The Failure Rate for the February 2023 UBE Was Shockingly Low. See Texas, New York and Pennsylvania – Contact Bar Professors – We Can Help Repeat Takers
February 2023 has been a horror story across the country as more and more states are reporting their shockingly low bar exam scores. Of the 30 states that have announced results, only 3 states—Pennsylvania, Montana, and Vermont—posted an increased overall pass rate. However, Pennsylvania’s overall pass rate was only 44%.
There has been a big drop in bar exam pass rates for New York, Florida, Texas and other states. New York fell from 45% to 40% in its overall pass rate. Florida fell from 44% to 39% in its overall pass rate. Texas fell from 50% to 45% in its overall pass rate.
Pass rates have dropped by a 5% average across the states. Some states have seen a double digit decrease. New Mexico saw the biggest decline thus far, with its overall pass rate dropping 26% points from 70% last year to 44% this year. Nebraska’s pass rate fell 20% points to 41%, while Kansas’ dropped 17% points to 51%.
Although many repeat takers sit for the bar exam, first time takers have also seen a drop in pass rates. New York’s first-time pass rate declined from 61% in 2022 to 56% this year.
One reason for these shocking low pass rates is the MBE score, which dropped 1.5 points to 131.1 from last year. The first time takers MBE score also dropped from last year.
