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Bar Exam
The Bar Exam is given to law school
graduates. The bar exam is an examination administered by State Bar
organizations. The State Bar organizations, among other things, regulate the
quality of legal services provided in the state. The test is one of the primary
instruments by which they do so.
Passing the bar exam is the biggest obstacle to getting a bar license. In some
states, there may be other requirements, such as having three years of legal
education.
Each state’s bar examination is unique but almost all states use a two day
format incorporating the nationally administered Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a
6-hour, 200 question multiple-choice exam as a component of their test. "State
specific" law is often tested on a second day of testing, usually in essay
format.
In most jurisdictions, the bar exam is offered twice a year, in February and
July.