Mismatch and Bar Passage: A School-Specific Analysis

26 Pages Posted: 17 Oct 2017 Last revised: 22 Mar 2023

See all articles by Richard H. Sander

Richard H. Sander

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law

Robert Steinbuch

University of Arkansas at Little Rock - William H. Bowen School of Law

Date Written: October 16, 2017

Abstract

Past research on law school mismatch has been hampered by the absence of school-specific data, thus requiring scholars to estimate individual levels of mismatch through various indirect techniques. In this paper, the authors use data on nearly four thousand students at three law schools to directly measure mismatch levels based on LSAT scores or an academic index. The analysis shows large and statistically significant effects of mismatch; when one controls for mismatch, racial effects lose statistical significance. The results highlight the importance of mismatch in explaining both racial bar passage gaps and individual outcomes on the bar. The results also illustrate the great importance of individual school-level data across a range of schools in studying mismatch.

Keywords: Bar Exam, Mismatch, Affirmative Action, Race, Legal Education

Suggested Citation

Sander, Richard H. and Steinbuch, Robert, Mismatch and Bar Passage: A School-Specific Analysis (October 16, 2017). UCLA School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 17-40, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3054208

Richard H. Sander (Contact Author)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

Robert Steinbuch

University of Arkansas at Little Rock - William H. Bowen School of Law ( email )

1201 McMath Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
United States

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