Maine Bar Exam Statistics


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

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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 🙂

Are you planning to start a Maine LLC business in 2023? 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 Maine 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 Maine Bar Exam Statistics 2023

☰ Use “CTRL+F” to quickly find statistics. There are total 28 Maine Bar Exam Statistics on this page 🙂

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

For those in favor of the Bar Exam, the argument is simple: passing the exam demonstrates that an individual has the necessary knowledge and skills to be a competent lawyer. The exam covers a wide range of legal topics, from criminal law to civil procedure, and passing it requires a thorough understanding of each area. Proponents argue that this comprehensive testing ensures that only the most qualified individuals are allowed to practice law, which in turn helps protect the public from incompetent or unethical lawyers.

Additionally, the Bar Exam is seen as a leveling mechanism that ensures that all lawyers meet the same minimum standard of competency, regardless of where they received their legal education. This is particularly important in today’s global economy, where lawyers often practice across state lines or even internationally. The Bar Exam helps create a common baseline of legal knowledge and skills that facilitates this mobility and ensures a consistent level of quality in legal services.

However, critics of the Bar Exam question just how useful it really is in determining one’s ability to practice law. They argue that the exam is too focused on memorization and rote learning, rather than critical thinking and practical skills. In a profession that requires creativity, problem-solving, and real-world experience, some believe that the Bar Exam falls short in evaluating these important qualities.

Furthermore, some question the format of the Bar Exam itself, which consists of a series of multiple-choice questions and essay prompts. While multiple-choice questions can test knowledge of black-letter law, they often fail to assess one’s ability to analyze complex legal issues or think on one’s feet. Similarly, the essay portion of the exam can be highly subjective, with graders interpreting answers differently and potentially penalizing creative or unconventional thinking.

Critics also point out the racial and socioeconomic biases inherent in standardized tests like the Bar Exam. Studies have shown that minority candidates and those from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately likely to fail the exam, despite their potential to excel in the legal profession. This raises concerns about the fairness and equity of the Bar Exam as a gatekeeper to the legal profession.

In conclusion, the usefulness of the Maine Bar Exam is a complex and multifaceted issue. While the exam serves as a minimum standard for entry into the legal profession and ensures a baseline level of legal knowledge, it also has its limitations in evaluating practical skills, critical thinking, and real-world experience. As the legal profession continues to evolve, it is worth reevaluating the role of the Bar Exam in determining one’s ability to practice law and exploring alternative methods of assessing legal competency.

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

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