Despite the added stress and uncertainty that COVID-19 brought on those who sat for the July bar exam, the pass rate increased almost four percentage points over last year to 71.69 percent, the South Carolina Office of Bar Admissions has announced.
For months, it was unclear whether South Carolina would even hold the exam, but the state ultimately decided to administer it, putting test-takers in a doubly difficult spot.
Truong Do, a Charleston School of Law graduate who passed the exam, said that preparing for the bar exam is a lonely process in and of itself, and the pandemic made the experience feel even more isolating and emotionally draining, particularly since graduates were stuck inside. Alex Mende, a University of South Carolina School of Law grad who passed, said he did everything in his power not to get sick during spring and summer. There were many days that he didn’t leave the house and his parents picked up food and other necessities so he could avoid other people and the risk of COVID-19.
For Allison Gutberlet, another CSL grad who passed, the isolation at least had one benefit–there was nothing going on outside, so she was able to buckle down and focus all of her attention on studying.
For many, the discipline paid off. Of the 385 applicants who sat for the July exam, 276 passed, scoring 266 or higher.
By school, 137 of 166 test-takers from USC passed, for a pass rate of 82.53 percent, up from 78.9 percent in July 2019, while 67 of the 131 test-takers from CSL passed, for a pass rate of 51.15 percent, compared to 51.3 percent the previous year. Graduates of law schools outside of the state had a 81.82 percent pass rate, with 72 of the 88 test-takers passing, compared to 72.8 percent in July 2019.
South Carolina Appellate Court Rules limit other data that the bar admissions office can release publicly, including the passage rate of first-time and repeat takers.
USC’s dean, William Hubbard, said that he is pleased with his school’s results, particularly given the challenging spring and summer, “but our goal is 100 percent.”
CSL’s dean, Larry Cunningham, said while he’s disappointed the school’s pass rate didn’t increase this year, he and others at the school are mindful that students were studying for the bar and taking it in the midst of the pandemic. He expressed confidence that as the school increases its admissions profile, higher-credentialed classes will produce better bar exam results. In the short-term, Cunningham said he’s meeting with the school’s faculty and leadership to identify steps it can take to help those who didn’t pass the exam or are getting ready to take it for the first time in 2021.
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