LSAT vs. Bar Exam

[Treetop]

Is there a general consensus of one test being more difficult than the other? So far I'm finding the LSAT to be very difficult. But I know a couple people studying for the bar right now, and they've been holed up all summer...so the bar has to be pretty tough too. Thoughts?

[JurisDad]

Apples and Oranges

[LawSchoolGuy]

Apples and Oranges

 

There really isn't much a correlation between them, other than they are both tough exams that you really need to prep for. They don't deal with the same material, and you don't study for them the same way. There's no way to compare. Why are you even worried about the bar? Worry about the LSAT, get into law school.

[Treetop]

Yea, I know they're totally different, and I'm not really worried about the Bar...I was just curious if one test was generally known to be more difficult than the other.

[Jeffort]

Yea, I know they're totally different, and I'm not really worried about the Bar...I was just curious if one test was generally known to be more difficult than the other.

Yes, the bar exam is monumentally harder/more challenging than the LSAT by far, assuming you are taking the bar in a state with potential jobs for lawyers (a few states where nothing happens and nobody wants to live don't even have a bar exam).  

The CA bar exam (and others) is a 3 day test, all day each day.  Just comparing them by allotted testing time, taking the CA bar is equivalent to taking 6 full 5 section timed LSAT's in 3 days straight, 2 per day.  On top of the mental and physical endurance you need to even be able to make it through the whole test, unlike the LSAT, you actually have to know a lot of detailed stuff that you have to apply to facts and write a bunch of analysis about.  Of course there is the middle day where you get the MBE which is a 200 question multiple choice test from hell.  

The LSAT is a walk in the park compared to the bar exam.  There is a reason they station Ambulances outside the big conference centers when a bar exam is being given there.  
On the bright side, fortunately all you have to do is PASS the bar exam, you don't get a score and get ranked against others, you just get PASS or NO PASS, so that LSAT type of pressure isn't there.

[lawdog]

Is there a general consensus of one test being more difficult than the other? So far I'm finding the LSAT to be very difficult. But I know a couple people studying for the bar right now, and they've been holed up all summer...so the bar has to be pretty tough too. Thoughts?

They're completely different types of tests. There are many students with low LSATs that have passed difficult bar exams, and many with high LSATs that have had difficulty with the bar. The LSAT is based on various types of reading and reasoning abilities--these come into play on the bar exam, but passing the bar requires significantly more memorization, since that exam requires you to have a lot of specific knowledge about federal law and the laws of your state.