Bar Examinations

Bar Exam Information


It is the student's responsibility to complete all work and meet all graduation requirements and be aware of all Bar Exam and admission requirements. Students graduating in September or January should contact the Office of Academic Services for the deadline of completion of work for prior semesters.

For general information about state bar examinations, visit the American Bar Association website.


BAR EXAM CHECKLIST:


Before admission to a State Bar

1)  MPRE Exam (March/August/November)

In addition to the Bar Exam, some jurisdictions require you to pass the MPRE Exam. Check the MPRE website for detailed information.

2)  Complete the Character and Fitness Form

Character and Fitness forms for the New York State Bar are submitted after the Bar Exam. Access the NY state form. Character and Fitness timing and procedures may vary depending on the jurisdiction; please check with each state bar directly.

Download the Bar Admission requirements.



By April 30, 2013 NY Bar Application Deadline: If you are interested in taking the upcoming July 2013 New York State Bar Exam, the online application for the exam will be available starting April 1, 2013 at http://www.nybarexam.org/. Students who wish to use a paper application should contact The New York State Board of Law Examiners (BOLE) office at (518) 453-5900 for further information. All online applications must be received through the BOLE online system between April 1, 2013 and April 30, 2013.

Strict Adherence to Bar Application Deadline: The New York State Board of Law Examiners imposes strict deadlines for applications to take the Bar Exam. Students who do not adhere to the above deadline will not be able to sit for the July 2013 Bar Exam.

By April 30, 2013 for LL.M. students only

Additional information for LL.M. students taking the NY Bar:

Information regarding eligibility to sit for the NY bar exam can be found here: http://www.nybarexam.org/foreign/foreignlegaleducation.htm

1)  Complete the Online Request for Foreign Evaluation of Academic Credentials: https://www.nybarapply.org/feval/

BOLE recommends that candidates complete the Foreign Evaluation of Academic Credentials at least one year in advance of the application to sit for the bar exam. For example, applicants wishing to sit for the July 2012 bar exam are advised to submit their materials now in April 2013.

BOLE advises against applying for the bar exam prior to receiving a decision on the foreign evaluation because the application fee is not refundable.

2)  Complete the 20-credit Program Certificate here: http://www.nybarexam.org/forms/forms.htm

View the Bar Topics and NYU School of Law courses


By May 1, 2013 Students must submit papers from prior semesters to their faculty member for a grade. 

By May 20, 2013


Additional information for J.D. students taking the NY Bar:

Complete the online Certificate of Attendance-Juris Doctor Applicants here:
http://www.nybarexam.org/Docs/LawSchoolCert.pdf

Review of Degree Progress/Audit Report may be helpful.


By May 20, 2013

Complete the Bar Authorization Form - allowing us to certify you for any bar that you designate

NOTE: We do not complete the New York State Bar Certification of Attendance included with your application; your official transcript will replace this document.

Complete the bar authorization form and bring it to the Office of Records & Registration, where you will be asked to provide a handwriting sample.

If you are a NYU School of Law graduate, you may send the bar certification form, along with a witnessed and notarized handwriting sample (see below) to:

Office of Records & Registration
New York University School of Law
245 Sullivan Street, Suite 400
New York, NY 10012


By May 20, 2013 Complete the Handwriting Sample

The handwriting sample form is available at: http://www.nybarexam.org/Docs/HandwritingSampleForm.pdf

If you are out of the country, you may have your handwriting sample notarized by a certified notary public and send it to the NYS Board of Law Examiners or to the Office of Records & Registration who can forward the sample on your behalf.

Contact a member of the Office of Records & Registration (law.registration@nyu.edu) to inform them that you have personally forwarded your handwriting sample to the Bar. 

By May 21, 2013 (Last day of the NYU exam period) Students must complete all work from their final semester by the last day of the exam period for that semester. All grades must be entered by the University Registrar's Office before a student can be certified to take the Bar Examination. 

Before the Bar Examination Date

1)  It is the student's responsibility until the date of the Bar Examination to update all contact information on Albert (e.g. address, phone number, etc.). We must be able to contact you if questions arise.

2)  Obtain an official transcript from other educational institutions (if applicable)

If you have attended another degree program, you must obtain an official transcript from that school and include it with your application materials. You should order this transcript well in advance of the deadline for filing your application, particularly if you attend a foreign law school. We cannot provide copies of transcripts from other institutions that we may have in student files.

3)  Check that there are no holds/stops on your NYU account

A student who, at the time of graduation, is financially obligated to the University for tuition, housing (including summer housing after the final semester), library (library fines of $100 or more or lost books), or other services, will have a "HOLD" placed on their account, will not be cleared for graduation, be certified for state bar examinations, have official transcripts issued, or have a diploma issued until all arrears have been paid. It is the student's responsibility to make sure all accounts are cleared and all Stops/Holds are removed. Students must contact the Office of the Bursar immediately to clear up any financial "HOLDS".

4)  Check that you are in compliance with New York State Health Law requirements

A student who, at the time of graduation, is not in compliance with New York State Health Law requirements for immunization against Measles, Mumps and Rubella and/or the requirement for either agreeing to waive the Meningitis Meningococcal vaccination or provide proof of the same, will not be certified and transcripts and the diploma will not be printed. (This may not apply to part-time LL.M. students who have always taken 5 or fewer credits each semester). Students must contact the Student Health Center immediately to clear any health requirement "HOLDS".

5)  Check the laptop programs for your Bar Exam jurisdiction

Applicants should check with specific jurisdictions for details on their laptop programs. Some jurisdictions may use ExamSoft. A demonstration of the test taking software is available at www.examsoft.com/softestdemo.


Bar Examination Review Courses We are aware that the following companies offer bar examination review courses. This does not represent an endorsement of these courses.

AdaptiBar

Bar/Bri

Pieper

PMBR 


http://www.law.nyu.edu//recordsandregistration/barexams/index.htm