Can you find out if someone failed the bar exam?
Asked by: Delilah Huel | Last update: October 19, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (43 votes)
Applicants who failed the bar exam have their examination numbers, but not their names, listed. Examinees receive a letter in the mail with their score. Bar Exam results are not posted publicly. Tennessee Board of Law Examiners publicly posts a pass list, including the applicants' first, middle and last names.
Can you see who failed the bar exam?
For example, Michigan, Maine, and New York let the applicants know ahead of time whether or not they passed before posting a public pass list. Other states posts pass lists of applicants bar exam ID or seat numbers. That way only you and people who know your number will know if you failed the bar exam.
Are bar exam results public?
Some jurisdictions are known to publicly post the names of those who pass the bar exam. Notable jurisdictions that do this include California, New York, and Texas. Other jurisdictions, like Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Massachusetts, prefer to keep the names of passers private.
Can employers see how many times you took the bar?
Law firms cannot see the times an applicant has failed the exam, as those results are not posted, but they may be able to make an educated guess based upon information such as when the applicant graduated and the number of exams that were given between that time and the time that they were first licensed.
How likely is it to fail the bar?
Wondering how test-takers are doing as a whole? According to the most recent data released by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®), in 2021, of the 64,833 total persons taking the bar exam, 39,873 passed, which is an overall pass rate of 60% (down 1%from the previous year).
What To Do If You Failed The Bar Exam - Introduction
Do most people fail the bar exam the first time?
Notably, the most substantial disparity occurred in July 2022, with 36 percent of CALS graduates successfully passing the bar exam as first-time applicants, while only 13 percent of graduates from unaccredited schools achieved the same outcome.
How many times did JFK Jr. take the bar exam?
Kennedy earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law in 1989. He then failed the New York bar exam twice before passing on his third try in July 1990. After failing the exam for a second time Kennedy vowed that he would continue to take it until he was ninety-five years old or passed.
Can I look up if someone passed the bar exam?
California:: Yes, but only for people who registered with the State Bar of California and have log in credentials to their website. Results are posted online and include successful applicants first and last names as well as their city and state.
Do you lose your job if you fail the bar?
If you are unsuccessful on the bar exam, most employers will give you a second chance. Although this isn't true for every employer, it is true for the majority. If you are unsuccessful on the bar exam, many employers will retain you in a non-lawyer capacity.
How many questions can you get wrong on the bar exam?
That means you'll need to get 115 questions correct out of 190 — or that you can miss up to 75 questions and still pass the MBE!
What state has the easiest bar exam?
Overall, Utah is the easiest bar exam to pass. This is true whether you are a first-time taker or repeat taker! In July 2023, Utah had a 94% pass rate for first time takers and a 73% pass rate for repeat takers. It also has the lowest UBE cut score of 260.
Is 295 a good bar score?
In order to pass the Uniform Bar Exam, examinees must earn a score of at least 260 on the MBE and MEE. However, a score of 280 is generally considered to be a good score, and a score of 300 to 330 (highest score on bar exam) is considered to be excellent.
Is the bar exam just memorization?
First, realize that rote memorization alone is not the most effective strategy for the bar exam. You need to fully understand concepts and know how to apply the law, versus just memorizing vocabulary out of context (what we call “legal trivia”).
Did Joe Biden pass the bar exam?
His grades were relatively poor, and he graduated 76th in a class of 85. He was admitted to the Delaware bar in 1969. Biden clerked at a Wilmington law firm headed by prominent local Republican William Prickett in 1968 and, he later said, "thought of myself as a Republican".
What is the hardest bar exam to pass?
Is The California Bar Exam Hard? Yes, the California bar exam is widely considered to be the most difficult of all state bar exams in the US. The California bar exam has a pass rate of 34%.
Are you a lawyer if you fail the bar?
Attorneys, lawyers, and counsel have all been educated and trained in law. As explained above, attorneys must pass the bar exam and practice law in court. Lawyers have also taken the bar exam, and may or may not practice law. Counsels provide legal advice, and often work for an organization or corporation.
How many attempts do you get at the bar?
Most states allow 2-4 attempts of the bar exam, but about 35 states, including California, New York, and Florida, don't have any limits on the number of times you can take the bar.
Is it normal to think you failed the bar?
A top source of post-bar exam anxiety for many examinees is that they feel like they failed the bar exam. If you share that concern, you are not alone! It is completely normal to feel unsure about how you did and anxious about receiving your score.
What are the odds I passed the bar exam?
The bar exam pass rate is typically between 60-80% depending on your bar exam state. That means that 20-40% of people who sit for that bar exam do not pass.
How many time can you fail the bar exam?
In California, there is no strict limit to the number of times a candidate can take the bar exam. In other words, if you don't succeed on your first try, you can retake the exam in the subsequent session, and so on.
What does bar stand for?
Some people claim the term bar is an acronym for “British Accredited Registry.” Aside from making little sense, this assertion is patently false. In reality, the word “bar” refers to the railing that separates the working area of the court from the spectator area.
Who is the youngest person to pass the bar exam?
On Nov. 8, at age 17 years and 8 months, Sophia Park received notification that she had passed the bar, which she took in July. The teen from Orange County is currently a law clerk with the Tulare County District Attorney's Office, where her brother Peter also works.
What happened to JFK's son?
John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a tragic plane crash on July 16, 1999, with his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette.
How many people pass the bar exam on the first try?
Unsurprisingly, California has the lowest passage rate (44.42%) by a wide margin. Take even a great in-state school like UCLA and only 86% percent of students are passing on their first try. That gives you an idea of how hard the CA bar is.