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Preparing for the Bar Exam
In order to prepare for the bar exam you need to build your confidence. You need to work extremely hard in order to pass the bar exam the first time. You never want to take the bar exam as a “trial run.” Sitting for the exam with the intention of taking the test over will only make things more difficult for you. Next, you need to prepare yourself financially. The bar exam is expensive. According to Southwestern Law School, the application and the fees for a preparation course could exceed $4,000. You don't want to have to work while preparing for the bar exam. You should talk to your school and look into applying for one of the various loans available or other available financial aid. Remember, studying for the bar exam is a full-time job. It is highly recommended that you study eight or more hours a day for a six day week. An individual will typically study for three months after he/she has graduated from law school. It is also recommended that you take a Bar Exam preparation course. In fact, people will often take multiple courses. For example, in addition to the standard overall courses a number of students will seek out additional seminars, tutoring, or books to strengthen areas of weakness. There are many good courses, which provide a wide variety of teaching methods. When you attend these bar prep courses you need to pay attention, complete as much of the suggested exercises as possible, and review the sample answers and notes on any submitted practice exams because these bar preparation classes are prepared by experts in the field. You must attend lectures, study the outlines, and take some timed practice exams. You should try and get a taste of what it feels like to take the MBE questions, performance test, and essays while being under timed pressure. Another suggestion you might take into consideration is creating your own schedule during the last month. Taking the bar exam is a demanding process that involves attending Bar Review classes and taking practice exams, so you need to set aside a plan for how you will review the materials leading up to the bar exam. The best way to do this is by creating a schedule. A lot of students will review the different topics for three days and then do one day to one half day reviews before the exam. However, each student approaches the bar exam in a unique and individual way, so do what works for you.
What Should a Student Expect?
So what does the 200 MBE questions entail? The MBE tests six topics which are based on Constitutional Law, Contracts/Sales, Criminal Law/Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. These six subjects are not lumped into one section of the bar exam, but are distributed evenly throughout the examination. Individuals who are taking the bar exam receive three hours in the morning to finish the first hundred questions. The test-takers will also receive an additional three hours in the afternoon session to complete the final hundred questions. All the multiple choice questions have four answer choices. Out of the 200 MBE questions, 190 are scored and the remaining ten will be evaluated for future use. Although the ten questions that are not scored are indistinguishable to the test-takers, each individual must answer all 200 questions on the examination. The MBE portion of the bar exam takes about six hours to complete divided into two three hour -sessions. Individuals who want to transfer their MBE scores from one jurisdiction to another are permitted to do so, however, you must follow deadlines regarding when the MBE was scored. For instance, some states allow an individual's MBE score from concurrent exams while other states only permit scores from up to five years prior to the current bar exam administration. Test takers are advised to check their MBE scores and the applicable time limits for transferring the scores to other jurisdictions.
For more information on the transferability of MBE scores to different jurisdictions click here.
How is the Bar Exam Administered and who participates?
The bar examination is administered twice a year on the last Wednesday in July and the last Wednesday in February. Since the MBE is a standardized multiple-choice test it must be administered on the same day across the country. The exam is overseen in forty eight states and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Republic of Palau. There are two states that currently do not administer the MBE, Louisiana and Washington. Since Louisiana follows a civil law system, which is considerably different than the rest of the United States, it does not participate in the MBE. Washington plans to administer the MBE in July 2013. Puerto Rico also does not take part in the MBE due to the fact these states follow a civil law system. Delaware and North Dakota only distribute the MBE once a year on the last Wednesday in July because they typically do not have enough applicants to administer a second sitting.
The History of the Bar Exam and What's On The Test
In 1763, Delaware created the first bar exam and soon after other American colonies established the exam. Today, in the United States and in its territories, the bar examination is at least two days long (a few states have three-day exams). Louisiana, Montana, California, Alabama, Nevada, Delaware, Texas, and South Carolina have three- day exams. The bar exam consists of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), essays, multistate standardized examinations, and complicated questions that precisely test knowledge of that state's law, although these state law questions are only administered in some jurisdictions. These jurisdictions also administer multiple questions that test knowledge of general legal principles, and may also test knowledge of the state's own law such as family law, constitutional law, community property, torts, wills, and trusts. Jurisdictions frequently use the Multistate Essay Examinations (MEE) to test an individual's knowledge of the state's own law.
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State By State Bar Exam Pass Rate
According to California-bar-exam-pass.com, which lists state by state bar exam pass rate as well as the U.S. territories, California had a 51 percent pass rate in 2011 and 49 percent in 2010. Below is a complete list of pass ratings in the U.S. and its territory's.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Alabama | 65% | 67% | 65% |
| Arizona | 73% | 73% | 70% |
| Arkansas | 67% | 65% | 71% |
| California | 49% | 49% | 51% |
| Colorado | 74% | 74% | 79% |
| Connecticut | 75% | 71% | 71% |
| Delaware | 63% | 66% | 67% |
| DC | 49% | 41% | 48% |
| Florida | 68% | 69% | 72% |
| Georgia | 76% | 75% | 76% |
| Hawaii | 76% | 68% | 75% |
| Idaho | 81% | 78% | 79% |
| Illinois | 84% | 84% | 83% |
| Indiana | 75% | 75% | 74% |
| Iowa | 89% | 87% | 84% |
| Kansas | 82% | 84% | 86% |
| Kentucky | 77% | 77% | 80% |
| Louisiana | 69% | 61% | 66% |
| Maine | 77% | 88% | 68% |
| Maryland | 69% | 71% | 74% |
| Massachusetts | 79% | 81% | 80% |
| Michigan | 81% | 80% | 76% |
| Minnesota | 85% | 86% | 88% |
| Mississippi | 78% | 76% | 72% |
| Missouri | 87% | 86% | 89% |
| Montana | 87% | 89% | 90% |
| Nebraska | 78% | 81% | 78% |
| Nevada | 60% | 59% | 65% |
| New Hampshire | 84% | 80% | 78% |
| New Jersey | 77% | 76% | 77% |
| New Mexico | 84% | 81% | 82% |
| New York | 65% | 65% | 64% |
| North Carolina | 67% | 68% | 70% |
| North Dakota | 80% | 78% | 83% |
| Ohio | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Oklahoma | 82% | 82% | 83% |
| Oregon | 69% | 68% | 68% |
| Pennsylvania | 76% | 74% | 77% |
| Rhode Island | 74% | 74% | 69% |
| South Carolina | 72% | 73% | 73% |
| South Dakota | 83% | 94% | 94% |
| Tennessee | 68% | 70% | 69% |
| Texas | 78% | 76% | 80% |
| Utah | 83% | 82% | 84% |
| Vermont | 61% | 76% | 68% |
| Virginia | 69% | 70% | 72% |
| Washington State | 67% | 71% | 66% |
| West Virginia | 73% | 65% | 74% |
| Wisconsin | 89% | 90% | 84% |
| Wyoming | 75% | 71% | 62% |
| Guam | 52% | 80% | 67% |
| N. Mariana Islands | 100% | 63% | 83% |
| Palau | 17% | 57% | 25% |
| Puerto Rico | 41% | 42% | 44% |
| Virgin Islands | 65% | 71% | 49% |
For the exam-takers who participated in the summer examination, they historically have 64 percent correct. The average scaled sore was around 140.
2012 Test Center Address List (State's Test Centers Are Subject To Change)
Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA
Crown Plaza Hotel
1177 Airport Blvd.
Burlingame, CA
Oakland Convention Center
1001 Broadway
Oakland, CA
Sacramento Convention Center
1400 J Street
Sacramento, CA
Sacramento Doubletree
2001 Point West Way
Sacramento, CA
Santa Clara Convention Center
5001 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA
California Market Place
110 East Ninth Street
Los Angeles, CA
Century Plaza Hotel
2025 Avenue Of The Stars
Los Angeles, CA
Doubletree Hotel
100 The City Drive
Orange, CA
Ontario Convention Center
2000 Convention Center Way
Ontario, CA
Pasadena Convention Center
300 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA
Doubletree Hotel- Westside
6161 W. Centinela Ave
Culver City, CA
Sheraton Four Points 8110 Aero Drive
San Diego, CA
Town and Country Resort Hotel
500 Hotel Circle North San Diego, CA
Jacob Javits Convention Center
11th Avenue at West 35 St., New York, NY 10001
Armory Track and Field Center
216 Fort Washington Avenue at West 168 St., New York, NY 10032
New York State Judicial Institute
78 North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603
Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center
153 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202
Empire State Plaza
Concourse Level, Albany, NY 12242
Times Union Center
51 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207
The Desmond Hotel
660 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12211
Saratoga City Center
522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
1200 Ballpark Way
Arlington, Texas 76011
900 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, Texas 78704
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Houston, Texas 77010
Texas Tech Law School
1802 Hartford
Lubbock, Texas 79409
901 North Loop 1604 West
San Antonio, Texas 78232-1040
1114 S. University Parks Dr.
Waco, Texas 76798
355 Plaza Drive
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Garden State Exhibit Center
50 Atrium Drive
Somerset, NJ 08873
Doubletree Hotel
200 Atrium Drive, Somerset
New Jersey 08873
Somerset Hotel
110 Davidson Ave.
Somerset, NJ 08873
Atlantic City Convention Center
1 Miss America Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
The Pennsylvania Convention Center
1101 Arch Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19107
215-418-4700 or 800-428-9000
David L Lawrence Convention Center
1000 Fort Duquesne Boulevard
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Phone: 412-565-6000
Radisson Penn Harris Hotel
1150 Camp Hill Bypass
Camp Hill, PA 17011
Phone: (717) 763-7117
At Widener School of Law
4601 Concord Pike
Wilmington DE 19083
John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center (Hynes) - Boston, MA
900 Boylston Street
Boston, MA, 02115
Phone: 617-954-2000
Fax: 617-954-2299
Western New England University School of Law - Springfield, MA
1215 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, Massachusetts 01119
Phone: 413-782-3111
Roanoke Civic Center
710 Williamson Road, NE.
Roanoke, Virginia, 24016
(540) 853-2241
Connecticut Convention Center
100 Columbus Boulevard
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 249-6000
Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa
At The Convention Center
201 Tallapoosa Street Montgomery, Al 36104
Hotel Murano
1320 Broadway Plaza
Tacoma, WA 98402
253-238-8000
Courtyard Tacoma Downtown Hotel
1515 Commerce St.
Tacoma, WA 98402
253-591-9100
Best Western Tacoma Dome Hotel
2611 East E St.
Tacoma, WA 98421
253-272-7737
La Quinta Tacoma Hotel
1425 East 27th St.
Tacoma, WA 98421
253-383-0146
Holiday Inn Express Downtown Spokane
801 N. Division St.
Spokane, WA 99202
509-328-8505
Doubletree Hotel Spokane City Center
322 N. Spokane Falls Ct.
Spokane, WA 99201
509-455-9600
Red Lion Hotel on the River – Jantzen Beach
909 N. Hayden Island Drive
Portland, OR 97217
Phone: 503-283-4466
Boise, Idaho – Boise Centre – 850 West Front Street
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: 208-336-8900
Moscow, Idaho – University of Idaho – College of Law
691 Ash Street
Moscow, ID 83844
Phone: 208-885-6380
Albuquerque Convention Center,
401 2nd Street
Albuquerque, NM 87102
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Student Union, 2nd Floor
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154
University of Nevada, Reno
Lawlor Events Center
1664 N. Virgina St.
Reno, NV 89557
Community Choice Credit Union
Convention Center
(previously Vet's Auditorium)
833 Fifth Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-564-8100
The Universities at Shady Grove (480 seats) (NOT CONFIRMED)
9630 Gudelsky Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
(see website at www.shadygrove.umd.edu)
University of Maryland School of Law (480 seats)
500 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
University of Baltimore Law School/Business School (240 seats)
1420 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Exhibition Hall at Timonium Fairgrounds (240 seats)
2200 York Road
Timonium, MD 21093
The Truman Hotel & Convention Center
1510 Jefferson Street
Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
Phone 573-635-7171
Capitol Plaza Hotel,
415 West McCarty Street
Jefferson City, Mo 65101
(573) 635-1234
Holiday Inn
World's Fair Park
525 Henley St.
Knoxville, TN 37902
Memphis Cook Convention Center
255 North Main St.
Memphis, TN 38103
For the exam-takers who participated in the summer examination, they historically have
64 percent correct. The average scaled sore was around 140.
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