Statistics
First-Year Law Students Examination (FYLSE)
The State Bar of California has been more receptive than other states with respect to alternative methods of legal education. In California, evening law schools with a small faculty and student body may function as unaccredited schools, as may correspondence schools. To compensate for this flexible approach, students in all correspondence and other unaccredited schools are required to sit for the First-Year Law Student’s Examination administered by the State Bar of California each June and October. The Exam operates as a consumer protection to ensure that first year students who have little or no chance of passing the General Bar Examination at the conclusion of law school understand that it may be advisable to discontinue their studies rather than spend more time and money.
The FYLSX is a one-day examination that consists of four essay questions and one hundred multiple-choice questions. Four hours are allotted for the four essays (60 minutes per essay), and three hours given for the multiple-choice questions (1.8 minutes each). The rules allow failing students to proceed in their subsequent studies provided that they take and pass the exam in one of the next three administrations from when they are first eligible to take the examination. Oak Brook College has implemented a policy to allow its students to take advantage of this rule. Please contact us if you have questions about this policy.
The average passage rate for OBCL first-time takers in the history of the school (June 1996 through June 2023) is 57.9%. The average passage rate for repeat takers for the same period is 33.6%. The actual numbers reveal that of the 546 students that have taken the FYLSX, 405 of them have passed (74.2%).
*Beginning June 2019, the Statewide reports were based off of schools with 11 or more takers.
**Statewide data was not available at the time this table was updated.
Exam Date | Statewide Pass rate* | OBCL Pass rate | ||
Overall | First Time | Overall | First Time | |
Jun-23 | 14.0% | 17.0% | 100% | 0.0% |
Oct-22 | 23.5% | 26.7% | 28.6% | 20.0% |
Jun-22 | 19.6% | 23.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-21 | 14.0% | 21.7% | 50.0% | 60.0% |
Jun-21 | 20.7% | 28.4% | 50.0% | 0.0% |
Nov-20 | 20.7% | 29.1% | 50.0% | 53.8% |
Jun-20 | 22.5% | 27.6% | 40.0% | 100.0% |
Oct-19 | 22.1% | 29.5% | 37.5% | 42.9% |
Jun-19 | 23.5% | 24.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-18 | 20.6% | 26.3% | 50.0% | 50.0% |
Jun-18 | 19.3% | 32.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-17 | 19.5% | 27.3% | 30.0% | 33.3% |
Jun-17 | 22.3% | 28.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-16 | 22.5% | 25.9% | 45.5% | 50.0% |
Jun-16 | 18.2% | 23.5% | 25.0% | |
Oct-15 | 20.4% | 25.3% | 35.3% | 55.6% |
Jun-15 | 16.9% | 24.6% | 0.0% | |
Oct-14 | 25.3% | 31.3% | 50.0% | 77.8% |
Jun-14 | 23.1% | 27.0% | 33.3% | 0.0% |
Oct-13 | 19.2% | 23.5% | 57.1% | 58.8% |
Jun-13 | 24.1% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-12 | 15.7% | 21.9% | 47.4% | 69.2% |
Jun-12 | 20.6% | 20.6% | 50.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-11 | 19.1% | 26.6% | 44.4% | 46.7% |
Jun-11 | 18.7% | 25.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-10 | 19.5% | 24.2% | 35.3% | 46.2% |
Jun-10 | 24.6% | 27.6% | 50.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-09 | 19.1% | 27.0% | 63.6% | 68.4% |
Jun-09 | 21.5% | 23.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-08 | 14.7% | 22.6% | 61.1% | 62.5% |
Jun-08 | 25.9% | 31.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-07 | 19.1% | 22.3% | 60.0% | 80.0% |
Jun-07 | 18.4% | 21.7% | 25.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-06 | 25.4% | 27.8% | 56.4% | 56.3% |
Jun-06 | 21.5% | 25.2% | 45.5% | 0.0% |
Oct-05 | 25.1% | 31.6% | 37.5% | 42.9% |
Jun-05 | 24.9% | 31.7% | 38.9% | 36.4% |
Oct-04 | 28.2% | 36.0% | 65.2% | 68.4% |
Jun-04 | 26.6% | 29.6% | 57.1% | 62.5% |
Oct-03 | 19.9% | 27.7% | 52.4% | 55.6% |
Jun-03 | 25.8% | 32.2% | 45.5% | 50.0% |
Oct-02 | 21.1% | 26.4% | 53.3% | 53.8% |
Jun-02 | 27.9% | 33.9% | 46.2% | 66.7% |
Oct-01 | 27.2% | 31.9% | 75.0% | 70.0% |
Jun-01 | 22.2% | 31.5% | 60.0% | 77.8% |
Oct-00 | 24.7% | 33.6% | 82.6% | 94.4% |
Jun-00 | 22.9% | 28.4% | 52.0% | 76.9% |
Oct-99 | 26.4% | 30.7% | 50.0% | 51.6% |
Jun-99 | 25.7% | 33.0% | 40.0% | 54.5% |
Oct-98 | 20.9% | 26.0% | 60.0% | 63.0% |
Jun-98 | 27.5% | 29.8% | 55.2% | 40.0% |
Oct-97 | 11.1% | 11.8% | 33.3% | 35.0% |
Jun-97 | 14.5% | 20.0% | 45.8% | 60.0% |
Oct-96 | 24.6% | 25.0% | 65.7% | 68.2% |
Jun-96 | 16.5% | 20.7% | 52.5% | 52.5% |
Total | 21.7% | 27.0% | 50.0% | 57.9% |
Bar Exam
As part of the process to be admitted to practice law in California, applicants must sit for and pass The California Bar Examination. The exam consists of essay questions, a performance test, and Multistate Bar Examination questions, with the exam being spread out over three days. The exam is administered in February and July each year, and is widely considered one of the nation’s most difficult bar examinations.
The average passage rate for OBCL first-time takers in the history of the school (Feb. 2000 through Feb. 2023) is 52.6%. The average passage rate for repeat takers for the same period is 23.3%. The actual numbers reveal that of the 285 graduates that have taken the California Bar Exam, 217 of them have passed (76.1%).
*Statewide data was not available at the time this table was updated.
Exam Date | State Pass Rate | OBCL Pass Rate | OBCL First-Time Pass Rate |
Feb-23 | 32.5% | 33.3% | 100% |
Jul-22 | 52.4% | 12.5% | 50.0% |
Feb-22 | 33.9% | 40.0% | 50.0% |
Jul-21 | 52.6% | 22.2% | 100.0% |
Feb-21 | 37.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Oct-20 | 60.7% | 50.0% | 100.0% |
Feb-20 | 26.8% | 12.5% | 0.0% |
Jul-19 | 63.9% | 40.0% | #DIV/0! |
Feb-19 | 31.4% | 40.0% | 50.0% |
Jul-18 | 40.7% | 7.7% | 0.0% |
Feb-18 | 27.3% | 11.8% | 20.0% |
Jul-17 | 49.6% | 23.1% | 0.0% |
Feb-17 | 34.5% | 33.3% | 33.3% |
Jul-16 | 43.1% | 11.1% | 0.0% |
Feb-16 | 35.7% | 8.3% | 12.5% |
Jul-15 | 46.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Feb-15 | 39.5% | 37.5% | 33.3% |
Jul-14 | 48.6% | 50.0% | 100.0% |
Feb-14 | 45.3% | 28.6% | 40.0% |
Jul-13 | 55.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Feb-13 | 41.0% | 54.5% | 66.7% |
Jul-12 | 55.3% | 20.0% | 0.0% |
Feb-12 | 42.2% | 63.2% | 88.9% |
Jul-11 | 54.8% | 25.0% | 0.0% |
Feb-11 | 42.3% | 42.1% | 50.0% |
Jul-10 | 54.8% | 25.0% | 50.0% |
Feb-10 | 37.1% | 47.6% | 58.3% |
Jul-09 | 56.4% | 14.3% | 66.7% |
Feb-09 | 33.5% | 43.8% | 55.6% |
Jul-08 | 61.7% | 40.0% | 50.0% |
Feb-08 | 39.6% | 30.0% | 33.3% |
Jul-07 | 56.1% | 15.4% | 0.0% |
Feb-07 | 36.8% | 50.0% | 66.7% |
Jul-06 | 51.8% | 30.8% | 33.3% |
Feb-06 | 39.0% | 46.2% | 100.0% |
Jul-05 | 48.8% | 17.6% | 27.3% |
Feb-05 | 40.0% | 38.9% | 50.0% |
Jul-04 | 48.2% | 27.8% | 35.7% |
Feb-04 | 35.3% | 60.0% | 72.7% |
Jul-03 | 49.4% | 33.3% | 50.0% |
Feb-03 | 37.3% | 66.7% | 81.8% |
Jul-02 | 50.5% | 54.5% | 57.1% |
Feb-02 | 33.4% | 61.9% | 72.2% |
Jul-01 | 56.9% | 75.0% | 80.0% |
Feb-01 | 37.3% | 54.5% | 50.0% |
Jul-00 | 55.3% | 50.0% | 44.4% |
Feb-00 | 40.0% | 76.2% | 76.2% |
Total | 47.0% | 38.0% | 52.5% |