[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-321554-105":59,"doc-detail-321554-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","the-testing-column-the-bar-examiner-june-2011","the testing cOlumn - The Bar Examiner, June 2011","","A set of practice questions explains why modifications to bar examination scoring typically do not change pass rates in jurisdictions that scale written scores to the MBE. The material addresses grading leniency for essays, using easier versus harder written prompts, altering component weights between the MBE and written exam, and variations in MBE difficulty across administrations. It further clarifies that equating produces comparable scaled scores over time, so differing pass rates reflect examinee proficiency rather than exam difficulty.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-testing-column-the-bar-examiner-june-2011/321554/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-testing-column-the-bar-examiner-june-2011/321554.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Dozel","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"If an essay grader is more lenient and raises the average essay grade from 3 to 4, will the pass rate increase in a jurisdiction that scales to the MBE?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"No. The scaled written score will match the jurisdiction’s average MBE score, so the overall scaled result is effectively unchanged.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Does changing the essay exam difficulty (easier vs. harder written questions) affect the pass rate when written scores are scaled to the MBE?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"No. Easier questions raise the average written grades, but after scaling they convert to the same average MBE score used in that jurisdiction.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"If the MBE is easier one year than the next, will pass rates increase?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"No. Because the MBE scores are equated, scaled scores remain comparable across administrations, so changes in difficulty do not directly drive pass-rate differences.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},321554,1790439790,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":81,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":39,"preview_page_count":4},962085662650,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","the testing cOlumn  \nthings that Will nOt affect Bar Passage rates—and things that Will  \nby Susan M. Case, Ph.D.  \nO  \nne of the most common issues raised by those involved in bar admissions is that of bar pas-  \nsage and how modifications to the bar examination would affect the pass rate.  \nTo check your understanding of the underlying issues, please answer the following questions. Then see page 26 for the correct answers and explanations.  \n1. In a jurisdiction that scales written scores to the MBE, an essay grader who usually has an average grade of 3 has decided to be more lenient this year and intends to have an average grade of 4. If he convinces the other graders to also grade more leniently, will this increase the pass rate for his jurisdiction?  \nA. Yes, because if the average grade is 4 instead of 3, more people will pass.  \nB. No, because an average grade of 4 will be scaled to the average MBE score in the jurisdiction and result in the exact same scaled score as if the average grade had been 3.  \n2. A jurisdiction that scales written scores to the MBE has decided that the essay exam is too difficult. If it administers easier questions, will the pass rate for the jurisdiction increase?  \nA. Yes, because the average grades will be higher for the easier questions than they  \nwould have been for the harder questions.  \nB. No, because when the average grade is scaled to the MBE, it is converted to the average MBE score for that jurisdiction.  \n3. A jurisdiction has decided to change the weights of the bar exam components and increase the weight of the MBE from 40% to 50% . Will this change in weighting affect the pass rate of the jurisdiction?  \nA. Yes, because the MBE is the hardest part of the bar exam.  \nB. No, because the pass rate will remain the same regardless of how much each component is weighted.  \n4. If the MBE is easier one year than the next, will the pass rates increase for the easier exam?  \nA. Yes, because the exam is easier.  \nB. No, because the exam scores are equated.  \n5. The pass rate for a jurisdiction is 56% in February and 73% in July. Does this mean that the February exam was harder than the July exam?  \nA. Yes, because the pass rate was much lower in February than in July.  \nB. No, because the exam scores are equated. The lower pass rate in February means that the February examinees were not as proficient as the July examinees.  \nThe Testing Column 25  \nAnswers:  \n1. B.  \nGrading written material more leniently or stringently does not affect the pass rate for any jurisdiction that scales its written scores to the MBE (which almost every jurisdiction does) . For example, assume that your jurisdiction’s average MBE score is 140. If your average essay grade is 3, the 3 will be scaled to 140. If you grade more leniently and your new average essay grade is 4, the 4 would also be scaled to 140.  \n2. B.  \nUsing easier or harder written questions does not affect the pass rate for any jurisdiction that scales its written scores to the MBE. The rationale is the same as for \\#1 . For example, assume that your jurisdiction’s average MBE score is 140. If harder essays result in an average grade of 3, the 3 will be scaled to  \n140. If easier essays result in an average grade of 4, the 4 would also be scaled to 140.  \n3. B.  \nChanging the weight of the components does not affect the pass rate for a jurisdiction. Changing the weights of the components will affect who passes, but it will not affect the percentage of those who pass. For example, assume that your jurisdiction weights the MBE 40% and the written component 60%, and your jurisdiction’s average MBE score is 140. After you scale your written material to the MBE, the average written score will also be 140. When you add the scores together based on the weight assigned to each component, the total will not vary.  \nExample  \n(0.40 × 140) + (0.60 × 140) = 140  \n(weight of 0.40 times the average MBE score plus weight of 0.60 times the average written score","cbCaioyoVqjKilf0","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioyoVqjKilf0","pdf",130159,"English","# Practice Questions\n## Scaling written scores to the MBE\n## Weighting bar exam components\n# Answer Key and Explanations","[{\"question\":\"If an essay grader is more lenient and raises the average essay grade from 3 to 4, will the pass rate increase in a jurisdiction that scales to the MBE?\",\"answer\":\"No. The scaled written score will match the jurisdiction’s average MBE score, so the overall scaled result is effectively unchanged.\"},{\"question\":\"Does changing the essay exam difficulty (easier vs. harder written questions) affect the pass rate when written scores are scaled to the MBE?\",\"answer\":\"No. Easier questions raise the average written grades, but after scaling they convert to the same average MBE score used in that jurisdiction.\"},{\"question\":\"If the MBE is easier one year than the next, will pass rates increase?\",\"answer\":\"No. Because the MBE scores are equated, scaled scores remain comparable across administrations, so changes in difficulty do not directly drive pass-rate differences.\"}]","the testing cOlumn - The Bar Examiner, June 2011 | PDF",1789959651]