The Crying Game 2 is
all about the MBE push back.
If you have read MBE Testing Institute tweets, you
know that the average score on the MBE on the July bar exam fell 1.6 points
from the previous year, reaching its lowest level since 1988, according to data
provided by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The mean score on the
July bar exam was 139.9, down from 141.5 in July 2014.
Of course, the NCBE doesn’t blame the test but the
law students. The pile-on has begun with
deans and law professors all blaming the students that they created. Fearing for their own jobs, the deans and law
professors are saying that they’ve been admitting students with lower
qualifications who then fail the bar exam. It seems like it’s a problem the law
schools have created, however, it’s this author’s opinion that the teaching at
law schools is the real culprit.
In speaking with students, they feel the test is
harder because this is the first July when Civil Procedure has been tested in “mass”
numbers. The NCBE, however, disputes
this assessment, saying that the students did poorly across the board in all 7
subjects.
Whatever created this problem, we do know that performance
on the bar exam has continued to dip down to levels we have never seen and it
appears that this is not an aberration, but a new realty.
Here are the changes in overall bar pass rate, July
2014 over July 2015 for some of the states already reported.
Florida,
-2 points (July 2014 – 71%; July 2015: 68.9%)
Kansas,
-3 points (July 2014: 79%; July 2015: 76%)
Mississippi,
-27 points (July 2014: 78%; July 2015: 51%)
Missouri,
-1 point (July 2014: 85%; July 2015: 84%)
Montana,
-2 points (July 2014: 64%; July 2015: 62%)
New
Mexico, -12 points (July 2014: 84%; July 2015: 72%)
North
Carolina, -4 points (July 2014: 71%; July 2015: 67%)
Oklahoma,
-11 points (July 2014: 79%; July 2015: 68%)
Washington,
-1 point (July 2014: 77%; July 2015: 76%)
West
Virginia, -5 points (July 2014: 74%; July 2015: 69%)
Wisconsin,
-10 points (July 2014: 75%; July 2015: 65%)
So far, one of the few states that have gone up, Iowa, is now switching to the UBE starting in February. A mere coincidence? Perhaps not.
Nevertheless, the reality is that you must pass the
bar exam. MBE Testing Institute can help
you succeed and guide you through the areas that will help you pass the bar
exam and begin your life as a lawyer.
Don’t wait until you take the bar 2 or 3 or even 5 times – get help now
and get the bar exam behind you.
The MBE Testing Institute knows that taking the bar exam as a repeat taker can be an isolating
experience. The MBE Testing Institute helps the student keep motivated and
confident through interaction with an MBE Testing Institute’s bar tutor.
If you need help passing
the MBE, contact the MBE Testing Institute at pass@mbetestinginstitute.com for
more information.