Bar Exam Repeat Taker Pass Rates By State
Below we show you bar exam repeat taker pass rates data by state. This data comes from the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website.
There are a lot of statistics on first-time taker bar pass rates, but repeat taker bar pass rates are often overlooked—even though many students (nearly 40%, depending on the year) find themselves having to take the bar exam more than once.
The data is really interesting as there is a wide range of repeat taker bar pass rates (ranging from 0 to 60%). Here we break down this data so you can see how the jurisdictions compared to one another in 2023.
Note that there are many contributing factors to why a state may have a higher or lower bar pass rate. It does not necessarily mean that a state with a higher bar pass rate is easier to pass. You can read more about that in this article.
States with the Highest Bar Exam Repeat Taker Pass Rates in 2023:
States with Mid-Range Bar Exam Repeat Taker Pass Rates in 2023:
States with the Lowest Bar Exam Repeat Taker Pass Rates in 2023:
Key Findings: Bar Exam Repeat Taker Pass Rates (2023)
- Highest passing rate: Utah (60%)
- Lowest passing rate: Alabama (16%) (excluding 0% jurisdictions)
- Median passing rate: 34%
- 3 jurisdictions with 0% passing rate: Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau
- Only 5 jurisdictions have passing rates above 50%
- Most jurisdictions (35) have passing rates between 25% and 50%
Top 5 Jurisdictions with Highest Pass Rates
- Utah: 60%
- Alaska: 55%
- Delaware: 53%
- West Virginia: 53%
- Kentucky: 52%
Bottom 5 Jurisdictions with Lowest Pass Rates
- Palau: 0%
- Northern Mariana Islands: 0%
- Guam: 0%
- Alabama: 16%
- Maine: 18%
Regional Observations
- Western states generally perform well, with Utah, Alaska, and Wyoming in the top tier
- Northeastern states show mixed results, with some in the highest category (e.g., New Hampshire) and others in the lowest (e.g., Connecticut, Maine)
- Southern states tend to have lower passing rates, with several in the lowest category
Notable Outliers
- Utah stands out with a significantly higher passing rate (60%) compared to other jurisdictions
- Alabama has the lowest passing rate (16%) among the 50 states
- California, despite being home to many law schools, has a relatively low passing rate (26%) for repeaters
These findings highlight the significant variation in bar exam repeater passing rates across different jurisdictions in the United States. Factors such as differing bar exam standards, quality of legal education, and state-specific legal complexities may contribute to these variations.
To see this data as well as other bar exam pass rate data, please check out this link from the NCBE.
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