From the National Jurist:
The course registration screen is open, and there is one spot left in your schedule. A clinic could give you experience with real clients. An elective could help you explore a career. Another bar-tested subject might help you sleep at night. Which choice will help you pass?
An AccessLex Institute study offers a useful starting point: Pay closer attention to what you are learning in the courses you take. Simply adding another subject to your transcript has a much smaller relationship with bar success than how well you perform in class.
Researchers Jason Scott, Rob Hunter and Andrea Pals examined records for 13,115 graduates from 36 ABA-approved law schools who took the bar exam between 2015 and 2023. Their report, “What Matters for Bar Success: Doctrinal Performance, Coursework Exposure, and First-Time Bar Passage,” found that performance in doctrinal courses was the strongest and most consistent predictor of passing on the first attempt.
The Editors, Law School Grades Matter More than Course Selection for Bar Exam Success, Study Finds, The National Jurist, November 3, 2026.
