although more modestly.
As reported by Law.com, this is good news for legal academia, which had been riding out a five year downward trajectory in bar exam passage rates:
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“It is very good news,” said North Dakota law Dean Michael McGinniss, noting that 84% of the school’s first-time bar takers passed in July. “We’ve been working on our academic success and bar pass initiatives. This class that just graduated is the beneficiary of some of the innovations we put forward a few years ago. It’s very encouraging to see them be so successful, and we want to continue to build on that success.”
But as Judith Gundersen, president of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, noted, “Most jurisdictions, but not all, will see an improvement in scores and pass rates.” And some have indeed fallen: Vermont is down 9 points, to a pass rate of 61 percent, Maine fell to 52 percent, down four points, and Idaho’s pass rate is at 64 percent, down from 69 percent. Yet, as we wait for the larger jurisdictions (California, New York, Illinois) to release their scores, there’s lots of reason to hope this year will see some real improvement.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).