After failing in January, the ABA passed a revised version of Standard 316. Accordingly, at least 75% of graduates who sit for a bar exam must pass within two years of graduation.
The three previous loopholes have been closed:
- An aggregate 75% bar passage rate for all graduates over the most recent five years
- A 75% bar passage rate for at least three of the past five years
- At least 70% of graduates get bar passage rates within 15% of the average first-time bar passage rate for other ABA-accredited law schools in the same jurisdiction for three out of the five most recent years
It’s quite simple. The ABA is getting tougher on the lower-tier law schools. Furthermore, the newly revised Standard 316 is effective immediately.
This will have two significant impacts on prospective law school applicants. First, they should be even less likely to consider lower-tier law schools. Second, those applicants with LSAT scores south of 150 will be even more likely encouraged to retake the test.
