To pass the bar exam, you don’t have to be an expert on any of the subjects tested. Effective bar exam study is more about building a broad and shallow base of knowledge of many subjects. You need to know just enough about enough areas of the law to land on the passing side of the bar exam curve.
What is the Bar Exam Curve?
The bar exam curve is your ally in passing the bar exam. The curve, or scaled scoring, serves to ensure fairness across different administrations of the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). It’s a process used by bar examiners to help establish a passing threshold that considers the overall performance of all test takers on the multiple-choice exam for a single bar exam administration. Essentially, the scaled scoring accounts for variations in exam difficulty and the performance or bar test scores of the test takers.
The key to understanding where you are on the curve before you take the bar exam is knowing your percentile rank in comparison to everyone else preparing for the same exam.
A Few Extra Points on the Bar Exam is Significant
You can see the bar curve phenomenon in action by checking out recent Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) National Scaled Score Distribution charts published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) for 2021, 2022, and 2023. MBE scores have a history of consistently following a bell curve pattern for every bar exam administration.
Source: The Bar Examiner
The silver lining of the bar exam lies in not having to ace anything. Instead, the key to passing is knowing just enough to perform well enough compared to your peers.
Most bar takers fall right in the middle on the bar exam curve, within a few points of each other. The MBE portion of the bar exam is significant to your overall score in almost all U.S. states. On the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), the MBE is worth 50% of your score. The written components — the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) — make up the remainder of your score. Getting just a few additional points on the MBE can really tip you into the “passing zone.”
How Percentile Rank Factors into Bar Prep
The bar exam can cover a ton of information. How can you measure if you’re doing well enough in enough areas before taking the actual bar exam?
Knowing that the bar exam scaled score exists should relieve some pressure as you prepare. Also important is selecting the right bar prep provider.
Every year, more students prepare with BARBRI Bar Review than with all other course options combined, so you can get valid ranking information. You’ll be able to monitor your percentile rank by subject throughout your course and make adjustments to your studies as you progress.
Monitoring your percentile rank by subject will help you identify areas in which you are strong relative to your peers and those that need more work. This strategy will keep you from spending too much time in areas you are already proficient enough to pass and will push you to build up your weaker spots.
The bar exam pass rate is typically between 60-80% depending on your bar exam state. That means that 20-40% of people who sit for that bar exam do not pass. As you watch your percentile rank, your goal is to be in the 30th-40th percentile or higher in each subject as you progress in your studies. That’s how you know you’re doing well enough in enough areas.
How to Increase Your Percentile Rank
Once you identify subjects in which you are scoring in the 40th percentile or lower, you want to return to those subjects. Re-watch portions of the lecture, consult the BARBRI Score Maximizer, or dive into your outlines if necessary. Consider using a different study strategy than what you chose initially. Mixing up your bar prep learning activities can help you retain the information differently and has been proven to raise scores.
Leverage Your Bar Exam Score with the BARBRI Simulated MBE
A few weeks before your actual bar exam, you’ll have the opportunity to take the BARBRI Simulated MBE. This exam mentally and physically prepares you for the real thing.
After completing the simulation, you will receive a Pass Predictor score report. This insightful report shows your rankings by MBE subject compared to other students prepping for the bar exam. Our Pass Predictor is the most accurate because more students prepare with BARBRI than with all other options. You get the best indication of where you’ll land on the exam.
You can then take this valuable feedback, along with your remaining study time, to focus on the areas that need your attention most.
Here are some expert bar exam study tips. You've got this!
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