What is considered a good bar exam score?
Asked by: Alessandro Lakin | Last update: October 8, 2025Score: 5/5 (26 votes)
In order to pass the Uniform
What is a good score on the bar exam?
Depending on how many people have taken the UBE, a score of 280 is approximately the 73rd percentile. A 300 is in about the 90th percentile, and 330 is in the top 1% of all scores.
Is 298 a good bar exam score?
Your overall score
(Your bar exam score report should indicate this pretty clearly.) 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.
Is 270 a good bar score?
(Your Uniform Bar Exam score report should also clearly indicate “PASS” or “FAIL”!) 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.
Has anyone gotten a 100 on the bar exam?
Has anyone ever gotten a perfect score on the bar exam? Have you ever seen an essay exam answer written during an actual state-administered exam that the CA Bar Examiners scored a perfect 100? We never have either, which is why we're bringing it to your attention.
The Bar Exam & What to Expect: Scaled Scoring, MBE Subjects, Essays, the Performance Test and More
Who has the highest bar score?
Matthew Graham, a University of Baltimore Law School alumnus, smashed the previous bar exam record by scoring 309 out of 400 on his first attempt.
Is 60 on the MBE good?
These are the approximate scores you want to aim for in order to have a passing MBE score: If you are aiming for a MBE converted score of 131-135 (which is a passing score in most jurisdictions that require scores of 262-270 to pass), you should aim for 58%-62%. We suggest aiming for at least 60% to be safe.
Is a 295 on the bar exam good?
What is a good bar exam score? A good bar exam score depends on the jurisdiction but is typically between 260 and 280. How does scoring work for the bar exam? Scoring for the bar exam works by awarding points for each correct answer.
What state has the hardest bar exam?
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 is the lowest bar score?
Each UBE jurisdiction sets a minimum passing score, ranging from 260 to 270. Recently, many jurisdictions have re-evaluated these scores in response to national discussions on bar exam difficulty, candidate performance, and the demand for new lawyers.
Did Kim Kardashian pass the bar?
No, Kim Kardashian has not passed not the California General Bar exam but successfully passed the baby bar in 2021. She cleared it in her fourth attempt. Her journey illustrates the many challenges and frustrations that she has gone through in order to achieve this career in the legal field.
Are bar exam scores curved?
Most bar takers fall right in the middle on the curve, within a few points of each other. The MBE portion of the bar exam is significant to your overall score in almost all U.S. states. Getting just a few additional points can really tip you into the “passing zone.”
How hard is the bar exam?
The bar exam is hard. In fact, it may be one of the most difficult challenges you ever embark on. You must memorize numerous laws and consume a lot of knowledge to answer questions correctly. For many, it feels like trying to hold sand in your hands, knowing that you'll inevitably lose much of it.
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.
What states are not ube?
The following are not UBE jurisdictions: California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, *Hawaii, *Mississippi, Nevada, *South Dakota, Virginia, *Wisconsin, *Guam, *Northern Mariana Islands, *Palau, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico.
What's the easiest state to pass the 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 the bar harder than the Nclex?
The Bar Exam is often considered more challenging than the NCLEX due to its comprehensive coverage of intricate legal subjects and a lower average pass rate of around 60%.
How many times can you take the bar?
There is no limit to the number of times you can take the bar exam in the state of California. While it may come as a relief to many students who are planning to take the bar exam in California that there are no limits, California's bar exam is known for being one of the hardest exams in the U.S.
What is an average bar score?
For example, California's bar exam passing score is 1390 out of 2000 points. You should aim for a scaled score of 139, but there is no way to accurately gauge what raw score you need. If you're taking the bar exam in a non-UBE jurisdiction, check out the appropriate UWorld state-specific bar exam pages: California.
What is a bad bar exam score?
Those with total scale scores after one reading below 1350 fail the exam. If the applicant's total scale score is at least 1350 but less than 1390 after one reading, their answers are read a second time by a different set of graders.
Is the bar exam curved?
At the end, you are given a score out of 400. In order to pass, an applicant must score at least 266. The UBE uses a curve based on the performance of previous bar applicants to ensure that each score is not affected by the quality of the pool of applicants for a specific exam or the difficulty of the individual test.
Is 70% good on the MBE?
We suggest aiming for at least 60% to be safe. If you are aiming for an MBE score of 136-140 (which is a passing MBE score in jurisdictions that require a 272-280 to pass) you should aim for 62%-65%. If you are aiming for an MBE score of 144 (which is considered passing in California), you should aim for about 67%.
What percent of BARBRI students pass the bar?
That is why all our competitors show “pass rates” around 90 percent, while the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which administers the exam, publishes national pass rates in the 70%s. And if BARBRI were to add the types of conditions that other companies use, our pass rate would also be above 90%.