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Taking the Florida Bar Exam

Taking the Florida Bar Exam

If an individual wishes to practice law in the state of Florida, he/she must successfully pass the Florida bar exam. The Florida bar exam lasts for a period of two days. The first day of the exam is dedicated to questions regarding Florida state law. An individual will be required to answer three essay questions. The Florida bar contains fewer essay questions than most other states.
For example, the state of New Jersey requires an individual to answer seven essay questions, while the state of New York requires aspiring lawyers to complete five essay questions. In addition to the three essay questions, the Florida bar also includes 100 multiple choice questions regarding the state law of Florida. These multiple choice questions are also administered on the first day of the examination.
The second day of the Florida bar exam is dedicated to the Multi-state Bar Exam. This portion of the exam deals with common law, or case law. An individual will be required to answer 200 multiple choice questions, in a six hour period. The Multi-state Bar Exam and the portions of the examination that focus on Florida state law, are equally weighted. In order for an individual to successfully pass the Florida bar, he/she must obtain a final score of at least 136.
In addition to passing the bar exam, an individual will also be required to pass the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam, with a score of at least 80, before he/she is able to practice law in Florida. This examination must be completed within 2 years of completing the bar exam.

Taking the California Bar Exam

Taking the California Bar Exam

The state bar of California is generally considered to be one of the most difficult bar examinations administered within the United States. Statistics indicate that California often possesses the lowest pass rest of all states. The CA bar exam lasts for three days. During this period an individual will be required to answer six essay questions regarding California state law and basic legal principles.
Three of these essay questions will be administered during the morning session, on the first day. The remaining three essays will be answered during the morning session, on the third day of the examination. During the afternoon sessions on the first and last days the exam, a performance test will be administered.
The performance test is the portion of the exam that is often difficult for test takers. It consists of questions designed to resemble real life legal issues that an individual may face if he/she becomes a lawyer. An individual will be required to apply legal principles and rules to each problem, and resolve any ethical issues that may be present.
On the second day of the CA bar exam, an individual will complete the Multi-state Bar Exam. This portion of the exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions, regarding common law. The Multi-state Bar Exam is worth 35% of an individual’s final score, while the performance test and essay questions are worth 65%. In order to practice law in the state of California, an individual will also be required to pass the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam, with a score of at least an 86.

Taking the Washington State Bar Exam

Taking the Washington State Bar Exam

The Washington state bar exam is a unique law examination, as it excludes certain portions of the exam that are included in bar exams administered by most other states. The states of Louisiana and Washington due not include the Multi-State Bar Examination.

This portion of the exam is usually the section that is used to test an individual's knowledge regarding common law. Instead of administering the Multi-State Bar Examination, the state of Washington has increased the number of state specific essay questions provided on the exam. The Washington State Bar is a three day exam. An individual who is taking this law exam will be required to complete eighteen essay questions.

He/she will have 45 minutes to successfully answer each question. These essay questions cover a range of topics, including administrative law, family law, criminal law, Indian law, tort law, constitutional law, and business law. In addition, an individual will be asked about trusts, wills, and probate, as well as professional conduct and trial procedures. 

In addition to the eighteen essay questions, an individual will be required to answer six questions regarding professional conduct. He/she will be given 22 minutes to answer each of these questions. There are restrictions placed on the length of an individual's answers to the essay questions. In order to successfully pass the Washington state bar examination, an individual must obtain at least a 70% on both the professional responsibility questions and the substantive essay questions. Go to lawyer.laws.com to contact Washington lawyers who passed the state bar exam.

 

Bar Exam

Bar Exam

The bar exam is a mandatory exam taken by any law student who wishes to practice law. Before an individual is permitted to practice law in a specific state, he/she must pass the bar for that state. The bar exam varies from one state to another, in regard to both content and structure. Each state tests individuals on laws specific to that state.

Taking the New Jersey Bar Exam

Taking the New Jersey Bar Exam

The NJ bar exam is a two day examination that assesses an individual’s ability to successfully practice law in the state of New Jersey. On the first day of the examination, the Multi-state Bar Exam in given. This portion of the examination in multiple choice and tests an individual’s knowledge about common law.
The Multi-state Bar Exam accounts for 50% of an individual’s final score. The second portion of the NJ bar exam is administered on the second day of the examination period. It consists of seven different essay questions. The first four essays will be given during the morning session of the exam.
An individual will have three hours to answer these four essays. The remaining three essays will be administered in the afternoon, during a session that lasts for two hours and fifteen minutes. These portions of the exam also account for 50% of an individual’s score, and each essay is worth the same amount of points.
The NJ bar exam results are posted online, usually around the end of November. Statistics regarding bar exam results in New Jersey indicate that, since 2005, over 70% of individuals who have taken the bar exam each year pass the exam. Individuals who pass the bar exam in the state of New Jersey are no longer required to complete the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Examination, as long as they have passed a professional ethics course in law school, with at least a C.

Taking the New York Bar Exam

Taking the New York Bar Exam

The New York bar exam is a mandatory examination for law students who wish to practice law in the state of New York. The examination endures for a period of two days. During these two days, an individual will be required to answer questions about New York state law, as well as questions regarding common law. 
The first day of the examinations is dedicated to the Multi-state Performance Test. This section of the test consists of a question that is designed to mimic a realistic legal undertaking that a potential lawyer may face in the future. This section of the test accounts for 10% of an individual’s grade.
On this day, an individual will also complete five essay questions related to fundamental legal principles and New York state law. In addition, 50 multiple choice questions are administered on the first day of the New York bar exam. The multiple choice questions also concern the laws of New York State. The essays comprise 40% of an individual’s final score, while the multiple choice question make up 10% of the score.
The Multi-state Bar Exam is administered on the second day of the examination. This portion of the exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions that focus on common law. This includes legal topics such as constitutional law, contracts, tort law, criminal law, and evidence. An individual will have six hours to complete this portion of the test. The Multi-state Bar Exam makes up 40% of an individual’s final score. The New York State Board of Law Examiners posts both past and present New York bar exam results online.

2008 Bar Exam Results

2008 Bar Exam Results

The most important aspect of the bar exams are the bar exam results. In many instances, an individual must wait months before receiving his/her bar exam results. The results of the bar examination are released on a state by state basis.
Therefore, test takers in each state will receive their results at different times. The results of the examination are posted online, by the department responsible for administering the exam. For example, in New York State, the results are posted by the New York State Board of Law Examiners. The responsible department will usually list the names of test takers who successfully passed the exam, in alphabetical order by their last names. Bar exam results for previous years can also be found online, as can bar exam results from other nations.
Statistics regarding the 2008 bar exam results indicate that well over 80,000 individuals took the examination in 2008, and roughly 56,900 people successfully passed the exam. This means that over 70% of the aspiring lawyers who took the bar exam in the United States effectively passed the exam. In 2008, California had the lowest success rate, with only 54% of test takers passing the exam.
This statistic reflect the difficulty of the California bar exam, which is generally considered to be one of the most challenging bar examinations administered in the United States. The state of Montana had the highest pass rate, with over 90% of test takers successfully passing the exam.

Taking the Nevada State Bar Exam

Taking the Nevada State Bar Exam

The Nevada state bar examination is essential if an individual wishes to practice law in the state of Nevada. In order for an individual to practice law within this state, he/she must pass the Nevada state bar. The Nevada state bar examination lasts for three days.
Throughout the duration of this period, an individual will be required to answer both multiple choice questions and essay questions, regarding Nevada state law and fundamental legal principles. To complete the Nevada state bar, an individual will need to complete a total of eight essay questions. The first four essay questions are administered on the first day of the examination. The remaining four essay questions are answered on the third day of the Nevada state bar exam.
In addition to the first four essay questions, an individual will also be required to complete a Multi-state Performance Test on the first day of the exam. The Performance Test is designed to assess an individual’s ability to apply basic legal principles to realistic legal issues. An individual will be required to analyze the details provided and apply his/her knowledge of law and legal ethics to successfully resolve these problems.
An individual will be provided with two questions, and he/she will have 90 minutes to complete each of these questions. The Multi-state Bar Examination is taken on the second day of the Nevada state bar. It consists of 200 multiple choice questions about common law. This portion of the exam is worth 1/3 of an individual’s total score, while the remaining sections are worth 2/3 of the total score.
 

Taking the North Carolina State Bar Exam

Taking the North Carolina State Bar Exam

The North Carolina state bar exam is an examination that must be completed by anyone who wants to practice law in the state of North Carolina. The NC state bar is a two day examination, which tests an individual’s knowledge regarding the state laws of North Carolina, as well as his/her knowledge of general legal principles. The first day of the examination is dedicated to questions regarding North Carolina state law.
Many states include a combination of both multiple choice questions and essay questions on their state specific sections of the exam. However, the North Caroline state bar exam contains only essay questions. An individual will be required to complete twelve essay questions regarding North Carolina state law. The NC state bar contains more essay questions than the bar examinations administered in most other states.
The Multi-state Bar Exam is given on the second day of the NC state bar. During this portion of the test, an individual will be required to answer 200 multiple choice questions about common law. The Multi-state Bar Exam is worth 40% of an individual’s total score, while the essays are worth 60%.
There is no performance test given in the state of North Carolina, however, an individual will need to successfully pass the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam, before he/she is permitted to practice law in the state of North Carolina. This examination must be completed two years before and individual takes the North Carolina state bar exam, or one year after he/she completes the NC state bar.

Taking the Arizona Bar Exam

Taking the Arizona Bar Exam

The Arizona Bar Exam is a law exam that lasts for a period of two days. It tests an individual’s knowledge of Arizona state law, as well as his/her knowledge of basic legal principles. The first day of the examination is reserved for state specific essay questions. An individual will be required to answer twelve essay questions regarding Arizona state law.
It is essential that the state law of Arizona be applied to every essay question included on the exam. There are no state specific multiple choice questions included on the state bar of Arizona. The essay questions provided will cover a range of topics, including business law, constitutional law, trial procedures, property law, criminal law, and contract law, just to name a few. In addition, an individual will be required to complete the Multi-state Bar Examination.
The Multi-state Bar Examination is administered on the second day of the Arizona Bar Exam. During this portion of the examination, an individual will complete 200 questions, presented in a multiple choice format. These questions will discuss court law, also known as common law. In order for an individual to successfully pass the state bar of Arizona, he/she must obtain a score of 410, out of a possible 600 points. The Multi-state Bar Examination is worth 200 points, or 1/3 of the total score. An individual who passes the Arizona bar will also be required to pass the 60 questions Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam.