Every summer, law school graduates across the U.S. spend two months after graduation cramming their brains full of legal intricacies in anticipation of the dreaded bar exam.
While law school applicants don’t need to worry about the bar exam yet, it’s helpful to understand the test in advance. Bar eligibility requirements might affect your application, particularly regarding character and fitness questions.
The Basics of the Bar Exam
U.S. states and territories, as well as the District of Columbia, set their own rules of admission for the bar exam. Further information about these rules can be found through the National Conference of Bar Examiners or specific state bars.
Almost every state requires aspiring lawyers to go to law school before taking the bar exam, except for California, Virginia, Washington and Vermont, which permit structured apprenticeship programs instead.
Most states offer the bar exam twice a year, in February and July. These dates allow law students who graduate a J.D. program in either fall or spring to have a couple of months to prepare for the test. Multiple states now offer it remotely in an online format.
Bar exams generally take place over two days, including both state-specific tests and the Multistate Bar Exam, which is also known as the MBE and is common to every state except Louisiana. Bar exams typically include essays and multiple-choice questions.
Unless you plan to practice in Wisconsin or Puerto Rico, you will also need to complete the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, a multiple-choice test about legal ethics offered several times a year. This test is uniform across states, but states vary in the passing grade they accept. Connecticut and New Jersey accept certain coursework in lieu of a passing score.
[READ: How to Become a Lawyer: A Step-by-Step Guide.]
Ongoing Changes to the Bar Exam
All but a handful of states have adopted the NextGen exam, a major change to the Uniform Bar Examination, which includes the MBE. By 2028, the NextGen exam is expected to fully replace the old exam in these states, and it’s already an option in some of them.
The NextGen exam differs from the old test because it tests legal skills using hypothetical scenarios rather than focusing on memorized knowledge. The test excludes a few subjects outside the core law school curricula, like family law and trusts and estates.
To the relief of many law school graduates, the new test is three hours shorter, taking nine hours over two days. It’s also fully digital, with more options for disability accommodations.
The states that don’t plan to adopt the NextGen exam, most notably California, have developed their own state-specific exams.
Qualifying for Practice Without a Bar Exam
Those with severe test anxiety might note that some states have alternative pathways for bar admission, an option more states are currently exploring.
Washington, Oregon, Utah and New Hampshire allow law school graduates to qualify for the bar through supervised practice instead of the bar exam.
Graduates of Wisconsin’s two American Bar Association-accredited law schools are automatically admitted to the state bar.
Choosing a State
Most people choose to sit for the bar exam where they plan to build a legal career, even if they don’t have a job lined up already. They may also consider the difficulty of the bar exam, since states differ in their state-specific content as well as the passing score that they accept for the MBE.
[Read: Why Law School Location Matters.]
It’s often possible to take two different state bar exams in a row, spread over three days instead of two.
When lawyers want to practice in a new state, they may have to retake all or part of the bar exam for the new state. However, some states have reciprocity rules that allow eligible lawyers to avoid retaking the test.
How Does the Bar Exam Influence Law School Choice?
Most law schools try to help their students prepare for the bar exam. A school’s bar passage rate can affect its ranking and reputation, and applicants should look for schools with a high bar passage rate.
However, law school graduates typically dedicate months after graduation to prepare intensively for the bar exam in the state of their choice, regardless of where they graduated. This rigorous preparation, using a state-specific bar prep course or self-study materials, matters much more than which law school you attend.
It may seem counterintuitive that attending law school in a state where you plan to take the bar exam may not give you an advantage on the test. Law school classes teach you how to think and write like a lawyer, foundational skills for the bar exam. But the material they cover may not be directly relevant to the content of the test.
Character and Fitness
All applicants to the bar are required to complete a character and fitness questionnaire. They may also need to be briefly interviewed about their answers to these questions.
This component of the bar exam varies by state but typically covers lack of candor, criminal record, untreated mental illness and substance abuse, and financial irresponsibility. This is why law school applications often ask detailed questions about applicants’ disciplinary and criminal records.
[Read: Law School Admissions Process: A Month-By-Month Guide.]
If you are concerned that incidents in your past may raise red flags in these areas, you should disclose them fully and accurately. It is better to confront these issues while applying to law school rather than years later when you are applying for bar admission.
When you make such disclosures, write an explanatory addendum to provide context. Highlight active steps you have taken to rehabilitate yourself and distance yourself from prior misconduct.
If you’re concerned any of these issues may be serious enough to make you ineligible for admission to the bar, consult a lawyer who specializes in disciplinary matters in the state where you plan to take the bar exam.
While law school applications rarely ask about mental illness and substance abuse, these issues are self-reported when applying for the bar in some states. If you have experienced such issues, show you have sought treatment as applicable and found ways to actively manage those issues so that they will not interfere with your professional responsibilities.
If bar examiners have reason to suspect past financial or ethical irresponsibility, they may look at evidence like your credit reports, income tax returns and legal records. However, a thorough investigation is unlikely except in serious cases.
Bar examiners may also research you online, including social media. Before taking the bar exam, be sure to review your online presence and remove anything that might reflect poorly on your professionalism or integrity. Err on the side of discretion.
The bar exam may continue to evolve in coming years to keep pace with changes in legal education and practice. No matter what form it takes, plan to study hard for it!
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Law School Applicants and the Bar Exam originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 02/23/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
