The Bar Exam

Today marked the first day of the Bar exam for Matt. He moved into a hotel last night in Denver and will stay there until Thursday - it's better for everyone involved. I only spoke to him briefly today during his break but he sounded fairly confident so far. I'll have to wait and see how he sounds after 7 hours of essay writing tonight. Tomorrow is the multiple choice day and compared to today will be a piece of cake!

Since the Bar exam has officially started I figured it was time for......

Fun Facts About The Bar Exam

1. Delaware created and administered the first Bar exam in 1763
2. The Bar exam must be administered the same day in every state across the country
3. The Bar is given twice a year – on the last Wednesday in July and the last Wednesday in February
4. Delaware and North Dakota only administer their Bar exam once a year
5. Louisiana has the longest Bar exam running its course over three days for a total of 21 hours
6. Women were allowed entry into the Bar in 1869
7. Law school does not actually fully prepare you to take the Bar (this is one of my favorites!)
8. JFK Jr failed the Bar twice
9. Hillary Clinton failed the D.C. Bar but passed the Arkansas Bar
10. In Colorado, 73% of all Bar exam test takers pass
11. California has the lowest passage rate at 54%; Montana has the highest at 91%
12. Results are not given to test takers until October
13. The Bar is graded on a pass/fail curve and in Colorado, you must get a score of 276 to pass
14. The Bar exam is split into 3 sections
a. Multiple choice section with 200 questions (6 hours)
b. 9 short essays (3 hours 45 min)
c. Two 90 minute questions concerning “skills commonly used by lawyers practicing law competently"
15. The term “Bar” in Bar Exam comes from English courts where there was, traditionally, a wooden bar that divided the body of the court - where spectators sat - from the area in front of the judge's bench where the lawyers argued the cases. A person became a lawyer when he was "admitted to the Bar" - ie was allowed to pass through the bar into the front of the court.