Bar Course Aptitude Test scrapped after nine years

The Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) has been scrapped nearly a decade after its introduction.

The test was introduced in introduced in 2013 as a way to filter out aspiring barristers with little hope of making it, and had to be passed in order for a student to be accepted on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC).

A 2020 report into the BCAT, however, found that only 89 candidates out of the 12,663 who took the test between 2013 and 2019 failed it. The exam was made harder to get through in 2016, with the pass mark raised from 37 to 45.

The BSB has concluded that “BCAT scores have been a reliable predictor of performance on previous vocational training courses but the BSB’s latest review found that the BCAT is no longer necessary as a prerequisite for enrolment, given that providers of Bar training are now taking a more selective approach in accepting students for training.” It will now seek approval from the Legal Services Board to discontinue the requirement that students should pass the course, with July 2022 the earliest it could be discontinued.

The BCAT has caused controversy ever since its introduction, when the BSB charged students £150 to take it, more than double the initial proposed fee of £67. In addition, the Office of Fair Trading suggested the test would be anti-competitive, leading to “decreased quality and ­availability and increased prices in the final market for advocacy services.”

BSB director general Mark Neale said: “Our reforms to Bar training rightly place the onus on vocational training providers to ensure that they only enrol students who have a good chance of passing the course. So while we no longer think that the Bar Course Aptitude Test is necessary, we will be monitoring providers carefully to ensure that their own selection of students is fair and rigorous. Entry to the profession remains extremely competitive and students who want to go on to pupillage must be able to perform well on their vocational training course.”