LibGuides: Bar Exam Success Guide: Introduction

Welcome to the Bar Exam!

Welcome to the world of the bar exam! Whether you are a third-year law student about to graduate, or an undergraduate student interested in the path to becoming a licensed attorney, this guide is designed to break down and de-mystify the bar examination.

What is the bar examination?

Once you graduate law school, you are eligible to take the bar exam. The bar exam is the entrance exam to becoming a member of the bar of a particular jurisdiction. In other words, it is the way to becoming a licensed attorney in a state. Even though you take the exam after you graduate law school, you must register for the exam long before graduation. It is important to be prepared and understand all of the components of the bar exam.

Important Websites for Bar Exam Information

ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
Provides a basic overview of bar admissions and information on the different tests.
Bar Admissions Offices
Interactive map which allows user to look up bar admissions information for each state.
Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions Requirements
Requirements for character and fitness, all U.S. state jurisdictions, and information on the NextGen Bar Exam.
National Conference of Bar Examiners
The National Conference of Bar Examiners is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1931. It provides standardized, uniform, and high quality testing of applicants for admission to the practice of law.
Supreme Court of Georgia: Office of Bar Admissions
The Office of Bar Admissions is the administrative arm of the Supreme Court of Georgia responsible for the admission of attorneys to the practice of law in Georgia.

Bar Prep Classes

Preparation for the bar exam typically requires 8-10 weeks of dedicated study following your law school graduation. The majority of students choose to supplement their law school notes and outlines with a developed program that is specifically intended to help examinee's pass the bar exam. Below is a non-comprehensive list of the available programs. Many law schools also have student representatives for each of these programs, so reach out to your classmates for more information.

Kaplan Bar Review
Kaplan Bar Review offers a full range of courses tailor-made for individual needs. Choices include their Complete Bar Review, LLM Bar Review Courses, and a variety of Multistate Bar Exam Courses and Supplements.
BARBRI
BARBRI offers a traditional bar review (8-10 week course) and an extended bar prep (6-10 month course).
Themis Bar Review
Themis offers the traditional 8-10 week flexible learning online program with access to UWorld's MBE question bank and dedicated essay graders.
AdaptiBar
An MBE simulator supplement for your study consisting of real, released bar exam questions.
AmeriBar
Quimbee
Coverage of all UBE topics and some state-specific. Does not cover Georgia specific materials.

General Bar Exam Study Aids Online

The Bar Exam in a Nutshell (2024) This book includes: A description of the bar exam landscape since COVID, including an introduction to the “NextGen” Bar Exam; Integration of technology into the bar exam; Using your laptop most effectively for the written portions of the bar exam; A “sequence and study” method for MEEs/essays; Outlining steps for answering the MEEs/essays and MPTs/Performance Tests.
Acing the Bar Exam (2016) This book features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it. The bar exam is de-constructed, section by section, where candidates are led through the steps they need to follow to succeed. Approaches for learning the black letter law, setting study schedules, and answering essay and multiple-choice questions are combined to maximize the likelihood of success. Each of these tasks is then configured into checklist format to help candidates navigate each step.
Exam Pro Bar Prep Workbook Revised (2010) This practical workbook teaches important problem solving techniques for each subject, proper frameworks for rules, protocols for answering bar exam questions, and practice problems for all of the major subjects tested.

General Bar Exam Study Aids in Print

The Bar Exam in a Nutshell by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus
ISBN: 1634606183

This book has guidelines for selecting a bar review course, bar planner checklists, advice on how to manage the material you cover in bar review courses, and advice on how to learn the law so you can remember it. An Appendix provides practice materials for the MPT and essays, including the MEEs, with "answer de-constructions" to explain why bar examiners chose those answers.
Clearing the Last Hurdle by Wanda M. Temm
ISBN: 9781543807431

This all-inclusive textbook includes substantive outlines on all Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) topics and all Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) topics and is also easily adaptable for state-specific jurisdictions. This edition also provides essay questions (with score sheets), as well as mind maps including estates and future interests and search and seizure.
The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam by Chad Noreuil
ISBN: 9781594609343

In order to reach the "enlightenment" of passing the bar exam, one must have the attributes of balance (between studying and other aspects of life, as well as balancing your study time between subjects, etc.), knowing your true self (what type of essay writer you are, what type of learner you are, what type of exam taker you are, etc.), knowing your universe (knowing the law, how the questions are constructed, what to look for, etc.), and staying focused on your path (when to study, what to do when you are stressed, what to do when you don't know a subject very well, etc.).