Running out of time means he was not proficient on the practice tests. If he goes anywhere it will likely be a 3rd or 4th tier law school.
You know what they call people who go to 4th tier schools and pass the bar? Lawyers
I actually look more at the bar pass rates for graduates from schools than the school ratings. My goal is to pass the bar at the end not to impress everyone with the name at the beginning and how much I am paying. Some of the lower rated law schools have higher bar passing rates. The reason is the "lower" tier schools concentrate on teaching their state bar exam. The higher tier schools get students from everywhere so are more general and don't concentrate on their state bar.
For example, Duke does not have the highest bar exam pass rate in the State of NC despite being the highest rated law school and charging an arm and a leg
This year however they adopted a Uniform multistate bar exam so that may change