September 29, 2003
SUN CAPITAL BUREAU
CARSON CITY -- Sixty-one percent of the 639 people who took the Nevada bar examination this summer passed the test.
New attorneys from Clark County will be admitted in a ceremony Oct. 9 at UNLV.
The Nevada Supreme Court on Friday said 639 people took the test and 387 passed for a pass rate of 60 percent. Last year 59 percent of those who took the examination passed.
Assemblyman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, one of those who took the examination, did not achieve a passing score. Former Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny, who failed the examination last year, did not take the test this year.
Next year, the examination will be given twice instead of once. The first test next year is in February. Nevada had been one of only a few states that gave the examination once a year.
There is no limit on how many times a person may take the examination. The admission ceremony in Las Vegas will be at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Artemus Ham Hall with a reception to follow at the Sunbelt Antique and Classic Auto Museum, 1440 Gragson Ave.
The admission ceremony in Reno will be Oct. 8 at the Eldorado hotel followed by a reception at the hotel.
News: Nevada Will Offer the Bar Exam Twice a Year, Starting Feb. 2004
58 percent of UNLV law school graduates pass state bar exam
By
SEAN WHALEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
CARSON CITY -- The passing rate on the state bar exam for this year's UNLV law school graduates was 58 percent, slightly under the 61 percent for all students who took the test, the school dean said Monday.
Of the 113 first-time takers of the bar exam who graduated from the UNLV Boyd Law School this year, 66 passed and 47 failed for the 58 percent success rate, said Dean Richard Morgan.
When all UNLV law school graduates are counted, including 42 who repeated the exam after failing previously, the pass rate was 55 percent, he said.
"We're doing just fine for a new law school," Morgan said. "On the other hand, I feel badly we're not doing better. Everyone who fails I personally would like to see succeed."
To help graduates pass the exam, a full-time academic support position has been filled, he said.
The results of the bar exam were released Thursday and listed 387 successful candidates out of 639 who took the test for the 61 percent passing rate. Admission ceremonies will be conducted Oct. 8 in Reno and Oct. 9 in Las Vegas.
Morgan said his results for UNLV students are unofficial and based on the school's knowledge of who took the exam.
The test in Nevada, because of the high score required to pass, is one of the toughest in the country, Morgan said. The multiple choice part of the test, 200 questions, is prepared nationally and is used in 49 states, he said.
But Nevada has a cut score of 140, with only California and Delaware requiring higher scores, Morgan said.
The other portion of the test involves Nevada law and is in essay form, he said.
The 2003 graduating class is the third to take the Nevada bar exam, Morgan said. Previous classes have succeeded at levels similar to or slightly below the overall passing rate, he said.
"Still, we want to do better," Morgan said.
"We want our students to pass in greater numbers."
