What is a good score on the NY bar exam?

Asked by: Mrs. Karen Cruickshank MD  |  Last update: December 10, 2023
Score: 4.9/5 (44 votes)

MPT: (scaled score) If you score between 45-50, this is generally “Passing”. MBE (even though it does not say it, this will be the scaled score!) If you score above 135, this is generally considered to be “passing.”

What is the top 1% bar score?

A 300 is in about the 90th percentile, and 330 is in the top 1% of all scores. Keep in mind that out of the 200 points that make up the MPT and the MEE, only 175 of them are actually scored, and the remainder are considered to be 'pretest' questions that do not count towards your overall score.

What is the average for the New York bar exam?

The overall pass rate on its most recent attorney licensing exam fell to 40% from 45% last year, according to the New York Board of Law Examiners. That pass rate has now fallen 9 percentage points over the past two years. New York's first-time pass rate also declined from 61% in 2022 to 56% this year.

What score do you need on MBE to pass NY bar?

“A good MBE Score” differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In New York, for example, the passing score is 266, meaning your MBE score needs to be at least 133.

Is New York the hardest bar exam?

On average, the New York Bar exam comes in with a pass rate of 61%. That said, test takers generally agree that the bar exams of the states of California, New York, and Virginia are some of the hardest in the country on a qualitative basis. The good news is that you can retake the New York Bar exam if you do not pass.

The Bar Exam & What to Expect: Scaled Scoring, MBE Subjects, Essays, the Performance Test and More

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Which state has the hardest bar?

Which State Bar Is Most Difficult? California is widely considered to have the hardest bar exam, due to its low pass rate and the difficulty of the content and constraints of the exam.

What state has the easiest 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.

Is the NY bar exam curved?

Is the New York Bar Exam Curved or Scaled? The New York bar exam is graded on a curve or scale. The New York bar examiners convert the two written section scores (of the MEE and the MPT) into scaled scores on the MBE scale, before weighing the MEE 30% and the MPT 20% (learn the New York bar exam format).

What is a 170 MBE score?

Your percentile for the MBE Score is as follows:

A 170 is 98th percentile. A 165 if about 95th percentile. A 160 is about 90th percentile. A 155 is about 82nd percentile.

How many times can you fail New York bar?

The good news is that you can take the New York bar exam an unlimited amount of times if you do not pass. New York does not place a limit or a restriction on the number of times you may attempt to pass the bar exam. This, of course, does not mean that you want to take it numerous times.

What percentage of people pass the NY bar exam?

The New York bar exam pass rate of first-time takers ranges from 56-91 percent. The New York bar exam pass rate of repeat-takers ranges from 20-44 percent. The New York Bar Exam pass rate of total takers ranges from 42-75 percent.

Is 286 a good bar score?

Uniform Bar Exam states require a score between 260 and 280 to pass the Uniform Bar Exam. So, if your score was above 280, you technically received a score that is considered passing in every Uniform Bar Exam state.

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.

What is the lowest score to pass the MBE?

Well... in most states you really only need a score of 131-135 to pass the MBE®. Scoring higher than needed on the MBE exam is actually very beneficial, because in most states, any number over passing will be added to MEE score, which will give you a better chance of passing the exam!

Is 60% on the MBE good?

If you are answering about 60-66% correct on the MBE, you are likely in the “safe zone.” A higher score than that is, of course, even better! If you are scoring lower than that, see below for tips. But also, make sure that you work on the written portion of the exam.

What is a 145 MBE score?

You want to aim for a scaled score of at least 140-145 (which is the average score). Ideally, you should want a 150+ scaled score to have confidence to pass the exam. The national average MBE scaled score for the last few exams was: 131.1 6 in Feb. 2023; 140.3 7 in July 2022; 132.6 8 in Feb.

Is Barbri harder than the bar?

The Barbri invented questions are harder than the real MBE questions. (Real MBE questions are still difficult though.) The Barbri MBE compares you to how others score on the Barbri simulated MBE.

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.

What is the hardest bar exam subject?

Contracts. Navigate any online forum where law students confer with one another, and you'll soon realize that Contracts is often reported as the most complicated MBE subject. These fact patterns tend to be lengthy, for starters, so there's a lot to read and read carefully.

Is New York bar easier than California?

California has the most difficult bar examination in the country. The pass rate on the California bar exam is the consistently the lowest in the US, and it's usually several percentage points lower than the other states. New York, on the other hand, is an unusually easy state to pass the bar examination in.

What state has highest bar pass rate?

According to Law.com, these are the states with the highest pass rates for first-time bar takers:
  • Oklahoma: 86.9%
  • Iowa: 86.57%
  • Missouri: 86.3%
  • New Mexico: 85.71%
  • New York: 83.92%
  • Montana: 82.61%
  • Utah: 82.61%
  • Oregon: 82.55%

What state requires the highest bar exam score?

The highest UBE score is a 273 (required in Arizona). The most common score is a 270, with major jurisdictions like Massachusetts and Texas requiring this score. You can find a link to the chart and map here. Please check the NCBE's website for the most up-to-date information.

Which is the easiest bar to pass?

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.