MSU College of Law students who took the bar exam for the first time in July had the second-highest passage percentage in the state.
The college also had the largest number of students take the bar exam for the first time in the state, with 180 aspiring lawyers sitting for the test. With 94 percent of students passing the exam, MSU was second only to Ann Arbor-based Ave Maria School of Law, which had a rate of 96 percent passing.
The bar exam is the test that must be passed by aspiring lawyers before they can practice law. The test takes two days to complete, said Kevin Saunders, senior associate dean of the law college.
The first part of the exam is multiple choice and is the same for law students all over the country. The second part of the exam is comprised of essay questions on different topics that vary from state to state.
Saunders said the high passage percentage can be attributed to the students who enter the college and the good education they receive. He also said the exam to get into the law college is multiple choice and can help prepare students for the bar examination.
"We are drawing better and better students," Saunders said. "They are more capable in terms of the bar exam."
Robin Perkins, second-year law student, said the high passage percentage is important for the law school because the school is without a dean and is up for accreditation this academic year.
Terence Blackburn, dean of the law college, left his position on an administrative leave last month, a week before officials from the American Bar Association were scheduled to visit the school for its seven-year review.
"It is very good the school's numbers are strong," Perkins said. "It helps us look better overall. Students also know what they are teaching us will help us pass the exam."
Ugo Buzzi, vice president of the Student Bar Association, said he is "delighted" to see students' hard work paying off.
The Student Bar Association, or SBA, does not hold programs specifically geared toward helping students pass the exam.
"We, along with the college, encourage students to prepare and study," Buzzi said. "Everything we do in one way or another prepares us for the bar, in addition to helping us think like lawyers."
In order to prepare for the exam, a significant amount of students take a bar review course in order to sum up their three years of education in law school, Saunders said.
"It starts with their law school education," he said. "The test is on law and that is where you are going to learn about law."
The review courses are offered in a variety of places, including the law school, Saunders said. The courses offered on campus are given by commercial groups, not the university.
University officials recommend students take the review courses because it puts together what they learned during their three years in law school, he said. Students who choose not to take a review course are less likely to pass the exam.
"They try to focus on what they think will be on the exam," Saunders said. "It serves as a review."
Many students take classes based on topics on the bar exam to help make sure they are prepared, Perkins said, adding that she believes the review courses can cost up to $5,000.
"They are really expensive, but they prepare you for the bar," Perkins said. "They bring all the information you learned in school together."
