Becoming a lawyer is complicated process but it pays great! An important step in this process is to pass the bar exam.
Taking it is necessary for national and international students, and the bar exam is not an easy requirement. It determines if a candidate is qualified to practice law in a particular jurisdiction.
What does the bar exam stand for?
In the U.S. and it is in most territories, a bar exam is a requirement to seek admission to the bar and practice as a lawyer. The examination in most jurisdictions lasts two days. It consists on multi-choice questions, and a performance tests that involves legal writing.
The term ‘Bar’ refers to the Bar exam or Bar association that allows lawyers to work under unified standards. The bar exam is the test to take if you wish to work “in front of the bar or rail separating the courtroom“, that is, to be a lawyer.
How hard is the bar exam?
A Bar Exam is not easy. The pass rates are not the same in each state. Generally, it is around a 60% passing rate. Though many individuals study through law school, they fail to study enough.
New York has the hardest bar exam. It requires students to get 266 of 200 at least to pass it. It is the highest in the entire nation. In Delaware, the score to pass is 145, but offers only one exam a year so you have to wait a long time to take the next exam if you fail.
A majority of states do not ask for higher score requirements. It means the bar exam in New York is not hard and the score to pass is moderate.
How many people pass the bar exam?
It is a grueling two-day test. Candidates taking the Bar exam should know several local and state laws, besides the federal laws. A bar exam is a test that presents a high degree of difficulty. The pass rate nationwide for first-time bar exam takers the last year was 69.64%.
New York has a 49% pass rate, North Dakota 55%, North Carolina 60%, and Ohio has 54.3% in the last conducted bar exam.
How long to study for the bar exam?
Studying for the bar exam is the same as you do for regular exams.
You may establish a routine schedule to study for 7-8 hours each day at least during 2-3 months. However, studying hard is essential. You don’t need not wait for the exam timetable to come to start studying the sooner you start the better!
You have to decide a convenient place and concentrate. It takes time to get a hold of each topic, and it is necessary to stay committed to complete the topics. The few weeks you take for the bar exam preparation is like preparing for a new job.
Which state has the easiest bar exam?
South Dakota has the easiest bar exam with a passing score of 85. Few other states offer easy bar exams too, so you can consider Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa as their bar exams are relatively easier.
How much does the bar exam cost?
It depends on each state, for example the Bar Examination fee is $250 in New York for the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or $450 in South Dakota. However, if you are taking the Uniform Bar Examination as a qualifying bar exam in New York, after studying and completing the law degree in another country, the fee is $750.
How many questions are there on the bar exam?
The Bar exam or the law exam MBE has 200 multiple-choice questions. The Bar exam is mostly held in February, the last Wednesday, and July on the last Wednesday.
Among the 200 questions, 175 are scored questions, and the remaining 25 are unscored pretest questions. It means they are not to be answered by the examinees.
How to study for the bar exam?
Studying for the bar exam:
- Requires working on the practice tests and quizzing yourself on the questions honestly.
- You must not check your notes and books.
- Make a set of questions or create a question on your own, become your teacher and conduct a test.
- You could improve faster if you are in the study group where you can trade questions and practice with your group
How long does the bar exam take?
The time given for the bar exam is four hours for each subject. The questions are calculated and formulated to answer within the given time, and there is a time allowance for the examinees to review the answers.
The bar exam in most states is a 12-hour test broken into two days. The first day the bar exam will have the MEE, Multistate Essay Exam, and MPT, the Multistate Performance Test. On the second day, there is MBE, the Multistate Bar Exam. The examination is held three times a year in March, August, and November.
What time does the bar exam start?
The bar exam is conducted once in February and July, two times a year in most jurisdictions, but it is three times a year in some places and only one in others. Early in the morning, usually around 9 am.
When do bar exam results come out?
Generally, the results of the bar exam come out after 1-3 months of the exam. In the small jurisdictions, there is the possibility that the results are out quickly. However, there is no rule.
What happens if you fail the bar exam?
Failing the bar exam more than once is not uncommon. Failing the bar exam does not take away your opportunities of becoming a lawyer. You can try to pass it multiple times, without limit, the only problem is that you need to wait till the next exam.
How many times can you take the bar exam?
You can take the bar exam an unlimited number of times. It does not place any restriction or limit on the times you attempt passing the bar exam.
Fortunately, most states give unlimited attempts to take the bar exam and to pass. However, 21 states are limiting the number of attempts for the bar exam, ranging from 2 – 6 attempts. Some states have discretionary limits, and it allows extra attempts beyond their limit on having special permissions.
The majority of states do not restrict the number of attempts for the bar exam.