More than 200 added to February Bar Exam pass list after scoring changes

The State Bar said that more than 200 additional test takers have passed the February 2025 Bar Exam following a major scoring adjustment prompted by public pressure and internal review.

The bar notified test takers on Friday evening with an email heading announcing, "Further Scoring Adjustments." The decision grew from a lengthy Committee of Bar Examiners Meeting on Friday. During more than two hours of public comment, several test takers said they failed because of a first reading/second reading system under which multiple graders reviewed.

"First, the CBE adopted a change to how scores are calculated for those applicants who score at least 1350 but less than 1390 and go to 'second read' on the written section of the exam," the email stated. "Instead of averaging first and second read scores for each question, for the February 2025 exam, the higher of the first or second read score given for each question will be used to calculate the written score. This action does not require Supreme Court approval. We estimate this change will result in over 200 exam takers switching from fail to pass status."

The email also said the board has recommended "that performance test scores be psychometrically imputed for all unsuccessful February 2025 test takers." This would build on a methodology the bar suggested in its April petition to the court. This change would also need court approval but could make additional people eligible to pass.

This third round of adjustments is by far the largest since the bar released the results of the problem-plagued test on May 5. It pushes the percentage of test takers who passed up to nearly 63%. This is almost twice the approximately 35% of people who have passed the winter bar exam in recent years.

But several speakers at Friday's meeting also argued February's exam was a different test given under quite different conditions than previous exams.

"You cannot compare this test to any other test in the history of the bar exam," said a disgruntled test taker who identified herself as Terry Elliott.

This story was originally published in the Daily Journal