Don’t Blame The California Bar Exam

Don’t Blame the California Bar Exam

Learn the Test

Over the last few days, we have seen many articles draw out California’s historically low pass rate. Yes, the February 2018 California Bar Exam yielded an all-time low-only 27.5 percent of California bar exam applicants passed. Even the median MBE score took a dip. Articles were quick to “blame” the decline on everything from a “biased” exam to the potential backlash the State Bar is supposedly directing at potential candidates.

Yes, after months if not years of debate, the California Supreme Court last year decided that they would not reduce the required passing score.  Some theorize that the low pass rate this bar was an intended message sent by the Bar Examiners. Perhaps they were taking out their disappointment in the Supreme Court’s decision on hopeful bar candidates? Nonsense.  

The bar exam is basically the same as it has always been.

Yes, the California bar went from a three-day exam to a two-day exam, but the content of the exam remained unchanged.   What we know to be consistent, is that with proper preparation, applicants can pass the bar exam.

It would stand to reason that we at Executive Bar Review would also be yielding a declining pass rate year after year consistent with the reported California pass rates. But this is simply not the case. After two decades of bar exam preparation, we maintain that how you prepare for this exam will ultimately dictate your results.  Not the exam itself.  Not the California Supreme Court. And certainly not the Bar examiners.

When an applicant is presented with a proven method of bar exam preparation and that method is implemented on the exam, the result is a passing score.   As we have said many times before – the method by which you prepare is as important as your substantive knowledge. You must “learn the test” while you are studying for the test.

Learn the test with Executive Bar Review, Call now for a free consultation 1-888-393-2392.