New Mexico Bar Exam Statistics


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New Mexico Bar Exam Statistics 2025: Facts about Bar Exam in New Mexico reflect the current socio-economic condition of the state.

new-mexico

LLCBuddy editorial team did hours of research, collected all important statistics on New Mexico 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 🙂

Are you planning to start a New Mexico LLC business in 2025? Maybe for educational purposes, business research, or personal curiosity, whatever it is – it’s always a good idea to gather more information.

How much of an impact will New Mexico Bar Exam Statistics have on your day-to-day? or the day-to-day of your LLC Business? How much does it matter directly or indirectly? You should get answers to all your questions here.

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Top New Mexico Bar Exam Statistics 2025

☰ Use “CTRL+F” to quickly find statistics. There are total 15 New Mexico Bar Exam Statistics on this page 🙂

New Mexico Bar Exam “Latest” Statistics

  • UNM Law ranks 35 in terms of bar passage rate among first-time test takers (90.4%), and it outperforms by +4.7% the state of New Mexico’s overall bar passage rate of 85.7%.[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]
  • In order to pass the New Mexico bar exam, an examinee should have at least 260 points.[2]
  • In the July 2022 bar exam results by Jurisdiction, New Mexico got a 75% overall passing rate with 79% first time takers and 52% repeaters. The results were released last September 9, 2022.[2]
  • In order to pass the New Mexico bar exam, you should score at least 260 of 400, which is 130 on the MBE’s 200-point scale.[3]
  • New Mexico mandates bar examinees to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”). An examinee should score 80 or higher on the MPRE in order to pass in New Mexico.[3]
  • New Mexico bar exam has an overall pass rate of 76.95% (237 out of 308) passed. For the first timer, 85.71% (204 out of 238) passed the bar. The data’s were shown for the 2017 calendar year.[5]
  • The New Mexico bar exam pass rates can range from 81% to 85% for all of the takers, 88% to 95% for the first-time takers, and 25% to 57% for the repeat takers.[7]
  • Last July 2022 in the New Mexico bar exam, the total pass rate for all test taker was 75% while the overall pass rate for first timer was 79%.[8]

New Mexico Bar Exam “Exam” Statistics

  • 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]

New Mexico Bar Exam “Test” Statistics

  • 162 out of 378 Maryland test takers in February 2021 passed with a total percentage of 42.9%, while in New Mexico, the overall pass rate was 67%.[2]
  • As a result of state authorities decreasing the passing mark by two points this year in response to technological issues some test takers experienced, North Carolina’s total pass percentage fell to 75% from 83% in July 2020 while New Mexico’s pass rate is down 18 percentage points, to 71%.[4]

New Mexico Bar Exam “Other” Statistics

  • The value of the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) is 50%. The Multistate Performance Test is valued 20% and the Multistate Essay Exam is worth 30%.[6]
  • Bar passing rates were over 70% in ten states. (Nebraska, Idaho, Kansas, Utah, Oregon, Montana, New Mexico, Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma.)[5]
  • For the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), the written questions are weighted 50%, 20%, and 30%, respectively.[7]

Also Read

How Useful is New Mexico Bar Exam

One could argue that the Bar Exam is a necessary hurdle that ensures only qualified individuals are granted the privilege of practicing law. It tests applicants on a wide range of legal topics, from criminal law and procedure to civil procedure and evidence. Passing the exam demonstrates a mastery of these subjects and a readiness to tackle the challenges of legal practice.

Moreover, the Bar Exam is designed to help preserve the integrity of the legal profession. By screening out individuals who lack the necessary legal knowledge and skills, it helps maintain high standards of professionalism and ethics within the legal community. This, in turn, instills trust in the legal system and ensures that clients receive competent and reliable legal representation.

However, critics of the Bar Exam argue that it is an outdated and unnecessarily burdensome requirement that does little to guarantee the quality of legal services provided. They contend that the exam fails to accurately assess an individual’s ability to practice law effectively and instead serves as a barrier to entry for many qualified candidates.

Proponents of this view argue that the Bar Exam places too much emphasis on memorization and rote learning, rather than critical thinking and practical skills. They point out that the legal profession is evolving rapidly, with new technologies and legal theories constantly reshaping the practice of law. A one-size-fits-all exam may not adequately prepare lawyers for these challenges or accurately measure their abilities.

Additionally, critics argue that the Bar Exam disproportionately impacts minority candidates, who historically have lower passage rates than their counterparts. This raises concerns about the exam’s fairness and equity, especially in light of ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within the legal profession.

In response to these criticisms, some states have begun to explore alternative pathways to licensure that offer more flexibility and cater to a wider range of candidates. For example, some jurisdictions now offer bar admission based on a combination of education, experience, and passing the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).

These alternative pathways aim to address the shortcomings of the traditional Bar Exam by providing a more holistic assessment of an individual’s readiness to practice law. They take into account factors such as practical experience, specialized legal knowledge, and ethical considerations, which may not be fully captured by a standardized written exam.

In conclusion, the New Mexico Bar Exam is undoubtedly a valuable tool for evaluating prospective lawyers and upholding the standards of the legal profession. However, its usefulness may be tempered by its rigidity and lack of flexibility in assessing the diverse talents and backgrounds of aspiring attorneys. As the legal landscape continues to evolve, it may be time to reexamine how we evaluate and license new lawyers to ensure that they are equipped to meet the demands of modern legal practice.

Reference

  1. ilrg – https://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/view/152
  2. jdadvising – https://jdadvising.com/february-2022-bar-exam-results-release-dates-by-state/
  3. thoughtco – https://www.thoughtco.com/states-with-most-difficult-bar-exams-2154802
  4. reuters – https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/ominous-early-signs-emerge-july-2021-bar-exam-pass-rates-2021-09-15/
  5. lawschooli – https://lawschooli.com/bar-exam-pass-rate-by-state/
  6. jdadvising – https://jdadvising.com/5-steps-take-failed-new-mexico-bar-exam/
  7. ibarexam – https://ibarexam.com/new-mexico-bar-exam/
  8. nmexam – https://nmexam.org/february-2022-bar-examination-results/
  9. ameribar – https://ameribar.com/new-mexico-bar-exam/
  10. texas – https://ble.texas.gov/statistics
  11. makethisyourlasttime – https://www.makethisyourlasttime.com/easiest-bar-exam/
  12. ncbex – https://www.ncbex.org/statistics-and-research/bar-exam-results/

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