Bar Examinations and Bar Passage
Will I Pass the Bar Exam? Predicting Student Success Using LSAT Scores and Law School Performance
Document Type
Law Review Article
Publication Date
9-2017
Keywords
bar passage correlates, incoming indicators, standardized test scores, LSAT, undergraduate GPA, law school performance, student engagement
Abstract
Texas Tech University School of Law has undertaken a statistical analysis of its recent alumni, comparing their performance in law school with their success on the Texas bar exam. The authors conclude that LSAT predicts bar exam success while undergraduate GPA does not. The study also replicates findings in previous literature that both 1L and final law school GPA predict bar exam success. Going beyond existing literature, this study also conducted more specific analysis of how student performance in specific courses can predict success on affiliated subcomponents of the bar exam; the Article identifies which courses have significant impact on bar exam performance and which do not. Additionally, the Article reports a completely new analysis of whether student participation in curricular student engagement activities (such as journal, clinic, and advocacy competitions) predicts bar exam success.
