Thinking of taking the bar exam
To practice law, all recent law school graduates must apply for admission to the bar through the state board of bar examiners. State by state has established its own eligibility criteria to qualify for admission, in order to take the exam. Character and competence are the two general areas for licensing. Character and suitability involves review of applicants’ background information that is relevant to the suitability of issuing a professional license. Proficiency is usually established by meeting the correct educational requirements and passing the exam.
The bar exam is offered in February and July. Bar exam application fees, deadlines, format, etc., vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The exam typically consists of a multi-state bar exam day and state essay questions. Many states also include the multi-state achievement test and the multi-state essay exam. Law students should contact the board of bar examiners in their jurisdiction for exact information on exam fees, format, deadlines, and applications.
Multi-State Bar Exam:
All jurisdictions (except Washington, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico) use the multi-state bar exam as part of their bar exam. The exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions over a six-hour period on the following topics:
Law / Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, Evidence, Torts, Real Estate, Contracts / Sales.
The National Congress of Lawyers Examiners prepares the Multi-State Lawyers Examination, it also prepares and dictates the MPRE. Each jurisdiction creates its own passing score and the weight placed on the Multi-State Bar Exam score varies from state to state. Students must consult with their state’s board of bar examiners, and it is administered twice a year (February and July) in conjunction with the state bar exam in their area. Students are encouraged to prepare for the exam by taking a bar review course. It is a very difficult exam that will require a lot of preparation and practice.
Multi-state performance test
The multi-state achievement test is used by 23 states as a section of their bar exam. This practical exam is designed to show realistic situations seen by beginning attorneys and to improve the fundamental skills you need to complete multiple attorney assignments. The multi-state performance test, which states you can use both or just one, consists of not one, but two 90-minute questions. To make it very similar to an actual case file, a library and a case file are provided for each multi-state performance test question. The case file contains a memo from a lead attorney giving a written task to be completed. The library part will contain rules and regulations, cases, statutes, which may or may not be relevant to the analysis of the problem. The exam is written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and each area establishes its own passing grade and weight assigned to the Multi-State Performance Test score. Students should check with their state’s board of bar examiners.