More than 11,000 candidates across New York state took the bar examination this past July, and Thursday, the New York State Board of Law Examiners released the results of that test.

A record-setting 91 percent of those taking the exam for the first time earned a passing score, eclipsing by 2.8 percent the previous high reached with the July 2007 exam.

The overall passing rate for all who sat for the exam was 74.7 percent, an increase of 4.1 percent from 2007.

Foreign-educated candidates showed the largest increase in passing rate from last year, with a 9.2 percent increase and a total passing rate of 54.8 percent. As a whole, they comprised 25.7 percent of the test-takers, a number also up from July 2007, when they made up 24 percent of the total pool of candidates.

Graduates of New York law schools outperformed their counterparts from schools in other states, collectively earning a passing rate of 90 percent.

Successful candidates must appear before the committee appointed by the appropriate Appellate Division of State Supreme Court to be examined as to their character and fitness before being admitted to the bar. Additionally, Candidates are not certified for admission until the board receives proof that they have successfully completed the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination, as required by the Rules of the New York State Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law.

A complete list of candidates who passed the July 2008 bar exam is available on the board's Web site, www.nybarexam.org.