The National Conference of Bar Examiners recently shared that mean Mulistate Bar Exam scores have improved for the July 2019 test—and the biggest improvement in over a decade.

Coming off a 34-year-low in MBE scores, the news is welcome. First-time test-takers were roughly the same over the July 2018 and July 2019 exams, which is also good news—it likely means first-time pass rates will improve, at least modestly, in most jurisdictions. Still, the median 141.5 score is a far cry from the July 2018 administration, which had a 145.6 score. Schools continue to see higher-than-hoped failure rates because admissions and retention practices still haven’t kept pace with changes in student quality. Whether this July is a turning point for future years remains to be seen—pessimistically, the turn in July 2017 scores didn’t portend much good news for July 2018, but time will tell.