Some States See Higher Passage Rates on the October Remote Exam (Part 2)

More results from the remote bar exam administered on Oct. 5-6, 2020 have come in, and more jurisdictions have publicly posted their exam statistics.

In my previous post dated November 30 (“Some States See Higher Passage Rates on the October Remote Exam”), I examined the October 2020 pass rates on the remote bar exams in Maryland and Ohio—the only two jurisdictions available at that time—and compared them with previous in-person July examinations. I determined that the first-time bar passage rates on the October 2020 exam in these two jurisdictions exceeded average passing rates for the three prior July administrations by more than five percentage points in the two jurisdictions where statistics are currently available.

Massachusetts and Tennessee have since released exam statistics, and the upward trend identified in my prior post continues but not as strongly.

Here’s an examination of Massachusetts’ and Tennessee’s statistics:

Massachusetts: Among its 1,092 first-time test takers who took the October 2020 remote exam, Massachusetts saw 929 pass the exam, or 85%. The October 2020 first-time passage rates outperformed each of the three previous July bar exams: 82% in July 2019, 79% in July 2018, and 81% in July 2017. This was an improvement of four percentage points compared to the three-year average passage rate over the three July exams from 2017 to 2019

Tennessee: The Volunteer State saw similar improvements, with its October 2020 first-time passage rates outperforming each of the three previous July bar exams. First-time examinees on the October exam passed at a 82% pass rate, compared to 79%, 77%, and 80% on the July 2017, July 2018, and July 2019 exams, respectively. This was an improvement of three percentage points compared to the three-year average passage rate over the three July exams from 2017 to 2019

As additional jurisdictions begin to release results and make statistics publicly available, I will continue to provide updates. The following jurisdictions have not publicly released exam statistics: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Virgin Islands.