2019 Statistics Snapshot

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Jurisdiction Bar Examination Data

(First-time and repeat test taker status based on an examinee’s testing experience in the reporting jurisdiction only.)

July 2019 Totals

July persons taking: 46,370

• 23% of July 2019 examinees were repeaters
• 77% of July 2019 examinees were first-time takers
• July persons passing: 64%

July first-timers taking: 35,758

• Percentage of July first-timers passing: 76%

July repeaters taking: 10,612

• Percentage of July repeaters passing: 27%

12% of 2019 examinees were graduates of law schools outside the USA

• Total graduates of law schools outside the USA taking: 8,165
• Percentage of graduates from law schools outside the USA passing: 33%

NCBE MBE-Based Data

(First-time and repeat test taker status based on an examinee’s having previously taken the MBE in any jurisdiction.*)

July 2019 Totals

July persons taking: 45,334

July likely repeaters taking: 11,545

• 25% of July 2019 examinees were likely repeaters

July likely first-timers taking: 29,467

• 65% of July 2019 examinees were likely first-time takers

approximately 10% of July 2019 examinees are untrackable

* The first-time and repeat test taker information calculated by NCBE is an approximation based on biographic data and the NCBE Number, which have not been used consistently in all jurisdictions across time. Use of the NCBE Number as a unique identifier has increased steadily since it was introduced in 2011. It was used in all but three of the jurisdictions that administered the MBE in February 2019, and in all but two of the jurisdictions that administered the MBE in July 2019, identifying about 98% of the February and July 2019 examinees. Repeat test takers in the NCBE MBE-based data are defined as those who were identified as having taken an MBE in any jurisdiction at least once prior to the current administration. However, the identification of repeat test takers is less certain in the case of earlier previous exam administrations than for more recent administrations, depending on when a jurisdiction began using the NCBE Number. Approximately 10% of examinees are unable to be tracked with certainty by NCBE as either first-time or repeat takers due to either a jurisdiction’s non-use or only recent use of the NCBE Number or a lack of sufficient biographic information. The differences in the numbers of persons taking the MBE in the NCBE MBE-based data and those taking the bar examination as reported by jurisdictions in the jurisdiction bar examination data are accounted for by the following: (1) the fact that two jurisdictions do not administer the MBE (and are therefore not represented in the NCBE MBE-based data but are represented in the jurisdiction bar examination data), (2) concurrent administrations of the bar examination in certain jurisdictions, (3) the fact that jurisdictions typically track repeaters within their own jurisdiction whereas NCBE tracks repeaters across jurisdictions, and/or (4) the acceptance of banked or transferred scores in certain jurisdictions. (Note: The counts and percentages in the NCBE MBE-based data are based on the designations effective at the time of publication. Because these designations may change as more information becomes available over time to more completely identify examinees, the counts and percentages published above may differ slightly from previously published counts and percentages.)