How is the essay portion of the exam graded?
Immediately following the exam each examiner reads and assigns preliminary scores to a sample of the essay answers. The examiners then meet with professors from the approved Virginia law schools to discuss the essay questions and the answers proposed by the examiners. The law school representatives often suggest alternative approaches to answering some of the questions, which the examiners consider and adopt if appropriate. Following the meeting with the professors, the examiners reach a consensus on grading guidelines for each question. They then return to their respective offices where they and the graders working under their supervision assign raw scores to the exam answers in accordance with the grading guidelines. The raw scores are then submitted by applicant number to the Secretary’s office, where the staff records them.
