Back-to-Back: Chiefs' Super Bowl Wins & UBE Subject Repetitions
The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 58 last night in overtime, becoming the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back American football championships. It’s the Chiefs’ third title in four years.
This got me thinking: How likely is it for a subject on the Uniform Bar Examination to appear on back-to-back administrations since the first UBE was administered in 2011?
Let's remind ourselves of what essay subjects were tested on the July 2023 exam. The six Multistate Essay Examination questions that appeared on the July 2023 UBE included: (1) Business Associations (which included concepts in Agency, Partnership, and Corporations); (2) Civil Procedure; (3) Criminal Procedure; (4) Secured Transactions; (5) Torts; and Trusts.
There have been 29 bar exam administrations since 2011. (There were multiple exams during 2020 because of COVID.)
So, what is the likelihood of each of the subjects that appeared on the July 2023 administration also appearing on the next administration in February 2024?
Let’s go through each July 2023 subject one-by-one:
Agency has been administered in back-to-back administrations five times since 2011. That means Agency has historically been tested in back-to-back administrations 17% of the administrations.
Partnership = 5 times = 17%
Corporations = 5 times = 17%
Civil Procedure = 15 times = 52%
Criminal Procedure = 2 times = 7%
Secured Transactions = 5 times = 17%
Torts = 2 times = 7%
Trusts = 5 times = 17%
The longest consecutive exam streak that one subject has been tested is Civil Procedure, which appeared on the exam on 10 straight exams from February 2011 to July 2015.
The longest current consecutive exam streak that one subject has been tested is also Civil Procedure, which has appeared on the last three exams in July 2022, February 2023, and July 2023.
Now, you might be wondering, how long has it been since some subjects have NOT appeared on the Uniform Bar Exam?
Conflict of Laws: has not appeared since July 2019 (11 administrations)
Constitutional Law: has not appeared since Late September 2020 (7 administrations)
Family Law: has not appeared since July 2021 (4 administrations)
Criminal Law: has not appeared since February 2022 (3 administrations)
Contracts and Sales: has not appeared since July 2022 (2 administrations)
Evidence: has not appeared since February 2023 (1 administration)
Real Property: has not appeared since February 2023 (1 administration)
Wills: has not appeared since February 2023 (1 administration)
