Predictors of Bar Passage
Cool Data on a Hot Issue: Empirical Evidence that a Law School Bar Support Program Enhances Bar Performance
Document Type
Law Review Article
Publication Date
1-2005
Keywords
bar passage correlates, law school curriculum, for-credit bar review courses
Abstract
The bar exam is a hot and controversial topic for academics, lawyers, bar examiners, graduates, and students. Criticism of the exam abounds. Does the bar exam correctly decide who should be admitted to practice law? Does the bar exam unfairly exclude minorities from the profession? Regardless of the accuracy of these criticisms, the bar exam is a reality that law schools and their graduates must face.
Many law schools are now offer programs specifically designed to improve their graduates' performance on the bar exam. But none has engaged in a statistically verifiable analysis of whether the programs materially affect a student's chance of passing the bar on a first attempt. This article fills the gap. It presents statistical analyses supporting the conclusion that a bar support program can significantly improve bar passage rates.
