With Israel’s Bar Association exam approaching, the article lays out five statistical lessons for candidates, based on results from past sittings. The central message is that the first attempt is the best chance, and repeated tries sharply reduce the odds of passing.
First-time examinees usually fare far better than repeat candidates. In most sittings, first-timers passed at roughly 75% to 83%, while second-time takers typically fell to 29% to 31.5%. Candidates on their third attempt or later have generally passed at only 6% to 14%, with one notable exception in autumn 2024, when 48.3% of repeat test-takers passed.
Institution matters as well. Top universities have posted especially strong results, including a rare 100% pass rate for first-time candidates from Tel Aviv University, the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University in summer 2022. The Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University also led overall with stable pass rates of 84% to 92%, and the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University have averaged the highest combined scores. Among colleges, the College of Management, Sapir College and Reichman University have recently posted strong first-time results, while Ono Academic College and the Academic Center for Law and Business have been weighed down by large numbers of repeat candidates.
The article also says the internship location affects outcomes. State prosecutors in the national and district offices led with 92.86% to 94.41% pass rates in recent sittings, military police and military prosecution followed with 70% to 76%, and private law firms lagged at 35% to 55%. Government ministries and local authorities were steadier at about 66%.
Reservists received special accommodations, and the results were positive, with an 80.70% pass rate in autumn 2024 and 55.81% in summer 2025. Finally, the article notes that the passing grade is 65, while the weighted national average has hovered below it, at 63.4 in autumn 2024 and 59.6 in summer 2025.
