Former University of Baltimore Law School student, Matthew Graham, broke the previous record on his first try, scoring 309 out of 400.
Graham received a high enough score on the bar test to be eligible to practise in any jurisdiction that offers the Uniform Bar Test (UBE) nationwide. His touching reaction video on Facebook has already gone viral. It takes three tries for law students to pass the bar test, with a score of 266 on average.
His remarkable bar exam performance puts him in the 94th percentile, but the young attorney is deserving of recognition for more than just his score. Graham revealed that he encountered many difficulties when preparing for the February exam, which normally has a 49% passing rate for first-timers. He only had nine weeks to study.
During his time in law school, Graham and his then-girlfriend, who is now his wife, welcomed their first kid, which added to the sleepless nights from balancing a full-time job and 15-hour workdays.
“God did something interesting. On February 21, 2023, I walked into the examination room. It was a familiar space. Out of the hundreds of conference rooms, ballrooms, and event spaces in Maryland, I took the Bar Exam under the same chandelier, in the same ballroom, where my wife and I said, “I do,” said Graham in his statement.
The UBE is available in February and July in Maryland. Two days and four three-hour sessions comprise the exam, which consists of 200 multiple-choice questions from the Multistate Bar Exam, one 90-minute Multistate Performance Test question, and 10 state essays.
“To my wife and daughter, I love you. You were my motivation and strength during this process. I promise that I will do my best to continue to lead our family,“ said Graham on Facebook.
In just a few weeks, Matthew Graham’s moving video has been viewed by millions of admirers in awe of his accomplishment.
