State Bar Exams Ranked by Difficulty for 2024

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After graduating from law school, prospective lawyers must take the bar exam in the state where they intend to practice what they’ve learned. However, other factors must be considered before applying for the exam in any state.

Those factors include the difficulty of the exam, the success rate, the format, and the time duration. The level of difficulty of any bar exam depends on the state. Some states have the hardest bar exam difficulty with lower pass rates than others.

In addition, whether or not you finished law school in any state, you must consider the difficulty before signing up for the bar exam. As you read through, you will find the states generally considered to have the hardest bar exams.

The Hardest Bar Exams by State in the US

Each state has its legal education system; while some are flexible, others are rigid. It makes it difficult for most students to easily scale through as you have to be remarkably sound to pass the bar exam with flying colors.

The states with a rigid system of education that makes it difficult for students to pass their bar exams include;

1. California

The state bar of California

California is generally considered the state with the hardest bar exam. The California Bar is one of the largest bar associations, with over 250,000 members, making it hard for just anyone to become a member.

Typically, one of the factors behind the difficulty of the California bar exam is the grueling time it takes to complete it.

The bar exam is written twice a year, and the event consists of multiple-choice sessions and questions that require open-response answers. Furthermore, due to the pass rate being lower than 40%, California has been considered the state with the hardest bar exam.

2. Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is considered the state with the second most difficult bar passage rate. Like California, it is also a multi-day event requiring students to go through harrowing hoops and needles to pass the exams with flying colors.

It has quite some extensive laws that candidates are usually taught and examined in, and the technicality of these processes makes passing the bar exam difficult in Arkansas.

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3. Washington

Washington

There are three law schools in the state of Washington, each of which produces many students who sit for the bar exam annually.

The bar exam in each school is extremely difficult and challenging as the success rate recorded over the last years has been less than 60%, so, therefore, making it invariably one of the most difficult bar exams.

4. Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana has been recorded and ranked fourth on the list of the hardest states for bar exam test-takers in the US.

It follows a unique system that mandates prospective law students who take part in the bar exam to study at one of the law schools in the state to learn the state’s unique legal system. After that, they’ll be expected to take a bar exam completely different from any other state.

5. Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is one of the hardest state bar exams because of the required score. Furthermore, you are expected to obtain a unique school score of at least 145 to pass, considered the highest in the state.

Unlike other schools’ bar exams, Delaware only offers the bar exam once per year. Students have to pass through so many hoops to succeed as Delaware is very picky about whom it allows to become one of the lawyers in the state, making it one of the States with the most challenging bar exams.

6. Nevada

Nevada

The Nevada state bar exam is a two-and-a-half-day exam with one of the lowest pass rates. This is because the exam is extremely difficult and combines the state’s unique law and a higher required score to pass.

It adopted the MBE and MPT bar exam system, including a state essay portion and high passing standards. It has a reputation for expecting exceptionally lengthy model answers for an essay.

7. Virginia

Virginia

Some consider the bar examination in Virginia to be among the most challenging as more than twenty-four law subfields are tested using a system specifically developed by the state.

It’s possible to pass with a fair amount of effort, but only if you’re prepared to put in more than the minimum.

8. Oregon

Oregon

Oregon bar exam is relatively difficult as students are expected to take and pass the exam with a score of at least 270.

Like every other state, the bar exam in Oregon is also a 2-day exam that utilizes the MBE and MRE system. It has a very low pass rate which reflects on the bar exam’s difficulty level.

9. West Virginia

West Virginia

Two days are allotted for the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) that makes up the West Virginia bar exam. The exam consists of six UBE questions with a time limit of 30 minutes each and two multistate performance test questions that each last 90 minutes.

A high score on the MBE’s 200-point scale is equivalent to passing the West Virginia bar exam, which is notoriously challenging. The Multi-Modal Bar Examination (MBE) and Multi-Modal Bar Examination (MPT) are used. As a result, its bar exam is renowned for being particularly challenging even among other states.

10. Vermont

Vermont

The Vermont State Bar exam is written twice yearly, and the Vermont State Board of Law examiners review it.

The uniform bar examination in Vermont is considered one of the most challenging exams to pass, as you need to attain a very high score. So, therefore, this has made it one of the states with the most difficult bar exam.

Conclusion

The bar exam has never proven to be easy anywhere. Still, the abovementioned bar exams have ranked tall as the most difficult based on their structure, pass rate, failure rate, and examination technicality.

Now that you know this, you can quickly decide on the state you intend to take your bar exam. Good luck!

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