Kansas Bar Exam Pass Rate Exceeds State Average
Nearly 91 percent of Washburn Law graduates who took the Kansas Bar exam for the first time in July 2016 passed! Our graduates exceeded the Kansas average pass rate by 6.6 percentage points, scoring 90.7 percent versus the 84.1 percent overall state average for all first-time takers. Of our 54 graduates who took the exam for the first time, 49 passed.
Results for the Missouri July Bar exam were equally impressive: the first-time takers for the Class of 2016 had a 92.8 percent pass rate (13 out of 14). Overall, Washburn Law had an 84.2 percent first-time taker pass rate (16 out of 19) on the Missouri July 2016 bar exam.
“The foundation for success on the bar exam lies in the rigorous curriculum at Washburn Law,” said Ron Dees, ’09, assistant director of academic skills and bar passage. “That foundation is then built upon by the diligent effort of all individual graduates as they prepare for the bar exam. Their efforts during bar preparation are further supported, as needed, by the bar preparation and academic support programs that our Law School provides.”
Preparation for the bar exam is a process that begins during the first week of classes and continues after graduation. All students have the opportunity to participate in Washburn Law’s free Bar Pass Program, which includes workshops, a bar exam website for resources and information, and individual counseling. Additionally, a course for third-year students, Mastering Legal Analysis, focuses on problem recognition and analysis, and enhances critical reading, thinking, and writing skills to maximize student performance on the bar exam.
“We are very pleased with how our graduates performed on the July Kansas Bar Exam,” said Dean Thomas J. Romig. “Two years ago, we expanded the resources devoted to preparing students for the bar exam, allowing us to give individualized attention to our students and graduates and provide them with the tools needed to successfully pass the bar.”
“Our 2016 graduates have proven that a combination of tenacity and creativity yields amazing results,” said Bo Turney, ’14, assistant director of programs and services. “Whether through bar-study workshops or one-on-one coaching, these students took advantage of every resource Washburn Law's Bar Pass Program has to offer.”
