Committee on Admissions - FAQs
What are the eligibility
requirements to take the D.C. Bar examination?
An applicant who has graduated from a law school
that at the time of graduation was approved by the American
Bar Association or who is certified by the dean of such
law school as being eligible for graduation shall be
permitted to take the bar examination. An applicant
permitted to take the bar examination pursuant to the
above-mentioned "dean's certification"
may not be admitted to the bar without first having
submitted to the director of Admissions a certificate
that the applicant has graduated with a J.D. or LL.B.
degree.
An applicant who graduated from a law school not approved
by the American Bar Association shall be permitted to
take the bar examination only after successfully completing
at least 26 semester hours of study in the subjects
tested (see Rule 46(b)(8)(iii)) on the bar examination
at a law school that at the time of such study was approved
by the American Bar Association. All such 26 semester hours shall be earned in courses of study, each of which is substantially concentrated on a single tested subject.
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If my law degree is
not from an ABA-approved law school, how will I know
if the additional course work I completed at an ABA-approved
law school meets the requirements to take the examination?
You should submit a written request to the
Committee on Admissions for an evaluation of the course
work you completed. Along with your request, submit
your transcript(s) containing the subjects, semester
hour values, and grades achieved. You should also provide
a copy of the law school's course description for each
of the courses you completed. These materials should
be sent to: Committee on Admissions, 500 Indiana Avenue
N.W., Room 4200, Washington, D.C. 20001.
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What are the filing
deadlines to file an application to take the bar examination?
An application to take the bar examination must be filed by December 15 for the February examination and May 3 for the July examination. Late applications may be filed within 15 days from the December 15 and May 3 closing dates.
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What fees are required
to file an application to take the bar examination?
The filing fee is $100 if the application is filed by the first deadline and $300 if the application is filed by the late deadline. The testing fee for the Multistate Bar Examination is $48 and the testing fee for the essays (Multistate Essay Examination + Multistate Performance Test) is $40. There is also a fee, the amount of which to be specified in the application materials, for the National Conference of Bar Examiners to conduct the background investigation. The manner of payment and payees for all fees is also specified in the application materials.
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When is the bar examination
administered?
The bar examination is administered on the
last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July.
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What is the composition
of the D.C. Bar examination?
The essay section of the examination consists
of eight questions and is administered on Tuesday. Three
hours of testing time are allotted to both the morning
and afternoon sessions. The two Multistate Performance
Test (MPT) questions are administered in the morning.
Each MPT question is worth 45 raw points. The six Multistate
Essay Examination (MEE) questions are administered in
the afternoon. Each MEE question is worth 15 raw points.
The maximum possible raw score on the essay (MPT and
MEE) is 180 raw points.
The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) section of the
examination consists of 200 questions and is administered
on Wednesday. Three hours of testing time are allotted
to both the morning and afternoon sessions; 100 questions
are given during each testing session.
Additional information concerning the MEE, MPT, and
MBE can be found at the National Conference of Bar Examiners'
website: www.ncbex.org
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What are the score requirements
to pass the examination?
An applicant, taking both the essay and MBE
sections of the bar examination, is required to achieve
a combined scaled score of 266 (essay scaled score +
MBE scaled score) to pass the examination. An applicant
shall be examined on both the essay and MBE sections
at the examination site. However, an applicant may request
the Committee to accept a prior MBE scaled score or
an essay scaled score achieved on the D.C. bar examination
provided that the prior scaled score is not less than
133 and the prior administration was within 25 months
of the present administration. PLEASE NOTE: An applicant
who has achieved a scaled score of 133 or more on a
prior MBE or essay examination and whose score transfer
has been accepted by the Committee is required to achieve
a 133 scaled score on the portion of the examination
being taken.
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What is the minimum scaled score requirement for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in conjunction with passing the D.C. bar examination?
A minimum scaled score of 75 is required on the MPRE.
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How are the examination
results calculated?
A raw essay score is converted to a scaled
score using the standard deviation method. The basis
for this scaling is the distribution of the MBE scaled
scores of the applicants taking the essay portion of
the examination.
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When will I be notified
of my bar examination results?
Bar examination results are normally released
in mid-May for the February examination and mid-November
for the July examination. Please be aware that the results
could be released later as these time frames are approximations
based on previous years' data.
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What scoring information
will I be given along with my examination results?
If you are successful on the examination, you
will be notified of your MBE score only. If you are
not successful on the examination, you will be notified
of your performance on MBE and essay sections of the
examination. You will be given a grading sheet which
reflects: your MBE scaled score; the maximum raw point
value and the raw score you achieved on each essay question;
your total raw essay score; your scaled essay score;
and your combined scaled score (MBE scaled score + essay
scaled score) on the examination. (NOTE: If you transferred
your essay score or MBE score from a previous examination,
you will be notified only that you passed that section
of the examination, and your score will be reported
to you as a scaled score of 133.)
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If I am not successful
on the examination, can I request to have my essay examination
papers re-graded?
Yes. Each unsuccessful applicant may review
their essay examination papers, and the model answers
thereto. The review is conducted during a three-hour
time period on a date specified by the Director of Admissions.
Each unsuccessful applicant who attends the review may
submit a petition for re-grading of any answer(s). A
separate petition shall be submitted for each answer
as to which the applicant seeks re-grading. The petition(s)
shall be transmitted to the Director of Admissions,
and shall state the reasons in support of the re-grading.
The examiners will then review the petitions. Upon the
examiners' dispositions of the petitions, the
Director of Admissions will notify the applicant of
the final decision. A review of the MBE is not available.
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What are the eligibility
requirements to apply for admission without examination?
There are two provisions:
a. Having been a member in good standing of a Bar of
a court of general jurisdiction in any state or territory
of the United States for a period of five years immediately
preceding the filing of your application.
or
b. Having been awarded a J.D. or LL.B. degree from
a law school which, at the time of the awarding of the
degree, was approved by the American Bar Association;
having been admitted to the practice of law in any state
or territory of the United States upon the successful
completion of a written bar examination, with a scaled
score of 133 or more on the Multistate Bar Examination
(MBE) which the state or territory deems to have been
taken as part of such examination, and a 75 scaled score
on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
(MPRE).
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What documentation
do I need to submit with my application to demonstrate
that I meet the requirements to apply for admission
without examination?
If you are basing your application on having
five years of membership in another jurisdiction, you
must submit a current (issued within 60 days of the
date of the application) original certificate of good
standing from the highest court in each jurisdiction
wherein you are admitted.
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If you are basing your application on having your J.D.
or LL.B. degree, admission in another jurisdiction,
and the requisite MBE and MPRE scores, you must submit
with your application: an executed and original Law
School Certification Form; a current (issued within
60 days of the date of the application) original certificate
of good standing from the highest court in each jurisdiction
in which you are admitted; a copy of your MPRE score
report; and an executed MBE Scaled Score Release Form
along with the transfer fee, if applicable. (Note: The
Law School Certification and MBE Scaled Score Release
forms are available with the application materials.)
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Are there any deadlines
to file an application for admission without examination?
There are no deadlines for filing an application
for admission without examination based on the eligibility
requirements of Rule 46(c). However, you must comply
with any application filing requirements, as set forth
in Rule 49 (the Rule pertaining to the unauthorized
practice of law in D.C.).
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What are the required
fees to file an application for admission without examination?
There is a $400 fee payable to "Clerk,
D.C. Court of Appeals" and a character report
fee (the amount of which is specified in the application
materials) payable to "National Conference of
Bar Examiners." These fees must be in the form
of certified checks, cashier's checks, or money
orders.
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How will I know if
my application for admission without examination has
been received in the office of the Committee on Admissions?
Approximately four to six weeks from date you
submit your application, you will receive a letter from
the Committee acknowledging receipt of your application.
This letter will also advise you of your five-digit
file number which you should reference on any future
correspondence to the Committee. Please be aware that
until you have been assigned a file number, the Committee
staff can not verify receipt of your application. You
may wish to include with your application a pre-addressed
postage-paid post card or return envelope to be date-stamped
on the day your application is received in the Committee's
office for return to you. You may also wish to send
your application via USPS certified/express mail or
by some other carrier that will provide you with delivery
confirmation; e.g., Federal Express, United Parcel Service,
etc.
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How long will it take
for my application for admission without examination
to be processed?
Normally, an application for admission without
examination will take four to six months to process.
Most of this "processing time" results from
the background investigation and preparation of the
character report by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
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What are the oath
of admission requirements if my application is approved
and the Committee certifies my admission to the bar?
The Court convenes monthly in formal sessions
for administering the oath of admission. You are required
to appear in person to be administered the oath and
to sign the roll of attorneys. The Committee will notify
you by letter and you will be given two dates on which
you may appear to be administered the oath. Your first
scheduled date will be approximately three weeks after
such notification; your alternate date will be approximately
seven weeks after such notification. D.C. App. Rule
46 (h)(3) directs that you take the oath and sign the
roll of attorneys within 90 days of the certification
date and that it is your obligation to appear in person
to comply with the Court's rule. If you fail to
do so, our rule provides that you may file, within one
year from the certification date, an affidavit explaining
the cause of the delay. The affidavit shall be sent
to the Director of Admissions. The members of the Committee
on Admissions may then re-approve your application or
deny your admission and direct that you file a new application.
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Can I be sworn in
to the D.C. Bar in another jurisdiction if I am unable
to travel to D.C. to be administered the oath?
D.C. App. Rule 46 (i) directs that you take
the oath before the court, unless granted permission
to be admitted in absentia. However, in absentia requests
are only granted by the members of the Committee on
Admissions in cases of extreme hardship such as deployment
for military service or a prolonged illness. Travel-related
expenses or a busy work schedule are not considered
to be extreme hardships.
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