MUSCLING UP FOR THE BAR
What it takes to pass
today’s nasty bar exam
C
New research shows that ase Western Reserve University
School of Law posted a bar-passage
Walsh said. “That gives us the ability to
navigate through a murky and difficult fact
your LSAT score is not rate of 93 percent for the July 2017 pattern, which is what you will get on the
indicative of how you exam, an increase of 15 percent-
age points from the prior year. The leap
bar exam.”
Since 2011, law school applicant pools
will do on the bar exam. reflects significant improvements to the have grown smaller and incoming under-
But your grades in civil law school’s curriculum, which is heavy on
experiential learning and skills develop-
graduate GPAs and LSAT scores have
dropped. Since 2014, bar-passage rates also
procedure and legal ment. have declined.
research and writing are. James Walsh was a member of Case A link has been drawn between low
Western Reserve’s 2017 graduating class, LSAT scores and sub-par bar exam per-
What should you do
PHOTO BY RAWPIXEL/SHUTTERSTOCK
the first to complete all three years of the formance. But recent studies indicate that
if you did poorly in revamped curriculum. He passed the bar LSAT scores are not the final determining
on his first try. There is no secret to his factor for who passes the bar and who does
those courses? success, he said, just hard work. not. In fact, the strongest indicator of bar
“Case really nurtured our critical-think- exam success appears to be a student’s law
BY TYLER ROBERTS ing skills, teaching us what to focus on,” school GPA.
20 The NaTioNal JurisT Winter 2018
What it takes to pass
today’s nasty bar exam
C
New research shows that ase Western Reserve University
School of Law posted a bar-passage
Walsh said. “That gives us the ability to
navigate through a murky and difficult fact
your LSAT score is not rate of 93 percent for the July 2017 pattern, which is what you will get on the
indicative of how you exam, an increase of 15 percent-
age points from the prior year. The leap
bar exam.”
Since 2011, law school applicant pools
will do on the bar exam. reflects significant improvements to the have grown smaller and incoming under-
But your grades in civil law school’s curriculum, which is heavy on
experiential learning and skills develop-
graduate GPAs and LSAT scores have
dropped. Since 2014, bar-passage rates also
procedure and legal ment. have declined.
research and writing are. James Walsh was a member of Case A link has been drawn between low
Western Reserve’s 2017 graduating class, LSAT scores and sub-par bar exam per-
What should you do
PHOTO BY RAWPIXEL/SHUTTERSTOCK
the first to complete all three years of the formance. But recent studies indicate that
if you did poorly in revamped curriculum. He passed the bar LSAT scores are not the final determining
on his first try. There is no secret to his factor for who passes the bar and who does
those courses? success, he said, just hard work. not. In fact, the strongest indicator of bar
“Case really nurtured our critical-think- exam success appears to be a student’s law
BY TYLER ROBERTS ing skills, teaching us what to focus on,” school GPA.
20 The NaTioNal JurisT Winter 2018
