NY v MD Bar Exam Forum

[jarofsoup]

Which one is easier to pass? Cannot decide which one to take.

Why is NY's pass rate so high?

[Anonymous User]

Which one is easier to pass? Cannot decide which one to take.

Why is NY's pass rate so high?

http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/04 ... culty.html

Maryland is harder by a little. However, no CLE, so I'd probably do that. Though I might just take the DC bar if that is where you are practicing. I'm waiting for like 11 months to get my DC waive in.

[jarofsoup]

Is the New York bar just really hard, but scaled very generously?

Barbri says the pass rate is high b/c the applicant pool is from the top schools. But I have a really hard time believing that a 80-90% first timer pass rate is because of people being smart.

I mean CA has a 60-69% pass rate from ABA approved schools which is much lower.

The DC bar is a bit disorganized. I wanted to see if I could waive in my MBE score from CA and not sit for it and they told me they have not decided yet.

[Anonymous User]

Is the New York bar just really hard, but scaled very generously?

Barbri says the pass rate is high b/c the applicant pool is from the top schools. But I have a really hard time believing that a 80-90% first timer pass rate is because of people being smart.

I mean CA has a 60-69% pass rate from ABA approved schools which is much lower.

The DC bar is a bit disorganized. I wanted to see if I could waive in my MBE score from CA and not sit for it and they told me they have not decided yet.

CA is much harder than NY. NY isn't hard at all.

[Actus Reus]

Don't take DC you morons. Who cares how long it takes to waive in.

[jarofsoup]

Don't take DC you morons. Who cares how long it takes to waive in.

I think its really NY v. MD for me. NY seems to provide me with more opportunities for jobs..

[AreJay711]

Don't take DC you morons. Who cares how long it takes to waive in.

This.

I took and passed both NY and MD bar exams. I thought NY was harder but I did a prep course for MD and just kind of did NY live. The multiple choice for NY is brutal (though I don't know how much it matters) and there are fewer little exceptions to the common law in MD than NY. Plus no trusts and estates in MD.

Word on the street is that the powers that be are want to make the MD bar passage rate lower.

[jarofsoup]

I took barbri for CA. I almost passed but would have to pay sticker for another state. Looking to take Themis or Kaplan for bar number two. Any recommendations?

[gogogogo]

No CLES, pro bono req, or MPRE required for MD.

[Anonymous User]

Also with MD you will be licensed by the middle of December. NY takes forever. My friends didn't get sworn in until March. Makes a huge difference if you haven't secured a job yet as many jobs required license.

Although if you are going to take NY you should also take NJ because you can be licensed right after you pass and NJ only has MBE subjects.

[jarofsoup]

Also with MD you will be licensed by the middle of December. NY takes forever. My friends didn't get sworn in until March. Makes a huge difference if you haven't secured a job yet as many jobs required license.

Although if you are going to take NY you should also take NJ because you can be licensed right after you pass and NJ only has MBE subjects.

Ive heard the CLE requirements of that combination suck. But, I think I only really care about passing something. High pass rate/ high likelihood of passing is my key interest.

[XxSpyKEx]

If you're totally indifferent, because you're planing to waive into DC, why not just take the CA bar? It's the only major jurisdiction that you can never waive into (at least that I know of), and once you waive into DC, you'll be able to get reciprocity through DC in a ton of states after 5 years of experience (e.g. you can waive into NY after being admitted to DC with somewhere around 5 years of experience). Maryland doesn't offer reciprocity, but why would you ever need to practice in Maryland state court (you can waive into the fed district court without being a member of the Maryland State Bar).

FWIW, CA is a much, much easier bar exam than its passage rates suggest. You pretty much just need to be able to score high on the MBE section (which is only 8 topics, so that's not difficult) and to be able to write half-way decently for the CPT.

[jarofsoup]

If you're totally indifferent, because you're planing to waive into DC, why not just take the CA bar? It's the only major jurisdiction that you can never waive into (at least that I know of), and once you waive into DC, you'll be able to get reciprocity through DC in a ton of states after 5 years of experience (e.g. you can waive into NY after being admitted to DC with somewhere around 5 years of experience). Maryland doesn't offer reciprocity, but why would you ever need to practice in Maryland state court (you can waive into the fed district court without being a member of the Maryland State Bar).

FWIW, CA is a much, much easier bar exam than its passage rates suggest. You pretty much just need to be able to score high on the MBE section (which is only 8 topics, so that's not difficult) and to be able to write half-way decently for the CPT.

I failed the CA bar in July, so that is my reason not to retake. For what its worth the MBE statements is not entirely accurate. I got around a 144 on the MBE and decent essays and failed. Other people got around 150 to 160 and still failed CBX.

I came with in 7 points of passing CBX and the grading was completely arbitrary. I had two graders which graded completely differently. One passed me and one failed me (the final score is averaged).

So I am a bit bitter and would hate to do that again. I think the reciprocity rules require you to sit for the bar in a jurisdiction that has reciprocity with it. Not to sure though.

[XxSpyKEx]

If you're totally indifferent, because you're planing to waive into DC, why not just take the CA bar? It's the only major jurisdiction that you can never waive into (at least that I know of), and once you waive into DC, you'll be able to get reciprocity through DC in a ton of states after 5 years of experience (e.g. you can waive into NY after being admitted to DC with somewhere around 5 years of experience). Maryland doesn't offer reciprocity, but why would you ever need to practice in Maryland state court (you can waive into the fed district court without being a member of the Maryland State Bar).

FWIW, CA is a much, much easier bar exam than its passage rates suggest. You pretty much just need to be able to score high on the MBE section (which is only 8 topics, so that's not difficult) and to be able to write half-way decently for the CPT.

I failed the CA bar in July, so that is my reason not to retake. For what its worth the MBE statements is not entirely accurate. I got around a 144 on the MBE and decent essays and failed. Other people got around 150 to 160 and still failed CBX.

I came with in 7 points of passing CBX and the grading was completely arbitrary. I had two graders which graded completely differently. One passed me and one failed me (the final score is averaged).

Appeal that shit! 7 points is pretty arbitrary, especially given that 1/3 of the exam is the CPT, which is very subjective.

I think the reciprocity rules require you to sit for the bar in a jurisdiction that has reciprocity with it. Not to sure though.

I haven't seen this in reciprocity rules for the states I've looked at, but it's state-by-state, so some might require you to have sat for the bar exam in the jurisdiction it had reciprocity with (and I wouldn't be surprised if backward ass states like VA require that).

[jarofsoup]

If you're totally indifferent, because you're planing to waive into DC, why not just take the CA bar? It's the only major jurisdiction that you can never waive into (at least that I know of), and once you waive into DC, you'll be able to get reciprocity through DC in a ton of states after 5 years of experience (e.g. you can waive into NY after being admitted to DC with somewhere around 5 years of experience). Maryland doesn't offer reciprocity, but why would you ever need to practice in Maryland state court (you can waive into the fed district court without being a member of the Maryland State Bar).

FWIW, CA is a much, much easier bar exam than its passage rates suggest. You pretty much just need to be able to score high on the MBE section (which is only 8 topics, so that's not difficult) and to be able to write half-way decently for the CPT.

I failed the CA bar in July, so that is my reason not to retake. For what its worth the MBE statements is not entirely accurate. I got around a 144 on the MBE and decent essays and failed. Other people got around 150 to 160 and still failed CBX.

I came with in 7 points of passing CBX and the grading was completely arbitrary. I had two graders which graded completely differently. One passed me and one failed me (the final score is averaged).

Appeal that shit! 7 points is pretty arbitrary, especially given that 1/3 of the exam is the CPT, which is very subjective.

I think the reciprocity rules require you to sit for the bar in a jurisdiction that has reciprocity with it. Not to sure though.

I haven't seen this in reciprocity rules for the states I've looked at, but it's state-by-state, so some might require you to have sat for the bar exam in the jurisdiction it had reciprocity with (and I wouldn't be surprised if backward ass states like VA require that).

Cannot appeal in CA