For the test given in February, you must file your application during the previous November. For the test given in July, you have to file your application during the previous April. The definition of "filed" is as follows: Your application is considered filed when it is filed online at the New York Board of Law Examiners website (nybarexam.org), or received physically in the Board's office. The application fees must accompany the application.

There are four ways to qualify to take the New York Bar Exam: graduation with a Juris Doctor Degree from a law school in the United States that is approved by the American Bar Association; combined law school study at an ABA approved law school and law office study; graduation from a non-ABA approved law school with a Juris Doctor Degree plus practice in a jurisdiction for at least five of the seven years immediately before you apply to take the New York Bar Exam; or foreign law school study as specified in Section 520.6 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals. The entirety of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law, Section 520 can be found on the Board of Law Examiners website.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online. The fee is $250, and you can pay with your credit card, either Visa or MasterCard. You can't use debit cards, and if you apply by U.S. mail, you have to send payment in the form of a certified check, cashier's check, or a money order from the post office or a bank. All accounts must be with banks in the U.S.

When your application is filed, you'll receive an identification number. When you apply online, your ID number will be on the confirmation page after your submit your application. If you apply via U.S. mail, your letter of acknowledgment will include your ID number. You'll need this ID number for all future correspondence with the Board of Law Examiners. About two weeks before the exam date, you'll be assigned a seat number. You'll use that seat number to identify your exam papers.

The exam sites will be in New York City, Albany, and Buffalo. When specific test sites are confirmed, the information will be posted on the Board's website.

The exam itself has two sections: the section on New York, given on Tuesday; and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) given on Wednesday.

The New York section contains five essay questions, 50 multiple choice questions, and one Multistate Performance Test question. The morning session of the test begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 12:15 p.m., during which time applicants must finish three essays and the 50 multiple choice questions. Suggested division of time is 40 minutes per essay and a minute and a half per multiple choice question. The afternoon session begins at 1:45 and runs until 4:45. During that time, applicants complete the other two essay questions and the MPT question. Recommended time division in the afternoon is 45 minutes per essay and 90 minutes for the MPT.

The Multistate Bar Exam, given on Wednesday, is 200 multiple choice questions, with 100 given during the 3-hour morning session from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and 100 given during the 3-hour afternoon session, from 1:30 to 4:30. The questions cover real property, contracts, evidence, constitutional law, torts, and criminal law.

An outline of the Bar Exam content is available on the Board's website in a PDF document. Essay questions from previous Bar Exams along with sample answers are also available on the website in downloadable form. Previous Bar Exams are excellent study resources for those studying for the exam. Statistically speaking, well over half of the material on the exam is repeated from earlier exams.

In general, scores are lower for the February exam than for the July exam. U.S.-educated candidates do better than non-U.S. educated candidates. Those sitting for the exam for the first time pass at higher rates than repeat test takers. There are usually more foreign-educated test takers in February, and also more repeat test takers, which could account for the lower scores on the February exams.