Wednesday, June 3, 1998
Bar exam scores drop
for all California, UCLA
LAW SCHOOL: Taking test in February difficult due to changes in
study habits
By Emi Kojima
Daily Bruin Staff
Right after graduation, law students head straight to the
Bar.
The Bar exam, that is. Bar scores on the February 1998 exam,
announced May 26, have fallen at the UCLA Law School from the last
year’s exam. But the drop in UCLA scores is in line with a fall in
scores statewide.
The Bar exam is a statewide test administered twice a year – in
February and July – to law students. The exam is evaluated on a
pass or no-pass basis.
The drop in the pass rate from February 1997 to 1998 was "a
fluke," and does not reflect a continuing trend, said Ayanna
Chambliss, a staff attorney for Barbri Bar Review course that
students can take to help them prepare for the Bar.
"The February Bar is hard to do," Chambliss said.
The students who take the Bar exam in February have spent a
longer time away from law school after graduation.
At UCLA, out of the 61 students who took the exam, 31 passed.
Last February, 52 students took the exam and 38 passed.
Statewide, there also has been a drop in Bar scores. Of the
nearly 4,000 people who took the Bar in California, 40 percent
passed, compared with the 48.8 percent who passed last year.
"I don’t know why there was a drop in scores," said Jerome
Brown, senior executive of admissions for the State Bar.
"I do know that each group of people is unique and brings its
own talents and experience to the exam," he said.
Brown said that the State Bar takes into account differences in
each exam by evaluating students on a curve.
More law students take the exam in February than in July, just
after they graduate from law school. About 300 UCLA law students
take the July exam.
At UCLA, about 80 percent of students have passed the July exam
in the past three years.
Taking the Bar exam in July is better than taking it in
February, according to Chambliss.
More people take the Bar in February for the second and third
time than in July, according to Brown.
"First time takers have a better pass rate," he said,
attributing their success to being right out of law school.
Brown said that the pass rate in July is higher because there
are more first time test takers then.
At UCLA, 15 students took the February Bar exam for the first
time.
"The information is fresh in your mind, and you’re not out of
the I-need-to-study mode," Chambliss said.
Though students receive their juris doctorate degree after
graduation from law school, they must pass the Bar exam in order to
practice as attorneys.
The Bar provides training in attorney discipline, legal
education and publications, among other duties.
Kerry McCoy, who just graduated from UCLA Law School, began
studying for the Bar exam this week.
UCLA’s Law School commencement occurred on May 24, where 269
students graduated.
"I chose to take the exam in July because I’m starting work in
the fall," said McCoy, who has been hired at a law firm in downtown
Los Angeles.
She said that her job will not be affected by whether she passes
the Bar in July or not.
Brown said that firms recruit students during their final year
of law school, and graduates generally start in non-representative
positions. He said that students often have jobs waiting for them
after they graduate, even though they have not passed the Bar
exam.