Exams.

The grades are in from the February 2020 General Bar Examination.

The Supreme Court of Florida released results from the exams that took place in Tampa from Feb. 25-26. It applies to test-takers who were sitting in the examinations in Florida for the first time.

The University of Florida and Florida International University had the highest passing percentages.

"We're very happy that 10 of our 12 first-time bar takers passed, which puts us first in the state," said Laura A. Rosenbury, the dean at UF.

Antony Page, the dean of FIU College of Law, pointed out how close the numbers were between the top-performing universities. FIU had nine of 11 students pass. Page credits the dedication of students and faculty.

"We are pleased to consistently be more than 20% above the state average," Page said. "Our consistently excellent results on the bar are a great testament to the work that our students do and our faculty to get ready for the bar."

Florida State University took the third spot, with 70% of its candidates passing the bar. Next was Stetson University with 68.2%, and the University of Miami with 55%.

Erin O'Hara O'Connor, the dean of the law school at Florida State University, said she worries more about the July exam, which has more test-takers.

"Any school's pass rate can change dramatically, if three or four students are having personal issues or struggling with preparation time," she said.

The lowest passing percentage, 30%, went to Nova Southeastern University.

Though, in 2018, UF held the lowest spot with 31.8%. While UF officials agree that it is hard to draw a conclusion from a small sample size, the university has since taken steps to improve its performance.

"When we saw those results in February of 2018, we doubled down on our commitment to ensuring that as many of our students pass on the first attempt as possible," Rosenbury said. "We offered more support for our first-time bar takers, as well as started offering a bar prep course for credit."

Rosenbury said the university was the last law school in Florida to have that type of course. The faculty was encouraged to help because of the poor performance that year.

"We're just excited our bar passage rates have gone up steadily since February of 2018," Rosenbury said. "I think they will be even higher this July, or whenever the bar exam takes place this summer."

The high court reported that 1,717 applicants took the exam in February. It approved 421 candidates for admission to the Florida Bar. Any judge or notary who is authorized to administer an oath can swear in these candidates, since the May 4 formal induction ceremony has been canceled due to the coronavirus.