Bar Exam - The Good & The Bad

November 15, 2021

Julie Seitz

   Passing the bar exam begins to create anxiety for every law school student from the first day of law school until the results are received. I have bad news and good news for you. 

   First, the bad news. Unfortunately, many law school graduates do not pass the bar exam the first time. In the table below are some recent pass rates by jurisdiction. States with the lowest pass rates include but are not limited to: California, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In these and some other jurisdictions 40-50% of law school graduates are not passing the bar exam. Even in jurisdictions such as Colorado, Massachusetts, and Oregon with relatively higher pass rates, 25-30% of law school students are not passing the bar the first time.  These facts beg the questions: why are so many law school graduates failing the bar exam and what can be done to help more students pass the bar?

   There are many excellent bar exam prep courses on the market today that boast excellent pass rates. However, many of these courses lack a one-on-one tutor or coach. 

   The good news is you can schedule appointments with me to guide your bar exam preparation journey to help you find a strategy that works for you. I supplement whatever bar prep course you have chosen. I guide my students with time management schedules, motivational support and the specific legal review wherever you need it most. Your tutoring and/or coaching sessions with me will be all about your needs and what areas you need to work on to move you towards your goals. My students benefit from sending me the essay questions they are working on before a session so I can work right along with them and I go over their answers to teach them how to improve. This personalized approach might be the missing key. 

https://www.ncbex.org/statistics-and-research/bar-exam-results/