The checklist
For each jurisdiction, find: who is eligible and the education rules; exam dates and application deadlines; fees and late fees; exam format and subjects; passing score and pass rates; the NextGen adoption date and which form you will sit; any local component or course; MPRE requirement and score; character and fitness process; accommodations rules and deadlines; foreign-trained and non-ABA eligibility; UBE score transfer rules; retake limits; admission on motion or reciprocity; and the post-exam admission checklist.
Start with the admitting authority
Every jurisdiction has a court, board or committee that decides admission. Its website and rules are the source for every item above. Third-party pages can be out of date, so use them as pointers.
Use NCBE's Comprehensive Guide
NCBE's guide compares requirements across jurisdictions, which helps you see what to look for. It points to the jurisdiction as the final source. Check its date.
Use this site's state pages
Our jurisdiction pages summarize each authority's published rules with sources and dates, including deadlines, fees, passing scores, NextGen dates, local components, transfers and reciprocity. Use them to orient yourself, then confirm the detail you will rely on with the authority.
Find past questions and study guides
Many boards publish past essays, subject lists or study guides. Search the board's site for past exams. For state-specific study material, check whether the course you are considering says that it covers your state, your exam date and your local component.
Date every answer
Write down each answer with the source and the date you checked it. When you come back to the process later, check anything that may have changed, especially deadlines, fees and passing scores.
When the sources conflict
If a third-party page and the board disagree, trust the board. If the board's own pages disagree, email or call the office and keep the response. Wait for the answer before paying a fee based on a guess.
Common questions
Where do I find the official requirements for my state's bar exam?+
On the website of the court, board or committee that admits lawyers in that jurisdiction. NCBE's Comprehensive Guide and this site's state pages help you find and organize them.
How do I know if a state's rules have changed?+
Check the admitting authority's site each season for updated dates, fees, passing scores and forms, and sign up for its announcements. Date every answer you record.
What should I do if two sources disagree about a requirement?+
Trust the admitting authority over any third-party page. If its own pages conflict, email or call the office, save the reply, and wait for it before paying a fee.
What to do next
- 1
Copy the checklist into a document for your jurisdiction.
- 2
Fill in each answer from the admitting authority and note the date.
- 3
Email the board about anything unclear and save the reply.