Category: Cal Bar Results

Cal Bar Results Day!

Hello everyone!

It is Results Day!  Congratulations to those who passed tonight.  For those who are eligible to take the Cal Bar in February 2024, my heart is with you.  I failed twice before I passed, and I remember Results Day from July 1998 like it was yesterday.  And that’s nearly 25 years to the day.  Part of me died that day.  But I found a way to pass, and I can help you do the same.

 

If you didn’t pass tonight, mourn the result.  It’s a big event, and many of you didn’t think you would fail.  But if that’s the case, let’s talk.  Mourn your result.  Dust yourself off.  Put yourself together.  And let’s generate some points.

 

 

Some days are going to be easier than others.  As I learned when my Dad died in mid-July (he was 91), the sun will come up tomorrow.  Promise.  And some days are going to be easier than others.  But if you want some help getting past this hurdle and moving on with the rest of your life, I can help.  I have heard some amazing stories of people who passed tonight.  And I will hear more.  I look forward to helping you joining the pantheon of the passing.

 

YOU CAN DO THIS.

 

Let’s talk soon.  Spaces are filling up.  If you want to talk, please reach out now.

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July 2023 Cal Bar Exam Percentile Table

The link will take you to the July 2023 percentile table:

 

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/admissions/Examinations/Percentile-Table.pdf

 

Interestingly, 50% scored below 1394.  The pass line is 1390.  That means very, very few people passed on re-read.

 

 

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July 2023 California Bar Examination Press Release

Hello everyone.

 

The overall pass rate was 51.5%.  Not bad at all.  Just under a 1% decline from last July’s 52.4%.

 

When I calculated “The Bottom Line” – what it takes to narrowly pass on the first read with identical scores across the Board, here’s what I came up with:

 

60% across the board (with the July 2013 MBE Conversion Table, the last one available, for MBE scores) = 1375.3122.

 

61% across the board = 1398.9546.

 

From that perspective, a very normal, typical Cal Bar Exam.  Although I found it interesting that the California mean MBE was about 16 points under the national mean.  Anyhow, press release is below.

 

I have space remaining in my tutoring program.  If you’re interested, now is the time.  Spaces are filling up.

 

 

The State Bar of California reported today that 51.5 percent of applicants passed the July 2023 General Bar Examination (GBX). As a result, the 3,888 people who passed the July exam will be eligible for admission to the State Bar as soon as all admissions requirements are satisfied.

“The State Bar sends out a heartfelt congratulations to all who passed the General Bar Exam and Attorneys’ Exam,” said Leah Wilson, State Bar Executive Director. “We are excited that these individuals successfully completed this critical step in the licensure process. We hope they take great pride in this accomplishment. We look forward to welcoming them as new licensees to the profession soon and wish them continued success as they embark on their legal careers.”

California’s General Bar Exam pass rate of 51.5 percent represented a slight drop from last year’s July pass rate of 52.4 percent. Preliminary statistical analyses show that of the 7,555 applicants who completed the GBX, 67.3 percent were first-time takers. The pass rate for these 5,083 first-time applicants was 64.8 percent. The pass rate for the 2,472 applicants repeating the exam was 24.1 percent.

Here are preliminary pass rate statistics in greater detail:

School Type First-Timers Repeaters
ABA Accredited – California 76.3% 36.7%
ABA Accredited – Out-of-State 69.9% 27.0%
CBE Accredited 33.2% 15.7%
Unaccredited – Correspondence 40.0% 18.8%
Unaccredited – Distance Learning 17.4% 13.3%
Unaccredited – Fixed-Facility 14.3% 4.8%
Others 25.0% 20.6%
All Applicants 64.8% 24.1%

 

Attorneys’ Examination results 

The statistics above do not include attorneys who took the one-day Attorneys’ Examination. The Attorneys’ Exam, which consists of the essay and performance test sections of the GBX, is open to lawyers who have been admitted to the practice of law in another U.S. jurisdiction and have been an active licensee in good standing for at least the four years immediately preceding the exam. Of the 356 lawyers who completed the Attorneys’ Exam, 170 (47.8 percent) passed.

Background information about the California Bar Exam

The two-day General Bar Examination is given twice a year, in February and July. The exam consists of three sections: a 200-item multiple-choice section, also known as the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), five essay questions, and a performance test designed to assess an applicant’s ability to apply general legal knowledge to practical tasks. The mean scaled MBE score in California was 1389 compared with the national average of 1405.

Successful applicants who have satisfied other requirements for admission―those who have received a positive moral character determination, passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and are not on the California Department of Child Support Services’ list of those in arrears for family or child support―may take the Attorney’s Oath.

A pass list from the exam will be published on the State Bar website on November 12, 2023, at 6:00 a.m. More detailed statistics about exam results will be available in four to six weeks on the State Bar website.

*Please note that these are preliminary statistics. Law schools will be required to confirm the students allocated to their law school and, as a result, these statistics may change.

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February 2023 Cal Bar Exam results press release

Of note:  CA’s pass rate declined as it did for many jurisdictions.  The four states referenced below had declines between 3-7%, while California declined 1.4% from February 2022.

 

State Bar of California Releases Results of February 2023 Bar Exam

 

   Categories: News Releases

Today the State Bar announced that 1,224 (32.5 percent of applicants) passed the February 2023 California General Bar Exam, and 205 (56.9 percent of applicants) passed the Attorneys’ Exam. If those who passed satisfy all other requirements for admission, they will be eligible to be licensed by the State Bar to practice law in California.

“Today is a very exciting day for 1,429 General Bar Exam and Attorneys’ Exam applicants and their families, and a time to reflect on their personal journeys, challenges, and successes,” said Leah Wilson, State Bar Executive Director. “The State Bar of California congratulates them, and we look forward to welcoming them to California’s legal profession very soon.”

This year’s 32.5 percent pass rate on the General Bar Exam represents a slight decline, 1.4 percentage points, from the February 2022 pass rate of 33.9 percent. The pass rates for the February 2023 bar exam varied nationwide, with most states experiencing a decline, including:

  • New York (40 percent compared to 45 percent in 2022)
  • Florida (39 percent compared to 44 percent in 2022)
  • Washington D.C. (45 percent compared to 42 percent in 2022)
  • Pennsylvania (44 percent compared to 37 percent in 2022)

According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), the mean scaled score on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) for February 2023 across the nation was 131.1, representing a decline of 1.5 points from the February 2022 score of 132.6.

In most U.S. jurisdictions, including California, the bar exam consists of three sections, one of which is the MBE. A decline in the national mean MBE score would likely indicate a decrease in the February 2023 pass rate, and in California’s case, as in previous years, it did. The February bar exam typically includes a higher proportion of repeat takers than a July administration. Repeat takers’ exam performance, including pass rates, is lower on average than that of first-time test takers. The proportion of repeating examinees on the California February 2023 administration was nearly 71 percent, which represents a 17 percent increase over the last two years.

Attendance at California’s February 2023 General Bar Exam was higher (3,765) than for the February 2022 exam (3,113).

February 2023 General Bar Exam preliminary statistics*

  • Completed the General Bar Exam: 3,765 applicants
  • First-time applicants: 1,100 (29.2 percent of total)
  • Pass rate for first-time applicants: 45 percent overall
  • Repeat applicants: 2,665 (70.8 percent of total)
  • Pass rate for repeat applicants: 28 percent overall

Pass rate for the General Bar Exam (rounded to whole numbers) by law school type:

School Type

First-Timers

Repeaters

California ABA

49%

37%

Out-of-State ABA

47%

34%

California Accredited (not ABA)

31%

18%

Unaccredited: Fixed-Facility

33%

11%

Unaccredited: Correspondence

25%

8%

Unaccredited Distance-Learning

21%

10%

All Applicants

45%

28%

 

General information about the structure and content of the General Bar Exam.

The Attorneys’ Examination is open to those who have been admitted to the active practice of law and are in good standing for at least four years in another U.S. jurisdiction, as well as disciplined lawyers who are ordered to take the examination as a condition of reinstatement.

pass list from the exam will be published on the State Bar website on May 7, 2023, at 6:00 a.m. More detailed statistics about exam results will be available in four to six weeks on the State Bar website.

Successful applicants who satisfy all requirements for admission may take the Attorney’s Oath individually or participate in admissions ceremonies held by their law school or others.  Applicants are eligible to practice law in California after taking the Attorney’s Oath and submitting their oath card to the State Bar. The State Bar has enabled digital signing and electronic processing of oath cards on a permanent basis.

*Please note that these are preliminary statistics. Law schools will be required to confirm the students allocated to their law school and as a result, these statistics may change. Approximately 4-5 weeks after the exam results are released, the general statistics, including data on pass rates by gender, race/ethnicity, and law school type, will be released.

Student writing exam at desk

February 2023 Cal Bar Exam General Bar Pass Rate 32.5%

According to the Cal Bar General Bar Exam Pass Rate Summary, the General Bar pass rate for the February 2023 Cal Bar Exam was 32.5%, which is the lowest for a February exam in three years.  Similarly, the Attorneys’ Exam pass rate was 56.9%, lowest in three years since February 2020.

 

February exam pass rates have dropped in 22 states before today’s announcement, and half of those have seen double-digit declines, according to Reuters on April 21.

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California Bar Exam July 2022 Results

Per the Cal Bar:

 

52.4% passed overall, just under July 2021’s 53% pass rate.

MBE score nationally was about the same as July 2021.

 

Today the State Bar announced that 3,753 (52.4 percent of applicants) passed the July 2022 California General Bar Exam. If those who passed satisfy all other requirements for admission, they will be eligible to be licensed by the State Bar to practice law in California.

“For thousands of applicants of the General Bar Exam and Attorneys’ Exam, today is a milestone to be celebrated,” said Leah Wilson, State Bar Executive Director. “It is an acknowledgment of the dedication and hard work it took to get here and a major step toward the start of their legal careers in California. We congratulate each of them on this stellar achievement.”

The July 2022 pass rate on the General Bar Exam was slightly lower than the July 2021 pass rate of 53 percent.

Performance on the July 2022 bar exam varied nationally, with some states seeing a higher pass rate, and others experiencing a decline. Here are a few highlights:

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  • Washington, D. C. (72 percent compared to 73 percent in 2021)
  • Pennsylvania (68 percent compared to 69 percent in 2021)
  • New York (66 percent compared to 63 percent in 2021)
  • Florida (51 percent compared to 44 percent in 2021)

The National Conference of Bar Examiners announced that the national average score on the July 2022 Multistate Bar Examination of 140.3 represented a fraction of a point reduction from the July 2021 score (140.4). This suggests that the July 2022 result should track closely to 2021’s pass rates and, in California’s case, it does.

Attendance at California’s July 2022 General Bar Exam was lower (7,164) than during the remotely administered July 2021 exam (7,536) and the October 2020 remotely administered exam (8,723) and lower compared to average attendance for in person exams in prior years, when 8,000 typically took the exam.

July 2022 General Bar Exam preliminary statistics*

  • Completed the General Bar Exam: 7,164 applicants
  • First-time applicants: 5,576 (77.8 percent of total)
  • Pass rate for first-time applicants: 62 percent overall
  • Repeat applicants: 1,588 (22.2 percent of total)
  • Pass rate for repeat applicants: 17 percent overall

Pass rate for the General Bar Exam (rounded to whole numbers) by law school type:

School Type First-Timers Repeaters
California ABA 73% 26%
Out-of-State ABA 69% 23%
California Accredited (not ABA) 30% 12%
Unaccredited: Fixed-Facility 11% 5%
Unaccredited: Correspondence 25% 8%
Unaccredited Distance-Learning 12% 9%
All Applicants 62% 17%

General information about the structure and content of the General Bar Exam.

The Attorneys’ Exam may be taken by those who have been admitted to the practice of law in another U.S. jurisdiction and have been an active licensee in good standing for at least the four years immediately preceding the exam, as well as disciplined lawyers who are ordered to take the examination as a condition of reinstatement. Of the 379 attorneys who completed the Attorneys’ Exam, 186 (49.1 percent) passed.

A pass list from the exam will be published on the State Bar website on November 13, 2022, at 6:00 a.m. More detailed statistics about exam results will be available in four to six weeks on the State Bar website.

Successful applicants who satisfy all requirements for admission may take the Attorney’s Oath individually or participate in admissions ceremonies held by their law school or others.  Applicants are eligible to practice law in California after taking the Attorney’s Oath and submitting their oath card to the State Bar. The State Bar continues to encourage digital signing and electronic processing of oath cards.

The State Bar became aware on November 9 that a few exam takers reported being able to access certain fields of data in the Applicant Portal indicative of their own results prior to receiving their official notification from the State Bar. The State Bar takes these types of reports seriously and has commenced an investigation that will explore these reports, including among other things, whether any IT security, ethical, or legal violations occurred.

*Please note that these are preliminary statistics. Law schools will be required to confirm the students allocated to their law school and, as a result, these statistics may change.

African American Woman Studying Online

RESULTS DAY! Rumors, results, and strategies if you don’t pass tonight

Hello everyone!

Results Day is today.  Hope all of you July 2022 Cal Bar test-takers receive good news tonight!

There are rumors of a reddit hack of the Cal Bar’s website and you can do a workaround and find your results now.  I have no idea if it’s true.  Historically, there are two ways you can trust to learn about your results:  1) check on the Bar’s website at 6 pm on Results Day, or 2) review your results letter, which should be posted tonight or tomorrow in your Applicant Portal.

Personally I wouldn’t trust anything other than those two sources.  In fact, when I passed, I refused to check on the Bar’s website because I heard of a few people who failed on the internet and passed in the mail.  So I couldn’t trust anything so I waited about 22 hours until the mail arrived!  That was not easy, but that’s what I did!

If you receive good news tonight, CONGRATULATIONS!  Celebrate responsibly, and no felonies!  Remember, the goal is to get sworn in, right?  Felonies don’t help with that, even if you commit one after you pass the Bar Exam.

If your name does not match a name on the database of names of people who passed, mourn your result for 30 minutes, and then contact me.  Good tutoring programs fill up quickly.  I usually fill up within a few days of publication of results and last season I filled up in four hours!  The first ability is availability.  Let’s talk, set up a plan, and then you can know that you’re not alone and that you’re doing something about it.

Good luck tonight, everyone!

 

pencil

February 2022 Exam Percentile Table

Applicants will find this to be of interest:

The overall pass rate was 33.9%.

The Percentile Table shows us some relevant info:

45% scored higher than 1340.

40% scored over 1355.

35% scored higher than 1382.

30% scored higher than 1400.

The overall pass line is 1390, and you need more than 1350 to get a re-read.

So… roughly 32.5% passed on the first read.  About 10% of the applicant pool got a second read, and the second read appears to have increased the pass rate by roughly 1.4%.

 

 

Notebook with pencil

Cal Bar Results published for February 2022 – 33.9% overall pass rate

Hello everyone!

The Cal Bar posted results for the February 2022 exam at 6 pm tonight.  The pass rate was 33.9% overall.  This represents a drop of 8.9% from February 2021’s 37.2% pass rate.  How February 2021 impacts things given that this was the exam right after the COVID-delayed October 2020 exam and less time to prep for February 2021 is unclear.

Considering February 2016-February 2020 pass rates, 33.9 is relatively normal for a February exam because those pass rates were 35.7, 34.5, 27.3, 31.4, and 26.8.  Today’s 33.9% fits neatly within that context.

The MBE score nationwide is worth considering from this exam.  The Cal Bar reports that the national average on the MBE dropped to 132.6, the lowest score all-time.  That could explain the lower overall pass rate for this exam.  It could also explain the 61.8% attorney exam pass rate, highest in 19 years!

At least 12 other states reported lower pass rates for February 2022, according to the Cal Bar.  Repeater pass rate was 24.0%.

Full press release appears below.

If you find that you need tutoring, please reach out ASAP as I only have a few spaces remaining.

 

State Bar of California Releases Results of February 2022 Bar Exam

   Categories: News Releases

Today the State Bar announced that 1,056 people (33.9 percent of applicants) passed the February 2022 California General Bar Exam—the first in-person exam since February 2020. If those who passed satisfy all other requirements for admission, they will be eligible to be licensed by the State Bar to practice law in California.

“This is a day of pure joy for the 1,056 applicants who passed the General Bar Exam, and their families, as well as the 209 candidates who passed the Attorney’s Exam,” said Leah Wilson, State Bar Executive Director. “We congratulate all those who successfully passed the exam and look forward to welcoming them to California’s legal profession very soon.”

This year’s 33.9 percent pass rate on the General Bar Exam was a drop of nearly 8.9 percent from the February 2021 pass rate of 37.2 percent, but higher than the February 2020 pass rate of 26.8 percent.

Nationally, at least a dozen other states saw their February 2022 pass rates drop from the previous year, including

  • New York (45 percent compared to 49 percent in 2021),
  • Florida (44 percent compared to 47 percent in 2021),
  • North Carolina (50 percent compared to 60 percent in 2021), and
  • Pennsylvania (37 percent compared to 51 percent in 2021).

The national average score on the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) dropped to 132.6—the lowest all-time score—matching the low reached on the 2020 February exam.

Attendance at California’s February 2022 General Bar Exam was slightly higher (3,113) than during the remotely administered February 2021 exam (3,098) but still low compared to past years, when 4,000 to 5,000 typically took the exam.

February 2022 General Bar Exam preliminary statistics

  • Completed the General Bar Exam: 3,113 applicants
  • First-time applicants: 1,090 (35.0 percent of total)
  • Pass rate for first-time applicants: 53.0 percent overall
  • Repeat applicants: 2,023 (64.9 percent of total)
  • Pass rate for repeat applicants: 24.0 percent overall

Pass rate for the General Bar Exam (rounded to whole numbers) by law school type:

School Type

First-Timers

Repeaters

California ABA

54%

33%

Out-of-State ABA

48%

29%

California Accredited (not ABA)

33%

14%

Unaccredited: Fixed-Facility

0%

15%

Unaccredited: Correspondence

46%

12%

Unaccredited Distance-Learning

25%

6%

All Applicants

53%

24%

 

General information about the structure and content of the General Bar Exam.

The Attorneys’ Examination is open to those who have been admitted to the active practice of law and are in good standing for at least four years in another U.S. jurisdiction, as well as disciplined lawyers who are ordered to take the examination as a condition of reinstatement. Of the 338 attorneys who completed the Attorneys’ Examination, 209 (61.8 percent) passed.

pass list from the exam will be published on the State Bar website on May 8, 2022, at 6:00 a.m. More detailed statistics about exam results will be available in four to six weeks on the State Bar website.

Successful applicants who satisfy all requirements for admission may take the Attorney’s Oath individually or participate in admissions ceremonies held by their law school or others.  Applicants are eligible to practice law in California after taking the Attorney’s Oath and submitting their oath card to the State Bar. Once again, the State Bar is enabling digital signing and electronic processing of oath cards.

 

February 2022 Cal Bar Exam Update – IN PERSON TESTING

Hello y’all!

 

Registration is OPEN for February 2022.  Timely filing occurs this month.  Don’t pay late fees, people!  Remember you can submit your Accommodations petitions at any time.  If you haven’t submitted your Moral Character Application, note that it takes 5-6 months to get cleared and that’s if you’re boring.  You want to be sworn in after you get the good news in May, right?  Make sure your admission isn’t delayed due to not filing your Moral Character application as early as you can.

But what is FAR more important for the applicant pool, my friends, is the fact that the Cal Bar is going to be held IN PERSON.  The February 2022 Cal Bar Exam Announcement was published today.  In relevant part, it states:

 

February 2022 California Bar Exam

Date: Tuesday and Wednesday, February 22–23, 2022

Please note that the February 2022 California Bar Examination will be held as an in-person examination. Applicants will be required to select atesting locationand test in-person.

 

So we’re going to party like it’s 2019, people!  Back to the Future, as it were.

 

The Announcement is located in full here:

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Examinations/California-Bar-Examination/February-2022-California-Bar-Exam

 

The exam schedule is here:

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/admissions/Examinations/Feb-2022-Bar-Exam-Schedule.pdf

 

No more remote video proctoring.  Show up on Tuesday, take the exam for 3 hrs., then leave.  Then come back, take the exam for 3-1/2 hrs, and then leave.  Rinse and repeat on Wednesday.  Your results will vary if you have accommodations.

 

And now you know!  If you want a certain location, I’d suggest registering over the next 7 days.

 

By the way, some notable dates for you:

10/1 – 11/1 Registration period for Feb. 2022

11/1  Timely filing deadline

11/1 – 11/30    $50 late fee registration period.

12/1 – 1/3/22  $250 late filing fee

1/3/22  FINAL DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR FEBRUARY 2022

2/22 – 2/23/2022   February 2022 Cal Bar Exam

2/24, noon    Laptop answer file upload deadline

2/25 OR 2/26, noon  Extended time students’ exam answer file upload deadline (deadline dependent on student’s accommodations).

 

RESULTS DAY

May 6, 2022, 6 pm.