Fla. bar exam: How February test-takers did

Of the 593 people who took Florida’s February bar examination for the first time, 334 passed, or roughly 56%, according to a Monday announcement from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.

That’s about the same as last February’s exam, when almost 55% passed, or 371 of 678, records show.

Florida offers its bar exam, as do most states, twice a year, in February and

July. A greater number of test takers, many of whom have just graduated from law school in May, sit for the summer administration of the exam. For instance, there were 2,163 first-timers last July in Florida, with close to 72% passing.

This February, of Florida’s 12 accredited law schools, Florida International University College of Law had the highest pass rate at 82.6%.

Technically, the lowest was Florida Coastal School of Law: Neither of its two graduates who took the exam passed. Because of accreditation and financial problems, that school shut down in 2021.

In Florida, the state’s Supreme Court ultimately decides who becomes an attorney. “Passing the bar,” as it’s known, is but one step; applicants also must pass clear an in-depth background check, usually referred to as character and fitness review.

Florida’s exam – again, like many states – is given over two days, with one day consisting of written essays and another devoted to a six-hour, 200 multiple-choice question test known as the

Multistate Bar Examination. All applicants have to pass a separate legal ethics test, the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination.

Other first-time test takers this February include those who are already practicing law in another state (65.7%, or 157 of 239) or who graduated from an out-of-state law school (36.3%, or 29 of 80).

James L. Rosica is news director of the Tallahassee Democrat. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL.