New York bar exam pass rate falls to 35-year low

November 2, 2015

ABOVE THE LAW – The passage rate for graduates of ABA-accredited schools who took the test for the first time was 79%, the lowest figure since at least 2004. That’s four percentage points below the July 2014 rate, and it’s more than an 11 percentage-point drop-off from 2008 when 90.5% of candidates in that grouping

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Bar passage rates at law schools may not be reflective of legal education quality

October 26, 2015

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT – Graduates’ own willingness to buckle down and study – or not – can also heavily influence their chances of passing the bar, experts say. Because so many factors influence what happens when J.D.s take the bar exam, experts say it’s not best for applicants to put too much weight

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July 2015 bar exam results show continued decline in scores

September 21, 2015

THE BOSTON GLOBE – Law graduates are increasingly getting a taste of failure before they start their careers. Performance on the bar exam has continued to slip, early results show.

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Lower bar exam scores spark a critical look at the National Conference of Bar Examiners and law graduates

August 24, 2015

BLOOMBERG – The July 2014 exam was controversial even before the results came in. On Tuesday, July 29, after spending the first day of the exam furiously writing, some law graduates who tried to upload their essays were met with error messages.

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Uniform Bar Exam requirements by state

July 27, 2015

LAWYERIST — The chart details the range of costs and requirements, by state, for applicants with a UBE score.

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Advice: Bar exam takers can use mindfulness to lessen stress

July 27, 2015

HUFFINGTON POST HEALTHY LIVING – “In the weeks leading up to the examination, the mindset is a key factor in keeping calm, resilient and focused. Here are three mindful steps I teach to help you survive and thrive during your examination preparation.”

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Legal educators push for Uniform Bar Exam in California

June 22, 2015

LOS ANGELES TIMES – A growing number of academics are pushing for California to join states that have moved to a test that only focuses on national matters.

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New York State will adopt standard bar examination in 2016

May 11, 2015

THE NEW YORK TIMES — New York State will begin using a standard bar examination given in 15 other states next summer, making it the largest state so far to adopt what amounts to a national credential for lawyers, the state’s chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, announced on Tuesday.

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New UW School of Law program to help minority law students finish degrees and pass bar

April 22, 2015

THE SEATTLE TIMES — The UW is establishing the Gregoire Fellows, a new program to support nine minority law students each year, guaranteeing them summer fellowships at local law firms, and giving them a mentoring relationship with Gregoire and help studying for the bar exam.

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Bar passage rates drop in North Carolina

April 10, 2015

WRAL.COM –In a troubling trend across the nation, more and more law school graduates are failing the bar exam. According to figures from the Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina, the combined pass rate for students at the state’s seven law schools has hit a five-year low.

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