The California Bar Exam
With a pass rate of around 50%, the California Bar Exam is notoriously one of the toughest bar exams in the nation. The pass rate is significantly lower for repeat takers and even less for those who have been out of law school for an extended period. Additionally, the pass rate for applicants from higher-ranked institutions is higher than those from lower-ranked institutions.
At the time of my taking of the examination, there were 18 subjects, conducted over the span of 3 days. The test took around 8 hours each day. The examination takes place only twice a year, and it takes 3-4 months to receive the results.
The pass rate for someone like me for that particular year was 31%. To compound matters, my law school had a pass rate of 13% at that time.
Dismissed from Law School
I had started law school in the fall of 2008. After completing three semesters, I was dismissed from school in the spring of 2010. This was based on a “foundation point” policy, which required me to obtain a certain grade in a specific class. Unfortunately, I fell short by only 0.1 points, leaving me just one foundation point shy of meeting the requirement. For all intents and purposes, my overall GPA was not failing.
