The New York State Board of Law Examiners released the results of its July 2007 exam Friday.

Out of a record 10,907 candidates examined July 24-25, 7,701, or 70.6 percent, passed the exam. The passing rate for first-time takers was 79.1 percent.

Graduates of New York's 15 law schools fared better than the whole candidate pool, with an 82 percent passing rate. Among New York graduates taking the exam for the first time, the pass rate was 88.2 percent.

"This is the highest passing rate in memory for graduates of New York law schools," the board noted in its press release.

Those takers also out-performed graduates from American Bar Association-approved law schools outside of New York, who collectively earned an 85.7 percent passing rate.

Foreign-educated candidates accounted for 24 percent of the total group, and 45.6 percent of those who were taking the New York exam for the first time passed.

More than 5,000 candidates chose to take the essay portion of the exam on a laptop computer, the board noted.

Of those who passed the exam, 6,358 have been certified for admission and must appear before the Committee on Character and Fitness appointed by the Appellate Division in each judicial district of the state. The remaining 1,343 successful candidates will be certified for admission upon receipt by the board of proof that they have successfully completed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, as required by state rules.

A complete list of candidates who passed the July bar examination is available at www.nybarexam.org.