California Bar Grade Analyzer
I have created a bar grade analyzer based on the formula used for the Feb 2009 Bar Exam. This will allow you to experiment with “What-If” situations. Keep in mind that the Feb formula was used for both the MBE and the Essays.
I wish everyone the VERY BEST of luck as you hold your breath waiting for your results – just remember to breath every once in a while.
Please let me know what you think of the Analyzer!
Tags: analyzer, bar, Bar Exam, CA, calculate, California, essay, exam, grade, how, mbe, to
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This is interesting stuff. I went back and derived from your calculations the exact equations that were used to scale the raw data. For the mbe the equation was;
Scaled – 101.6 + 0.904*raw.
(I left out the factor of 10 used to calculate the contribution of mbe to the final score.)
For the total written score is was
Scaled = 2.94*raw – 404
So for the mbe they give you 101.6 points for nothing, but every correct answer you get adds only 0.9 points to your score. They do not simply multiply your total score by a factor (which is what I expected. Do you have any sense of what the equations are for other years? I wonder how it will look this year.
The 2.94 factor also means that raw written count for more than one point for point towards the final score.
Interesting. Now back to brooding about what I will get in November.
Tim
I believe the committee of bar examiners determine the formula based on how well or how terrible the examinees perform on that particular administration of the exam. I’ve looked at the formula for several years trying to determine how they come up with the formula they use and noticed there are major differences in the scale they use even between the Feb and July exam of the same year. However, I also realized by playing with various combination’s of grades that you can do horrible in one area, say essays, and still pass on the first read if you do very well in another area, say PTs. For example, if you receive a score of 60 on all essays on day one of the exam, and because you are exhausted the day following the MBE’s from hell and only receive 55′s on all essays on day three. You can still pass the exam if you do very well on both PT’s, say 75 each. This is possible even if you do JUST OK on the MBE’s, say you get 22 on each of the subjects – your scaled score would likely be just enough to pass on the first read with just under a 1487. The formula is based on math using the principle of adding all your raw scores for the essays, say 60 * 3 for the first day essays plus 3 * 55 for day three essays = 345 Raw Written. Next, each PT counts for TWO essays! If PT-A and PT-B was a 75 each, then one is actually worth 150 raw so both are 300 raw which brings your Raw Written Score to 645. The MBE’s are scaled according to a chart, but generally, each mbe that you get correct is worth around 3 points, which range in the possibility of 1-190 (remember that 10 questions are not graded, but just used by the NCBX for evaluation by examinees to determine their level of difficulty). Since the Essays are worth 65% and the MBE’s are worth 35%, you multiply the written scaled by 65% and multiply the scaled mbe by 35%. The scaled scores are determined by the formula that changes a little for each exam cycle. All this math and formulas determine if you pass or not, but the key to success is to be, at least, ok in some areas, but great in one area of the exam. So, you can have weak areas and still pass if you do very well in either the essays or the MBEs or the PT. I think a LOT of people don’t realize the PT is worth two essays, so if you need help on the PT, contact John Holtz and tell him Steve and Cyndi sent you his way! BEST of Luck on your passing grade!! I’m sending successful thoughts your way…
I just finished the July 2009 exam. Now I have to wait four months with my breath held. Your analyzer was very interesting. I wonder if you can comment on how you know (or can guess for the July exam) the way the raw scores are scaled. I had assumed I needed to get a 72 on all areas, but I used the analyzer and I can do it on all 65′s. How is that?