Illinois Bar Exam Statistics


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Illinois Bar Exam Statistics 2023: Facts about Bar Exam in Illinois reflect the current socio-economic condition of the state.

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Top Illinois Bar Exam Statistics 2023

☰ Use “CTRL+F” to quickly find statistics. There are total 21 Illinois Bar Exam Statistics on this page 🙂

Illinois Bar Exam “Latest” Statistics

  • Illinois test takers passed the July bar test at an 80.9% rate, down 4.3 percentage-points from the prior year.[1]
  • According to Superior Court Rule 304(f), each candidate must pass the written bar examination with a minimum combined score of 70% or higher on the MBE and essay sections, and a minimum scaled score of 75 on the MPRE in order to pass.[2]
  • The Illinois bar exam pass rates for total takers falls between 69% – 89%. First-time takers have the higher pass rates of 81% – 93%. Repeat takers have lower pass rates of 30% – 58%.[2]
  • Illinois had a remote bar in October 2020 with 75% pass rate, Nancy Vincent, administrative director of the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar, wrote in a February 2021 web post.[4]
  • Statistics jurisdictions stated that 68,305 people took the bar exam in 2019, with a 58% pass percentage as a whole.[5]
  • In the Illinois bar exam last February 2019, the pass rate was 52% while in July 2019, the pass rate increased to 71%.[5]
  • In the July 2022 Illinois bar exam, the overall pass rate was 68% with first time pass rate of 77% and repeater pass rate of 20%. The results were released last September 30, 2022.[4]
  • Illinois requires bar exam applicants to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”). You must score 80 or higher on the MPRE in order to pass in Illinois.[4]
  • In order to pass the Illinois bar exam, an examinee must score at least 266. This is equal to 133, based on the MBE’s 200-point scale.[4]

Illinois Bar Exam “Exam” Statistics

  • 21,935 people took the test in February 2019, and jurisdictions reported that 46% of them passed. The overall pass rate for the 46,370 July 2019 exam takers reported by jurisdictions was 64% .[5]

Illinois Bar Exam “Test” Statistics

  • The passing percentage for the New York Bar test, which serves as a decent middle ground standard, is 61% while Illinois has a passing rate of 68.80%[3]
  • The Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar announced in August that results would be delayed, because candidates experienced technical issues during the test. Results were released Oct. 7, and the pass rate was 67%, according to the NCBE website.[4]
  • 162 out of 378 Maryland test takers in February 2021 had a total pass percentage of 42.9% while Illinois had an overall passing rate of 42%.[2]
  • The Board of Bar Examiners automatically analyzes and regrades the top 15% of the failed applicants’ essay responses after the tests have been assessed but before the dissemination of the grading results.[2]
  • According to Hale, several students who took the July 2021 remote test had technical difficulties, such as displays turning black for a brief period of time during the essay component.[4]

Illinois Bar Exam “Other” Statistics

  • The Illinois State Bar Association was created in 1877. The voluntary organization has about 28,000 members. There are about 65,000 lawyers living in Illinois. About 38% of lawyers in Illinois are female.[4]
  • The National Conference of Bar Examiners recently published statistics showing that the national mean scaled score for the July 2021 Multistate Bar Exam was 140.4.[4]
  • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the legal industry is expected to increase by 10% between 2012 and 2022, which is a typical growth rate when compared to other employment sectors.[6]
  • Illinois gives equal weight to the essay and multiple choice portions of the Multistate Bar Examination.[1]
  • The Nationwide Conference of Bar Examiners reported that the national MBE score decreased to 141.5, a 28 point decrease from 2013, a decrease that is regarded as substantial.[1]
  • First time applicants to the Illinois Bar Exam from the College of Law passed with an 89% passing percentage during the July 2021 administration.[7]

Also Read

How Useful is Illinois Bar Exam

One argument in favor of the Illinois Bar Exam is that it serves as a comprehensive way to ensure that individuals have a solid understanding of the law before being allowed to practice. By testing applicants on a wide range of legal topics, the exam helps to ensure that attorneys are equipped to handle the many different issues that may arise in their practice. This can ultimately help to protect the public by ensuring that only competent individuals are able to practice law.

Additionally, the Illinois Bar Exam can serve as a way to help individuals understand their strengths and weaknesses in various areas of law. By requiring applicants to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in different subject areas, the exam can help individuals identify areas where they may need to improve. This can ultimately help to shape their legal careers as they seek to build a strong foundation of legal knowledge and skills.

Furthermore, the Illinois Bar Exam can also help to foster a sense of professionalism among attorneys. By requiring individuals to go through a rigorous testing process before being admitted to the bar, the exam helps to emphasize the importance of ethical behavior and adherence to the law. This can ultimately help to maintain the integrity of the legal profession and ensure that attorneys are held to a high standard of conduct.

However, there are also some criticisms of the Illinois Bar Exam and its usefulness in preparing attorneys for their careers. One argument is that the exam may not fully reflect the day-to-day realities of legal practice. The skills that are tested on the exam, such as issue spotting and legal analysis, may not always be the most important skills for attorneys in their practice. This can lead to a disconnect between what is tested on the exam and what is actually needed to be successful in a legal career.

Additionally, some have argued that the Illinois Bar Exam may serve as a barrier to entry for individuals from marginalized or underrepresented communities. The exam can be a costly and time-consuming process, which may disproportionately affect individuals who are already facing barriers to entry in the legal profession. This can contribute to a lack of diversity in the legal profession and may ultimately harm the profession as a whole.

In conclusion, while the Illinois Bar Exam may serve as an important step in ensuring that attorneys have a solid understanding of the law and are prepared to practice ethically, there are also valid criticisms of its usefulness in preparing attorneys for their careers. It is important for policymakers and legal professionals to consider these criticisms and work towards creating a more inclusive and effective system for ensuring that attorneys are equipped to succeed in their legal careers.

Reference

  1. chicagolawbulletin – https://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/archives/2014/11/12/illinois-bar-exam-scores-11-12.aspx
  2. jdadvising – https://jdadvising.com/february-2022-bar-exam-results-release-dates-by-state/
  3. lawschooli – https://lawschooli.com/bar-exam-pass-rate-by-state/
  4. abajournal – https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/remote-learning-and-burnout-could-be-reason-for-declining-bar-pass-rates
  5. ncbex – https://thebarexaminer.ncbex.org/article/fall-2020/2019-statistics/
  6. wbaillinois – https://wbaillinois.org/bar-passage-score-increase/
  7. illinois – https://law.illinois.edu/admissions/profiles-statistics/
  8. ameribar – https://ameribar.com/illinois-bar-exam/
  9. adaptibar – https://blog.adaptibar.com/february-2020-bar-exam-results/
  10. crushendo – https://crushendo.com/illinois-bar-exam-prep/
  11. ibarexam – https://ibarexam.com/illinois-bar-exam/
  12. ncbex – https://www.ncbex.org/statistics-and-research/bar-exam-results/
  13. quimbee – https://www.quimbee.com/resources/bar-exam-pass-rates-by-state-for-2020

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