<p>Why is it so difficult to pass the bar exam? How many people have to take it more than once?</p>
<p>it's difficult because the questions focus on a very broad range of topics, because many law schools send graduates all over the country and thus students don't learn the specific laws of the state they take the bar in, and because it's a LONG test and people get exhausted while taking it.</p>
<p>as for "how many people have to take it more than once," bar passage rates vary from 47% in CA to 91% in MT, according to <a href="http://www.adaptibar.com/bar_exam_statistics.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.adaptibar.com/bar_exam_statistics.asp</a> . some people also take multiple bar exams so they can practice in different states.</p>
<p>Thanks stacy. Should students study the state laws on their own, or are there prep classes in individual states? How long is the test? I remember what a stressful time this was for some of my friends!</p>
<p>(PS - 47% is a really depressing pass rate)</p>
<p>There are individual state prep classes. California's exam is very difficult.</p>
<p>Yup, California has a bunch of laws. I think that people should give cal law schools a bit more credit because there are so many more things to know and prepare law students for yet in rankings they get dinged for having lower rates for passing the bar because cal's is harder.</p>
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Yup, California has a bunch of laws.
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<p>And other states have only a couple of laws?</p>
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I think that people should give cal law schools a bit more credit because there are so many more things to know and prepare law students for yet in rankings they get dinged for having lower rates for passing the bar because cal's is harder.
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<p>Most top law schools do not teach state-specific law. Instead, they teach courses based upon the majority view versus the minority view, the theory behind the laws and how to approach legal issues, research and writing. Most law schools do not see themselves as a three-year bar exam prep course.</p>
<p>You learn what you need to know for the bar exam when you take a specific bar review course immediately prior to taking the bar exam (and typically, after graduating from law school). Most of what you study for the bar exam with respect to state-specific law is taught by first learning the general principles tested on the bar exam (usually applicable to the multistate portion of the bar exam, which constitutes one full day of testing, and which is a test taken by bar exam takers in 48 states) and then learning the state-specific distinctions that one must know to do well on the state-specific portion of the bar exam (usually a second day of the exam) and, if necessary for a given state's bar exam, the practical day of the exam. Yup -- it's a two to three day test that tests some of what you learn in law school but not all of it, and which requires you to know many things that you never studied in law school.</p>
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<p>It may be more informative to look at the pass rate for first time takers. The averages are brought down by people like JFK Jr. who take the test multiple times and fail.</p>
<p>If you are reasonably smart; take a bar review class; and work reasonably hard, I would guess that your chances of passing are well over 90%.</p>
<p>Whew! I'm glad to know that there isn't such a huge disconnect between education and licensure.</p>
<p>California has a number of law schools that are not ABA approved, which schools accept many who cannot get into ABA approved law schools, and the students from those schools are allowed to take that state's bar exam. The low pass rate is directly related to that fact. The bar exam in most states is two days, one for the multistate (multiple choice) test and then one for essays. That essay day can cover particular state rules, usually in civil procedure, that may differ from state to state. Bar prep courses cover those state rules. You also have a third test in most states, the multi-state professional responsibility (ethics) exam which is usually taken at a different time than the main tests.</p>