The Student Services Office and the Academic Support Office understand the importance of the bar exam and provide guidance and resources to assist you before taking the bar. Continue reading below for an overview of the bar exam and links to state bar websites. Also, on the intranet (requires login) you will find information about commercial bar review courses.

What is the Bar Exam?
Most states require you to pass a bar exam in order to be licensed to practice law in that state. The content of each state’s bar exam differs, but in general the bar exam tests knowledge of legal concepts generally and the laws of the testing state specifically. The bar exam is offered twice a year, in February and July. May graduates typically take the July bar exam and January graduates typically take the February bar exam. View the American Bar Association's general overview of bar admissions.

What is tested on the Bar Exam?
Most state’s bar exams are two days long (the Ohio bar exam is two and a half days). One day is generally devoted to the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), a standardized 200-item test covering Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. The second (and, if applicable, third) day of testing typically comprises essays from a broader range of subjects; however, in a growing number of states two nationally developed tests, the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), may be used to round out the exam. Ohio incorporates the MPT in its bar exam.

The content of the exam varies from state to state. About half of our graduates take the Ohio Bar Exam, which tests the following subjects in its essays: Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Commercial Law, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Legal Ethics, Property, Torts, and Wills. The second most popular bar exam for our graduates is New York, which tests the following subjects: Contracts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. In addition, the essay questions may deal with Business Relationships, Conflict of Laws, New York Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Family Law, Remedies, New York and Federal Civil Jurisdiction and Procedure, Professional Responsibility, Trusts, Wills and Estates, and UCC Articles 2, 3, and 9. Use the drop-down menu at the end of this page for information about other states' bar exams and what they test.

How do I prepare for the Bar Exam?
You should consider the subjects on the bar exam when deciding what courses to take in your second and third years of law school. You should try to take courses in many of the subjects covered on the bar exam so you do not have to learn too many new subjects when studying for the bar exam.

You will also need to take a commercial bar review course during the two months leading up to the bar exam. These courses usually begin immediately after graduation. The law school intranet has information on commercial bar review courses. Please note that the law school does not take a position on the quality of these vendors or courses, nor do we recommend one vendor or course over another. You should compare the different providers and decide which is best for you.

Do I have to pass a Professional Responsibility Exam?
In order to practice law in most jurisdictions (including Ohio), you need to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). This exam is not part of the Bar Exam; it is a separate exam offered several times each year. Click here for more information about the MPRE.

Character & Fitness
In addition to taking a bar exam, applicants will be required to provide detailed information relating to their character and fitness. You answered some questions relating to character and fitness on your application to law school. The inquiry into character and fitness is designed to ensure that applicants can safely be entrusted with the professional responsibility of representing clients. Character and fitness standards and practices vary widely by state. In Ohio, timely character and fitness applications are due in the fall of 2L year; in most other states, this information must be submitted during 3L year. It is your responsibility to find out as early as possible when your state's application is due and what material you will need to gather and submit for your character and fitness review. You will need to plan ahead, because it takes time to gather and submit this information; it simply can't be done within a day or two of the application submission deadline.

How can I get more information about the Bar Exam?
The National Conference of Bar Examiners has published a Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions. It contains helpful information about bar exams and admittance to the bar in each state.

You can also use the drop-down menu below for information about the bar exam in states in which you may seek to be admitted.