A Statistical Evaluation of Bar Exam Program Interventions

Scott Johns, Professor of the Practice and Director of the DU Bar Success Program, at University of Denver has written an article on bar exam program interventions which can be found here on SSRN: Empirical Refections: A Statistical Evaluation of Bar Exam Program Interventions. The abstract of the article is below:

Abstract:     

The bar exam seems like a formidable hurdle to many law students. Consistent with approaches at other law schools, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law instituted a Bar Passage Program, primarily aimed at academically struggling students, consisting of three core components – a second year legal analysis course, a final semester pre-bar legal analysis problem-solving course, and a post-graduate supplemental bar success workshop program. This article walks through the step-by-step processes of statistically evaluating such interventions and explores whether such interventions are statistically warranted, particularly for students that struggled academically in law school. Using data over the course of a three-year period, this article finds that active learning participation in the Bar Passage Program is beneficial to students, in particular, those who struggled academically in law school.