What are the hardest bar exams in the country?

Asked by: Hortense Barrows  |  Last update: October 28, 2023
Score: 4.2/5 (75 votes)

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%.

What is the hardest US bar exam?

While Delaware has a higher cut score than California, California's bar exam is arguably the hardest in the country because more students take and fail the test.

Which state bar exam is easiest USA?

Statistically speaking, Oklahoma has one of the easiest bar exams based on first-time passing rates. Nearly 87% of first-time exam takers pass the Oklahoma state bar exam. In comparison, California has a much lower first-time passing rate at 58.1%.

Why is California bar so hard?

One of the main reasons the California bar exam is so difficult is its broad scope. The exam covers a wide range of legal subjects, including contracts, torts, criminal law, civil procedure, and professional responsibility.

Where is the best state to take the bar exam?

What State has the Easiest Bar Exam to Pass in the Country? If we look at bar passage rates alone the answer is South Dakota, which had a 93% pass rate last year.

The Bar Exam, Is It Really That Hard?

36 related questions found

Which state bar is the hardest?

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%.

What state has the easiest bar to pass?

Easiest Bar Exams to Pass

South Dakota ranks as the state with the easiest exam, followed by Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa. There are fewer law schools in these states (South Dakota only has one, and Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa each have two), meaning that there are generally fewer law graduates who take the bar.

Which is harder California or New York bar?

The New York Bar exam is difficult, but not the most difficult to pass. States such as California, Louisiana and Oregon are just some states considered to have a more difficult bar exam based on pass rate. On average, the New York Bar exam comes in with a pass rate of 61%.

How many times did JFK take the bar?

Many of my own role models showed up on the list! Let's take a journey through some of the prominent American attorneys I found that failed a bar exam in their lives. John F. Kennedy Jr., failed the NY bar exam twice before he passed on his third try.

What is the hardest state to pass the bar exam in?

California. The California Bar Exam has one of the lowest pass rates in the country. The exam takes full days, including a performance test to evaluate your ability to handle several legal challenges involving a client.

What state has the lowest bar passing score?

Alabama, Missouri, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota all have the lowest minimum passing score for the Uniform Bar Exam, at 260. While these states enjoy the lowest grade to pass, it does not reflect their difficulty or challenges. The state with the highest number of passing lawyers was South Dakota, as of 2021.

Is the bar exam more difficult than the CPA exam?

The CPA Exam. You've heard the horror stories: It's derailed the careers of promising professionals. It's definitely harder than the BAR exam and maybe even some medical board exams. And it's nearly impossible to pass once you're a working professional.

Where is it easiest to become a lawyer?

The states of California, Virginia, Vermont and Washington currently allow you to apprentice with a practicing lawyer or judge instead of attending law school to earn a license. Virginia requires at least three years of independent law office study, while the others all require four.

How many times can you fail the bar USA?

No Set Limit: Most of the states in the country have no limit on the number of attempts a student can give to pass the bar exam. There is no set number defined, and it does not affect the candidate's eligibility in any way.

What is the hardest subject on the bar?

Nevertheless, many future attorneys who have taken or are currently preparing for the bar exam seem to agree that the following three subjects are the most challenging:
  1. Real Property. ...
  2. Contracts. ...
  3. Civil Procedure.

How many people never pass the bar exam?

According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, 42% of those who took the bar exam nationwide in 2019 did not pass. During the last 19 years, 2008 had the best statistics with “only” 29% of bar exam takers nationwide not passing. Worse yet, the odds of passing after failing the first time are grim.

How many times did Michelle Obama take bar?

Answer and Explanation: Michelle Obama failed the Illinois bar exam one time. She later passed and became a licensed attorney in Chicago.

What happens if you fail the bar 3 times?

California is one of the 33 states that does not impose any limits on the number of times you can attempt the bar exam. Eleven states and DC require you to get special permission to retake the bar exam if you fail it more than a certain number of times.

What is the baby bar exam?

The First-Year Law Students' Examination (also known as the “baby bar”) is a one-day test given twice a year. It consists of four one-hour essay questions and 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam covers three subjects: Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts.

Is the LSAT or bar harder?

The bar exam is like the final boss of a video game. After spending your entire academic career taking tests, this is the final, most difficult one you'll face. Unlike the LSAT, the bar exam does test your knowledge of the law itself. You'll be tested on a wide array of subjects.

Why is bar pass rate so low?

In comparison to other states, California has a large number of applicants. The fact that California's population of exam takers is so large contributes to the overall lower pass rate the state is regularly pumping out. To put this into perspective, in 2017 California had 12,985 applicants who sat for the exam.

Why is California bar pass so low?

Officials with the National Conference of Bar Examiners linked the drop to an increase in the number of repeat test-takers. More first-time applicants than usual took the February 2022 exam, which officials credited to delays in coursework and test preparation tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do most people pass the bar?

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.

Where is the easiest place to take the bar exam?

Based on the passage rate, Oklahoma is the most accessible bar to pass. However, using test scores, Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, and North Dakota are neck and neck on the UBE easy scale.