2018 February Illinois Bar Forum

[sarahbeck10]

The waiting is torturous..I really hope we get results this Friday.

[RCinDNA]

I got it too.

This topic has not heard from anyone who didn't receive the contact info update email, so there's no reason to speculate that it's either 1) anything other than an email to all examinees; or 2) a positive sign to have received it.

IMHO it was an automated system message so no need to get excited over it.

[Al_Decisis]

Seems like we won't be finding out tomorrow. Somewhat a relief, before I start to panic all over again on Monday.

[ndbigdave]

Seems like we won't be finding out tomorrow. Somewhat a relief, before I start to panic all over again on Monday.

I agree.

I had written this in another thread...

Im starting to think Illinois may not be released until the 6th - in the last few cycles the scoring memo and percentile equivilent pages update with new info the day before. Its possible that it will happen later today (Ill be checking on behalf of my significant other) but my confidence in the 3/30 release date has been shaken a bit.

For those who are Illinois takers there are two pages that will (eventually) change for the February 2018 exam:

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/july-2017-scoring-memo
https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/feb-201 ... ent-charts

In the past you could change the month/year in that URL and bring up the site prior to it actually being released - it wont help you know if you passed/failed but it would ensure what day the results were being released and would be a time killer to play around with.

[RCinDNA]

Thanks. Any possibility they pull a hat trick and release the scores on Monday?

[ndbigdave]

Thanks. Any possibility they pull a hat trick and release the scores on Monday?

Is it possible? Sure.

The bar has had a tendency to release on Fridays - I am not entirely sure why that is other than to allow the weekend to settle people down, release the score reports on Monday/Tuesday to those who have failed and try to avoid some phone calls.

I played with the websites again this morning, nothing new, I could still be wrong and results could come out, but I am dubious at this point.

[Al_Decisis]

They probably won’t, considering they haven’t released the scoring memo. The waiting game continues.

[Go4broke]

I don’t think February’s percentile charts are ever released early.

I haven’t seen one yet. I believe it is only July. I have had a buddy that has taken it five times. He passed last July and he looked at his previous messages.

I have a sneaking suspicion we are looking at next week though.

[Fielder]

I just got my results. Good luck to all.

[cm89]

Results posted. Good luck everyone.

[Daktah]

Just got email and logged in to get message.

Passed! Last name starts with F.

[pech71]

So does this mean that 60% of people scored higher than a 135 or that 40% of people did from the statistics page on MBE.

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/percent ... s-feb-2018

[jcdetroit]

Are February exams usually this brutal? Looks like around a 50% overall pass rate, I think.

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/percent ... s-feb-2018

[ndbigdave]

In a surprising move the results have indeed been posted - makes me think they had to have been ready on Friday but something help things up?

As a note to everyone, my girlfriend passed this time. This was her FOURTH (4th) attempt at a bar, once in Michigan and now three times here in Illinois. She went from being a LONG way away in her first ever attempt to (barely) passing the wring portion (getting a 133 on the nose her first attempt in Illinois) to then raising her MBE score up to passing level only to see her essays drop off (IL second attempt 3rd overall attempt) to finally passing on her fourth.

I say this to anyone receiving bad news - its possible to pass, you gotta change things up in your prep a bit (doing the same thing expecting different results is the definition of insanity) but the point is, you can fail, fail, fail and still pull it off if you don't give up. My GF was not the world's strongest student (sub 3.0 at tier 4) and even has a language barrier growing up in a foreign household, but she kept at it, changed up her strategy and she saw her scores increase to the point of passing.

It's doable. I know the feeling sucks now, but do not give up.

[ndbigdave]

Are February exams usually this brutal? Looks like around a 50% overall pass rate, I think.

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/percent ... s-feb-2018

I was just running the math, it does appear that a 266 (the score needing to pass) would put the pass rate somewhere right near 50%.

I am not going to look up the historical numbers right now (I had for other posts if you want to search through my history) but this is about right for February - in fact, it is a bit higher than February 2017 if my memory is correct.

The scary number, to me, is that the median score was likely a 135 or so on the MBE which would be a solid 5 points lower than the National average from July 2017. That's a significant drop, though the real comparison would have to be February 2017 to be fair based on relatively similarly situated takers.

[ndbigdave]

So does this mean that 60% of people scored higher than a 135 or that 40% of people did from the statistics page on MBE.

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/percent ... s-feb-2018

I read those results to reflect that 60th percentile means 40% score higher than a 135, meanwhile, 59% scored lower...its a pretty poor MBE score (but passing) it also would translate to nearly 55-57% of students hitting just above/at/below the necessary 133. Without looking at February 2017 I don't know for sure how it compares to previous exams.

[Al_Decisis]

Haven’t open up my results yet, but not feeling confident that I passed considering I received another email saying there was an error on how to reapply for the bar exam.....

That being said, congratulations to everyone that passed!

[ndbigdave]

Haven’t open up my results yet, but not feeling confident that I passed considering I received another email saying there was an error on how to reapply for the bar exam.....

That being said, congratulations to everyone that passed!

Just open it and check! You wont know until you know!

[zer1330]

Have other people who haven't passed received two emails? One with results and one saying there was an error on how to reapply for the bar exam?

[radjo]

So does this mean that the national MBE mean is lower for this exam and even if I did not do so well in MBE there is still some hope of passing the bar? I am from NY in case that matters...

Are February exams usually this brutal? Looks like around a 50% overall pass rate, I think.

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/percent ... s-feb-2018

[ndbigdave]

So does this mean that the national MBE mean is lower for this exam and even if I did not do so well in MBE there is still some hope of passing the bar? I am from NY in case that matters...

Are February exams usually this brutal? Looks like around a 50% overall pass rate, I think.

https://www.ilbaradmissions.org/percent ... s-feb-2018

This is just one state, but I am dubious that Illinois would be significantly behind the national average (maybe by a point perhaps). In most states that weight the MBE/Written portion evenly (or close) there is always the hope that your written portion could carry a lower than expected MBE score to a passing average. Joe Separac has written on this subject (or at least similar subject) essay scores can be high variance from test to test based on your grader and just what topics are tested, the MBE generally stays consistent (without something changing regarding studying/preparing for that portion).

Id assume the national average for the February 2018 is hovering around 136-ish, depending on what the cut score is in your state that may not scare you. For Illinois where you need a 266 total to pass a 136 is ok because it leaves the taker needing a 130+ to pass (which is not a strong score, for this test I would put you at the 44th percentile, below average). In Michigan, where you need a 270 a 136 isn't bad (its almost exactly what you need to pass) as you would need a 134 on the written portion to pass.

[Legallybrunettes]

Idk if this helps but I received only one email and passed. Good luck to all!

[b290]

In a surprising move the results have indeed been posted - makes me think they had to have been ready on Friday but something help things up?

As a note to everyone, my girlfriend passed this time. This was her FOURTH (4th) attempt at a bar, once in Michigan and now three times here in Illinois. She went from being a LONG way away in her first ever attempt to (barely) passing the wring portion (getting a 133 on the nose her first attempt in Illinois) to then raising her MBE score up to passing level only to see her essays drop off (IL second attempt 3rd overall attempt) to finally passing on her fourth.

I say this to anyone receiving bad news - its possible to pass, you gotta change things up in your prep a bit (doing the same thing expecting different results is the definition of insanity) but the point is, you can fail, fail, fail and still pull it off if you don't give up. My GF was not the world's strongest student (sub 3.0 at tier 4) and even has a language barrier growing up in a foreign household, but she kept at it, changed up her strategy and she saw her scores increase to the point of passing.

It's doable. I know the feeling sucks now, but do not give up.

+1

Congrats to her! Now celebrate properly!

My $.02

[RCinDNA]

Received the email at 10:14 am. So glad I do not have to study for any more tests!!!

Hilarious how TLS has records of my entire law school career, from LSAT prep and my efforts to pass my first bar exam.

On one hand, I want to see my scores. OTOH I only care for reciprocity purposes and do not want to think about this test for a few months.

Thanks all for the laughs and encouragement!

[Joga Bonito]

Passed. Thank God lol! Got an email confirming character and fitness certification a few days before for what it's worth, may not be/probably isn't related.