California Baby Bar Results Are Here
The State Bar of California released the results of the California First-Year Law Examination, more commonly known as the Baby Bar, on August 6th. If you are a law student at The California Desert Trial Academy, College of Law (CDTA), you most likely celebrated a passing score on this date.
CDTA provides a complimentary, comprehensive Baby Bar Review Course from the Master of the Baby Bar, Jeff Fleming. Fleming’s Fundamentals of Law partners with CDTA to provide an intensive review course and boot camp to fully prepare you for the exam. CDTA also provides the AdaptiBar Multi-State review, included with your tuition, to ensure your success on the multiple-choice section of the exam.
If you do find that you were unsuccessful on the June examination, you will have another chance in October. One good strategy is to plan now to use August as a month of special preparation.
An applicant’s multiple-choice score on the Baby Bar is on a scale with a theoretical maximum of 400 points. An applicant’s assigned grade on an essay question can range between 40 and 100. Total raw essay scores can therefore range between 160 and 400 points. The raw essay scores are converted, or “scaled” to a distribution that has the same mean and standard deviation of multiple-choice scale scores.
An applicant’s total score on the exam is the sum of the applicant’s scaled scores on the multiple-choice and essay sections. Equivalent weight is given to each of the two sections in calculating the total scale score. Applicants need a total scaled score of 560 or higher to pass the exam.
If you failed, consider changing your approach to preparing for the exam. Note that on the October 2019 baby bar exam, 29.5% of first-time takers passed and only 14.9% of repeat takers passed. Because the State Bar will return your essays to you with your letter, you will be able to see the exact score you received on each section. Once you identify the areas you need to work on, focus on those areas only. You do not need to waste time studying what you already know.
Do not wait until September when school starts to begin preparing for the October Baby Bar. If you were unsuccessful on the June exam, you can use August to get a jump start on preparing for the October exam. An entire extra month will help you stay on track once school starts in September.
As a Baby Bar candidate, you will be starting your 2L year and studying some of the most difficult subjects on the general bar exam, Real Property, Civil Procedure, and Evidence. It is extremely challenging to stay on track with these subjects while also preparing for the Baby Bar. By treating August as a Baby Bar “Boot Camp” month, you can significantly increase your odds of passing the exam while greatly reducing unnecessary stress in the fall.
If you failed the Baby Bar, you unquestionably feel disappointment, perhaps even some anger and embarrassment. The crucial takeaway from this is to allow yourself to feel these emotions so you can move beyond them. But you cannot under any circumstance dwell on your result. No more than a few days should be enough. Then it is time to move on. There are too many great accomplishments awaiting you in your legal career! Attorneys are problem solvers. Start thinking like an attorney now and you will find yourself in possession of the coveted, “Congratulations!” letter from the State Bar before you know it.
The California Desert Trial Academy utilizes an extensive distance learning platform for students studying online. The CDTA focuses on providing a cutting-edge academic experience that takes advantage of many effective, easy-to-use online tools. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.