Recent law school graduates are split on whether the swift transition to pass/fail grades at most law campuses amid the COVID-19 pandemic this spring was a good move.

Among the nearly 200 law grads recently polled by Kaplan Test Prep, 48% said they supported pass/fail grading, while 41% said they opposed it. The remaining 11% were undecided about the change.

When COVID-19 forced law schools to quickly move online in late March and early April, the majority adopted mandatory pass/fail grading or gave students the option to have their grades issued as pass/fail. Law school administrators reasoned that the simplified grading scheme would reduce some of the pressure and anxiety law students were feeling at a time of uncertainty, and would level the playing field for students who were attending class and studying under challenging conditions.

"These are unparalleled times for everyone and legal education certainly isn't immune from changes that were once unthinkable just six months ago," said Tammi Rice, vice president of Kaplan's bar prep programs. "It's quite understandable that law schools have moved to pass/fail grading on a temporary basis since students are already stressed out enough thinking about how to stay healthy, securing a job, and prepare for the bar exam. Combining that with the naturally hyper competitive nature of law school could add to that stress, adversely affecting students' mental health."

In some cases, student groups pushed administrators to adopt pass/fail grading or make it mandatory, though such efforts met with opposition from others who wished to maintain traditional grading systems. Pass/fail grading hinders the ability of students to improve their grade-point average and class rank, and may confuse employers who consider grades in hiring, argued students who wished to maintain traditional grades. That division is reflected in the new survey data from Kaplan, which was collected from law graduates now studying for the bar exam.

Among the survey respondents, 63% opposed maintaining pass/fail grading after the pandemic, while 25% said it should remain. Another 12% were unsure. There are already indications that law schools will return to their traditional grading schemes in the fall. Harvard Law School announced in early June that it will remain fully remote in the fall but that it will return to its normal grading system.

"It's highly unlikely pass/fail grading will be maintained once the pandemic subsides," Rice said. "Students who are looking to work for top law firms or secure prestigious internships know that high grades help differentiate them from others vying for those same positions and most are loath to give that up."