Maine Bar Exam Statistics 2023
– Everything You Need to Know

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

LLCBuddy editorial team did hours of research, collected all important statistics on Maine Bar Exam, and shared those on this page. Our editorial team proofread these to make the data as accurate as possible. We believe you don’t need to check any other resources on the web for the same. You should get everything here only 🙂

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Top Maine Bar Exam Statistics 2023

Maine Bar Exam “Latest” Statistics

• The American Bar Association’s accreditation arm, which led the national movement to increase bar passing rates, established a new regulation in May 2019 mandating that 75% of law school graduates pass a bar test within two years after graduation.^[1]
• The 2018 numbers for U Maine Law and U Mass Dartmouth were pretty good: 72.22% of U Maines first-time takers and 79.55% of U Mass first-time takers passed a bar exam (a high first year attrition rate at U Mass Dartmouth may be eliminating the worst students from the class).^[2]
• 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.^[3]
• It is unacceptable to graduate law students with failure rates for the bar test that are anything near 50% .^[4]
• Low performance from a cluster of schools located in New England might be producing a similar drag on the northeast, including Maine. For instance, the total 2018 bar clearance percentage for New Hampshire’s ABA accredited institutions was 56.25% .^[2]
• If the poorest 25 percentile of the class of 2019 from New England can pass the bar exam, they obviously have less aptitude for it.^[2]
• According to the website Above the Law, Anderson looked at each law school’s median undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores, as well as its 2010–2011 bar passing rate.^[5]
• Maine’s success rate for the July 2019 bar exam was a pitiful 52%, and for the February 2020 bar exam it was 50% .^[4]
• Maine Bar exam statistics for 2020 and 2017. Schools bar passage rate in 2020 was 79.1% while in 2017, the schools bar’s passage rate was 75.9%.^[7]
• Maine Law ranks 98 in terms of bar passage rate among first-time test takers (79.1%), and it outperforms by +4.7% the state of Maine’s overall bar passage rate of 74.4%.^[7]
• According to the American Bar Association, the average bar pass rate nationwide last year was 79.64% , up almost five points from 74.8% in 2018.^[1]
• Overall, California’s percentage is likely lower than Maine’s 47% for 2019, meaning that Maine will wind up having the 50th lowest bar clearance rate in the us for 2019.^[2]
• In February 2021, 30 out of 60 Maine examinees passed the bar exam with a 60% overall passage rate.^[3]
• In July 2021, Maine had a 59% overall passage rate in its bar exam.^[3]
• In the July 2019 Maine bar exam, the total passing percentage was 31% and it increased in July 2019, with an overall passing percentage of 52%. ]^[9]
• In order to pass the Maine bar exam, an examinee must attain the score of 276. The MBE counts for 50% of the score.^[1]
• An examinee must score 80 or higher on the MPRE in order to pass since Maine requires bar exam applicants to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”).^[1]

Maine Bar Exam “Exam” Statistics

• The conventional pass rates for the Maine Bar exam typically vary from 55% to 92% for all test takers, 65% to 95% for firs timers, and 20% to 99% for repeat test.^[8]
• The official success percentage for the July 2019 exam is 52% , according to the website of the Maine Board of Bar examiners.^[2]
• According to Maryland Bar Admission rule 8(a), the State Board of Law examiners mails each examinee’s official findings. 162 out of 378 Maryland test takers in February 2021 had a total passing percentage of 42.9%  while Maine test takers had a 60% overall passing percentage.^[3]
• Since Delaware doesn’t provide exams in February, we know Maine’s overall 2019 pass rate of 47% is lower than Delaware’s overall 2019 pass rate of 52% .^[2]

Maine Bar Exam “Test” Statistics

• The University of Maine School of Law’s 2020 class performed even better. The September test was passed by 48 out of 53 members, raising the pass percentage for the state’s lone law school from 58.6% to 90.6% .^[1]
• 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.^[3]
• Maine’s pass rate decreased by 27 percentage points, and just two states have so far reported gains for the July test when compared to last year.^[10]
• Eighty six of those who took the test in September succeeded, which is the greatest success rate since July 2016 and over 30 percentage points higher than the average success rate, which was 56.6% from February 2015 and July 2019, which was between those dates.^[1]

Maine Bar Exam “Other” Statistics

• The passing rate for July 2022 Maine Bar Exam was 70%. The UBE Score needed for admission to the Maine Bar is 270.^[6]
• In July 2022, Maine’s Bar Exam overall rate was 70%; Maine’s First-time pass rate was 76%, and Maine’s repeater pass rate was 24%. [The results were released last September 22, 2022]^[9]
• The minimum UBE passing score of Maine is 270.^[9]

Also Read

How Useful is Maine Bar Exam

One could argue that the bar exam is an important measure of an individual’s competence to practice law. It ensures that lawyers possess the fundamental knowledge necessary to advocate for and guide their clients effectively. A comprehensive examination that covers a wide range of legal principles and concepts undoubtedly increases the chances of clients receiving competent representation. The bar exam emphasizes the importance of thoroughly understanding procedural and substantive law within a specific jurisdiction, fostering integrity, diligence, and professionalism among new attorneys.

Moreover, the bar exam also fosters uniformity across the legal profession. It provides a standard evaluation process that helps define the minimum level of competency required to practice law. By ensuring that all lawyers meet a similar standard, it serves to protect the public’s interest in fair and equitable access to justice. With the multitude of legal issues people face on a daily basis, it is essential that they can trust the qualifications of their legal representatives.

On the other hand, the usefulness of the Maine bar exam is not without its critics. Some argue that it is too rigid and fails to test the practical aspects of practicing law. In a world where legal services are increasingly diverse and complex, a purely knowledge-based examination may not fully prepare new lawyers for the realities of legal practice. Practical skills such as legal research, oral advocacy, negotiations, and client counseling, which are essential to effectively serve clients, are often overshadowed by the predominant focus on substantive knowledge. In this sense, the usefulness of the Maine bar exam becomes less clear.

Furthermore, advocates for reform argue that the bar exam places an unnecessary burden on law students and aspiring lawyers. The extensive time and resources dedicated to preparing for the exam could be more effectively utilized honing practical skills through internships, clerkships, or electives that simulate real-world legal scenarios. While substantive knowledge is important, it may not be the sole or even the most crucial factor determining the success of a legal professional. Excessive emphasis on the bar exam can overlook the broader qualities and characteristics needed to excel in practice, such as critical thinking, creativity, and ethical judgment.

The discussion surrounding the usefulness of the Maine bar exam is undoubtedly complex and multifaceted. As legal education and the practice of law continue to evolve, so too must our understanding of how to evaluate and prepare future attorneys. Balancing knowledge with practical skills, and maintaining standards while considering the practical realities of legal practice, is a dilemma that requires thoughtful consideration and ongoing dialogue. Ultimately, the bar exam must strike a balance between testing the competence of aspiring lawyers and ensuring that they have the essential skills to serve clients effectively in our ever-changing legal world.

Reference

1. bangordailynews – https://www.bangordailynews.com/2020/12/13/news/dramatically-more-maine-law-school-grads-passed-the-bar-exam-this-year/
2. edfolsomlaw – https://edfolsomlaw.com/2019/09/maines-july-2019-bar-results-are-out-the-slide-continues/
3. jdadvising – https://jdadvising.com/february-2022-bar-exam-results-release-dates-by-state/
4. edfolsomlaw – https://edfolsomlaw.com/2020/12/maine-bar-results-are-out-the-pass-rate-is-way-up/
5. thoughtco – https://www.thoughtco.com/states-with-most-difficult-bar-exams-2154802
6. mainebarexaminers – https://mainebarexaminers.org/exam/current-exam-feb-2015/
7. ilrg – https://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/view/139
8. ibarexam – https://ibarexam.com/maine-bar-exam/
9. ncbex – https://www.ncbex.org/statistics-and-research/bar-exam-results/
10. reuters – https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/bar-exam-scores-keep-rolling-nearly-all-lower-than-last-year-2021-09-22/
11. ameribar – https://ameribar.com/maine-bar-exam/
12. quimbee – https://www.quimbee.com/resources/bar-exam-pass-rates-by-state-for-2020