February 2024 Bar Exam Update: Jurisdictions See Progress, Setbacks in First-Time Passage Rates
We're getting near the end of the February 2024 bar results season.
As of this morning, the National Conference of Bar Examiners has posted detailed bar exam statistics for 41 jurisdictions.
These 41 jurisdictions include 12,835 examinees, which represent about 64% of the examinees who took the February 2023 exam, when 20,192 took the exam.
While there are other jurisdictions that have already released their February 2024 results, the NCBE has not yet included the detailed pass statistics on its website (e.g., Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Texas).
The largest jurisdiction that has not yet released its results to examinees is California. It results are expected to be released on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. PT. More than 3,700 examinees took the February 2023 California bar exam.
Here are some key highlights (so far):
Overall, the average first-time passage rate for these 41 jurisdictions has slightly improved from 60.28% on the February 2023 exam to 61.36% on the February 2024 exam. This is an improvement of 1.08 percentage points.
Major Improvements:
Nebraska stood out with a staggering 29% increase in first-time passage rates, rising from 42% in 2023 to 71% in 2024.
Mississippi also showed remarkable recovery, matching its 2022 rate of 74% after a dip to 48% in 2023.
Idaho and New Mexico demonstrated robust gains, with improvements of 18% and 12% respectively.
Notable Declines:
On the flip side, South Dakota experienced the most severe decline, dropping from 90% in 2023 to 63% in 2024, a 27% decrease.
Wyoming and Vermont also faced significant reductions of 18% and 16% respectively.
Steady Performers:
Some jurisdictions like Florida, Kentucky, Washington, and West Virginia showed minor improvements or maintained a stable performance, highlighting consistent standards and possibly effective preparatory measures.
Charts:
List of Jurisdictions (alphabetical order)
List of Jurisdictions (ordered by February 2024 First-Time Pass Rates)
List of Jurisdictions (ordered by 3-Year First-Time Average from February 2022 to February 2024 exams)
List of Jurisdictions (ordered by Performance Difference February 2023 and February 2024 exams)
