State Bar Exam Passing Rate Hits 10-Year Low

SAN FRANCISCO — The passing rate on the California bar exam dropped to 52.5% in July, a 10-year low, the State Bar reported Monday.

Of the 7,580 students who took the three-day exam, 3,980 passed, the bar said. Those who also pass a legal ethics exam and the bar’s moral character review will be sworn in to practice as lawyers, joining the more than 160,000 eligible to practice in the state.

The passing rate was down from 62.9% in July 1997, and was the lowest since the 52.5% pass rate in July 1988.

The bar said California applicants scored slightly below the national average on a multiple-choice portion of the exam that is used nationally, a test on which the state’s scores usually have been above average. The California exam also includes essay questions and a test of research and other practical skills.

The exam is given twice a year, in February and July. Scores in February are generally lower because most of the applicants at that time have failed at least once before. The February 1998 passing rate was 40%.