Bar Exam

AI program earned passing bar exam scores on evidence and torts; can it work in court?

Artificial intelligence programs are making inroads in the legal field, showing proficiency in two sections of a practice bar exam and getting used for the first time in traffic court.

Jan 12, 2023 9:03 AM CST

Relax with our favorite long reads of 2022

Feel like curling up next to the fireplace with a good read? ABA Journal Managing Editor Kevin Davis has curated a selection of our favorite feature stories that ran in the magazine and online in 2022.

Dec 23, 2022 8:40 AM CST

ABA Legal Ed council advances proposal to make law school admissions tests optional

Updated: The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has advanced a proposal to make standardized admissions tests optional at accredited law schools.

Nov 18, 2022 2:42 PM CST

Pass rates for first-time bar-takers decrease; are online classes the cause?

Aspects of law school remote learning during the pandemic, including open-book tests, are being blamed by some for first-time bar pass rate decreases in at least 31 jurisdictions.

Nov 17, 2022 11:03 AM CST

Bar pass rates for California decrease slightly

California’s overall bar passage rate for the July 2022 administration was 52.4%, compared to 53% in July 2021. Results were released Thursday by the State Bar of California.

Nov 11, 2022 9:10 AM CST

Washington admits bar applicant with sex-offender status, based on young age at time of conduct

A law school graduate with a 2010 conviction for voyeurism involving shared images of youths can be admitted to practice law in Washington, the Washington Supreme Court found in a 5-4 opinion.

Nov 7, 2022 8:57 AM CST

Law grad who married Japanese princess has this in common with 23% of repeat test-takers of New York bar exam

The husband of a now-former Japanese princess has passed the New York bar exam on his third try.

Oct 25, 2022 9:49 AM CDT

Pass rate for New York’s July bar exam ticks up, as repeat and foreign-educated test-takers do better

Corrected: The pass rate for the July 2022 New York bar exam was 66%, which is an increase of three percentage points from the July 2021 bar exam.

Oct 20, 2022 3:08 PM CDT

As Golden Gate Law works to meet bar pass standard, new students get full scholarships

Almost a year after being found out of compliance with an ABA accreditation standard that requires a bar pass rate of at least 75% within two years, the Golden Gate University School of Law significantly reduced its first-year class size and awarded full-tuition scholarships to all newly admitted full-time JD students.

Oct 5, 2022 10:27 AM CDT

Examining the Bar: Should law grads need to pass the bar to practice?

The profession often has a hard time with change, and some have said there’s a sense that keeping a bar exam will likely assure people in power that wealthy clients won’t be harmed by admissions alternatives. Nevertheless, lawyers interviewed by the ABA Journal say it’s important that states are even considering changes at all.

Oct 1, 2022 3:30 AM CDT

Scores for July MBE are similar to last year, NCBE says

The national mean scaled score for the July 2022 Multistate Bar Examination, which consists of 200 multiple-choice questions, is 140.3, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced Tuesday.

Sep 13, 2022 2:13 PM CDT

2 of Puerto Rico’s 3 law schools will get more time to meet bar pass standard

Following repeated failures to show compliance with Standard 316, which requires a bar passage rate of at least 75% within two years, the ABA has given an extension of up to three years to two Puerto Rican law schools.

Sep 9, 2022 2:10 PM CDT

As some jurisdictions consider bar exam alternatives, ABA Legal Ed section again looks at bar pass standard

Language for a controversial law school standard, which states that at least 75% of a law school’s graduates pass a bar within a two-year period, is being examined by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar—in light of some jurisdictions considering alternative paths to law licensure.

Aug 19, 2022 2:53 PM CDT

Shortly before July bar exam, ExamSoft announces new Windows laptops likely won’t run testing software

If you have a 2022 Windows laptop with a 12th-generation Intel Core processor, it probably won’t work for the July bar exam.

Jul 21, 2022 11:17 AM CDT

AI program earned passing bar exam scores on evidence and torts; can it work in court?

Relax with our favorite long reads of 2022

Top 10 news stories of 2022

ABA Legal Ed council advances proposal to make law school admissions tests optional

Pass rates for first-time bar-takers decrease; are online classes the cause?

Bar pass rates for California decrease slightly

Washington admits bar applicant with sex-offender status, based on young age at time of conduct

Law grad who married Japanese princess has this in common with 23% of repeat test-takers of New York bar exam

Pass rate for New York’s July bar exam ticks up, as repeat and foreign-educated test-takers do better

As Golden Gate Law works to meet bar pass standard, new students get full scholarships

Examining the Bar: Should law grads need to pass the bar to practice?

Scores for July MBE are similar to last year, NCBE says

2 of Puerto Rico’s 3 law schools will get more time to meet bar pass standard

As some jurisdictions consider bar exam alternatives, ABA Legal Ed section again looks at bar pass standard

Shortly before July bar exam, ExamSoft announces new Windows laptops likely won’t run testing software

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