Which state has the lowest bar exam pass rate?

Asked by: Mrs. Angie Lind IV  |  Last update: October 2, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (42 votes)

California has a notoriously hard bar exam, with only 45% of first-time takers passing the Feb 2024 bar exam, and 24% of repeat takers passing the July 2023 exam. However, there are other states with lower pass rates in July 2023, including Maine, Wyoming, and Maryland. Now let's dive into the data.

What is the hardest state to pass the bar in?

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 lowest bar 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.

How many times did JFK Jr. fail 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.

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.

Should Indiana Change The Bar Exam To Address Low Passing Rates?

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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.

Where 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".

Who is the youngest person to pass the bar exam in USA?

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST: So what were you doing when you were 17 years and eight months old? Well, Sophia Park was taking the California State Bar exam and breaking a record for the youngest person ever to pass the exam in the state.

What happens if you fail the bar exam 3 times?

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 state does not require the bar?

Forty-one jurisdictions have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is composed entirely of NCBE-created components. In every U.S. jurisdiction except Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington, all those seeking admission to the bar must pass a bar examination.

What law school has the lowest bar pass rate?

Law Schools with the Lowest Bar-Exam Pass Rate
  • Thomas Jefferson School of Law: 25 percent.
  • University of San Francisco: 33 percent.
  • University of La Verne: 34 percent.
  • Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law: 39 percent.
  • Inter-American: 43 percent.
  • Appalachian School of Law: 44 percent.

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.

What is the easiest state to become a lawyer in?

Going by the 2021 bar exam passing rates, Wyoming has the easiest bar exam to pass. However, we don't really get the full picture by just looking at the passing rates. Each state's bar exam can differ in difficulty and content.

Which state has the longest bar exam?

The Louisiana Bar Exam is a three-day-long bar examination used to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in the state of Louisiana. It is the longest bar exam in the United States, consisting of 21 hours of examination on nine topic areas.

Has anyone passed the bar without going to law school?

A number of historical figures became lawyers without law school, such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.

How many times can you fail the bar USA?

Understanding Bar Exam Retakes

While the majority of states (around 35) don't have a limit on the number of times you can take the bar exam, the remaining states typically allow candidates between two and four attempts.

Who is the 17 year old lawyer in California?

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 was Joe Biden's GPA?

He earned his bachelor's in 1965 from the University of Delaware, with a double major in history and political science and a minor in English. He had a "C" average overall for his four years, graduating with a class rank of 506 out of 688.

What is Jill Biden's degree in?

Biden has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware and master's degrees in education and English from West Chester University and Villanova University, and returned to the University of Delaware for a doctoral degree in education.

What state is the hardest to take the bar?

California is universally regarded as the toughest state for taking the bar exam. This notion is not dissuaded by the state's low bar-pass rate. In addition to the performance test, five essay questions, and the Multistate Bar Exam, the California exam takes two days.

Are bar exams 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 many times can you take 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.