Bar Exam Instructions
Read All Instructions
Date and Location for the February 2023 Virginia Bar Exam
All applicants who have timely filed an application are allowed to sit for the Virginia Bar Exam unless otherwise notified.
The February 2023 Virginia Bar Exam will be held at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 on February 21 & 22, 2023. Unless otherwise notified, this is your testing location.
All applicants will receive an email after 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2023, with your designated arrival time and assigned entrance. Read and follow the instructions in the email precisely as your entrance and arrival times may be different from other applicants.
Your Photo ID (e.g. driver's license, passport), matching the one you submitted with your application, is required for entry into the exam. Bring only 1 Photo ID. No admission tickets are issued.
Laptop Registration Instructions
Click here to review laptop requirements and registration information.
Communications
Most communications from the Board will be by email or posted on our website. It is your responsibility to inform the Board of any email change and to regularly check our website and your email.
If you have Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or any other email provider which detects unfamiliar emails as spam or junk, you should set your preferences to accept emails from the domain address barexam.virginia.gov.
All correspondence and phone calls should be directed to your assigned processor.
Required and Allowed Items
Any items brought into the exam room, including your laptop, are subject to search. Only the following items are allowed in the exam room. If an item is not on this list, you may not bring it into the exam room without prior written permission from the Board. To bring any item not on the Required and Allowed Items List, you must submit a Medical Accommodation Request Form by February 15, 2023. No exceptions will be made.
Required and Allowed Items List
Other than your laptop, ALL items MUST be packaged in a |
|
Maximum Number |
Required Items - All Applicants |
1 |
Photo ID (matching the ID submitted with your application) |
3 |
Black or Blue Ink Pens |
Required Items - Laptop Users (Day One Only) |
|
1 |
Laptop (All study materials, USB flash drives, CDs, and DVDs must be removed prior to entering the exam site.) |
1 |
Laptop Electrical Plug |
1 |
8+ Ft. Extension Cord |
Maximum Number |
Allowed Items - All Applicants |
1 |
Set of Soft Foam Earplugs (unpackaged) |
1 |
Packet of Tissues |
1 |
Car Key/Fob Only (i.e., no additonal keys, keychains, etc.) |
1 |
Hotel Room Key and/or Luggage Claim Ticket |
Eyeglasses (without case) | |
Cash/Credit Card | |
Menstrual Products | |
1 |
Face Mask* *On or about February 10, 2023, COVID protocols, if any are required, will be posted to our website. |
1 |
Pair of Disposable Gloves |
1 |
Hand Sanitizer (3 oz. or less)* *Hand Sanitizer will be available at the test site |
1 |
Travel Pack of Disposable Disinfecting Wipes (25 count or less) |
Items pre-approved by the Board - Medical Accommodation Request Form | |
Required and Allowed Items List
ALL items MUST be packaged in a |
|
Maximum Number |
Required Items - All Applicants |
1 |
Photo ID (matching the ID submitted with your application) |
1 |
Exam Photo ID (issued on Day One) |
6 |
#2 Pencils with Erasers (no mechanical pencils) |
Maximum Number |
Allowed Items - All Applicants |
1 |
Additional Eraser |
1 |
Handheld Manual Pencil Sharpener |
1 |
Set of Soft Foam Earplugs (unpackaged) |
1 |
Packet of Tissues |
1 |
Car Key/Fob Only (i.e., no additonal keys, keychains, etc.) |
1 |
Hotel Room Key and/or Luggage Claim Ticket | Eyeglasses (without case) |
Cash/Credit Card | |
Menstrual Products | |
1 |
Face Mask* *On or about February 10, 2023, COVID protocols, if any are required, will be posted to our website. |
1 |
Pair of Disposable Gloves |
1 |
Hand Sanitizer (3 oz. or less)* *Hand Sanitizer will be available at the test site |
1 |
Travel Pack of Disposable Disinfecting Wipes (25 count or less) |
Items pre-approved by the Board - Medical Accommodation Request Form |
Prohibited Items
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
- Study materials, outlines or other notes (including all bar review materials), in any form whatsoever. Prior to entering the exam site, you must remove all study materials from any drive on the laptop you will use for the exam.
- External mouse, keyboard, laptop sleeve/protector, etc.
- Cell phones or similar devices
- Wristwatch, clock or other timekeeping device
- Jewelry (prohibited jewelry includes: rings*, earrings, piercings, necklaces, braclets, pins, etc.) *Wedding bands/rings are allowed
- Fitness trackers (such as Fitbit, Misfit, Garmin, Jawbone, etc.)
- Food or drink
- Briefcases, laptop cases, suitcases, pocketbooks (including handbags), wallets
- Eyeglass cases
- Highlighters
- Mechanical pencils
- Wite-Out
- Medication
Violation of any of these restrictions will result in your disqualification from the Virginia Bar Exam. Any such items will be confiscated and you will be dismissed from the exam. The Board is not responsible for their loss, if that should occur. Leave them in your vehicle or in your hotel/motel room.
No Smoking
Only Applicants May Enter
Dress Code
Due to the nature of the floors at the testing site, and as a courtesy to the other applicants, court-appropriate soft- or rubber-soled shoes are preferred, as are flat or low heels. No sandals, flip flops, athletic shoes, etc. are allowed.
Violation of the dress code will result in your dismissal from the exam site and the disqualification of your exam. Click here for additional information.
FIRST DAY – February 21, 2023 – ESSAY SESSIONS
Security Screening and ID Check
All applicants taking the Virginia Bar Exam will be subject to security screening and ID verification before entering the testing facility/area and upon reentry after lunch. If you refuse to submit to such screenings, you will be denied entrance and/or disqualified from the exam.
Other than your laptop, all allowed items must be packaged in a clear (see-through) plastic bag so Board staff can easily see all items. Without prior permission, only items listed on the Required and Allowed Items List for Day One – Essay Sessions are allowed.
Exam Information
Assigned Seating
Once seated, your Photo ID and allowed items will be inspected. You must remain in your seat during this process.
To request special seating in one of the main exam rooms due to a medical condition, a Medical Accommodation Request Forms must be submitted by February 15, 2023.
Introduction of Board
Applicant Identification Number
The preprinted number on the Pledge Card is your Applicant Identification Number for the entire exam. Because all grading is anonymous, this is the only form of identification used for the exam.
The Pledge Card contains your pledge to behave with honor and to report to the Board any indication of cheating or any violation of the rules by others during the exam. You will be instructed to read and sign the Pledge Card.
Exam Photo ID Card
Instructions
Tips for Answering Essay Questions
The essay questions are intended to test not only an applicant's understanding of fundamental legal principles and rules, but also an applicant's ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by hypothetical facts; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) identify the legal rules applicable to the issues and facts; (4) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise and well-organized composition resulting in (5) a conclusion that follows from your analysis.
Before you undertake to write an essay answer, read the question thoroughly, analyze the facts, and form in your mind what you think is an appropriate answer. Do not merely answer "Yes" or "No" to any essay question; state clearly your reasons, as the graders give great weight to your reasoning in evaluating the essay answers. Be sure you answer the question being asked. If a question has more than one part, be sure you answer all parts.
Additonal Information for Laptop Users Only
No paper is available during the Essay portion of the exam (unless your laptop crashes and you have to handwrite any portion of the exam) and none should be brought into the exam room. You may make notes on the margins of your essay questions.
End of Essay Session
Exam Photo ID Card Collection for Option 2A, 2B, and 3 Applicants Only
SECOND DAY – February 22, 2023 – MULTISTATE (MBE) SESSIONS
Security Screening and ID Check
All applicants taking the Virginia Bar Exam will be subject to security screening and ID verification before entering the testing facility/area and upon reentry after lunch. If you refuse to submit to such screenings, you will be denied entrance and/or disqualified from the exam.
All allowed items must be packaged in a clear (see-through) plastic bag so Board staff can easily see all items and for ease of security screening. Without prior permission, only items listed on the Required and Allowed Items List for Day Two - MBE Sessions are allowed.
Your Exam Photo Identification must be worn for entry on Day Two.
Exam Information
Instructions
Pencils
End of MBE Session
Exam Photo ID Card Collection
EXAM RESULTS
Name Changes
Address Changes
Notification of Results
Posting of Results
Procedures for Determining Scores for Option 1 Applicants
The February 2023 Virginia Bar Exam will consist of 9 essay questions and 10 multiple choice questions on Tuesday, and the MBE on Wednesday.
Essay Score: Each essay answer is graded on a 10-point scale, and each of the 10 multiple choice questions is graded right or wrong. Each correct multiple choice question is worth 1 point. Thus, the maximum essay "raw" score is 100 points: (10 points x 9 essay questions) + (1 point x 10 multiple choice questions).
MBE Score: The MBE consists of 200 multiple choice questions. Because questions at one administration of the MBE might be more or less difficult than those at another administration, the MBE score is scaled for each administration of the exam.
The Virginia Essay raw scores are converted to the same scale of measurement as that used to report the MBE scaled scores. As a result, the average essay scaled score in Virginia will be equal to the average MBE scaled score. This method is designed to permit the passing standard to remain as constant as possible from one exam to the next, so that an applicant is neither rewarded nor penalized for having taken one exam or another.
Minimum Passing Score: The score for Option 1 applicants will be based on both the Virginia Essay and the MBE. Both parts of the exam will be weighted and combined to determine if the applicant has achieved a minimum overall passing score of 140. Such weighting shall be made by combining 60% of the Virginia Essay exam scaled score and 40% of the MBE scaled score. Accordingly,
Procedures for Determining Scores for Option 2A & 2B Applicants
The February 2023 Virginia Bar Exam will consist of 9 essay questions and 10 multiple choice questions on Tuesday.
Essay Score: Each essay answer is graded on a 10-point scale, and each of the 10 multiple choice questions is graded right or wrong. Each correct multiple choice question is worth 1 point. Thus, the maximum essay "raw" score is 100 points: (10 points x 9 essay questions) + (1 point x 10 multiple choice questions).
The Virginia Essay raw scores are converted to the same scale of measurement as that used to report the MBE scaled scores. As a result, the average essay scaled score in Virginia will be equal to the average MBE scaled score. This method is designed to permit the passing standard to remain as constant as possible from one exam to the next, so that an applicant is neither rewarded nor penalized for having taken one exam or another.
Minimum Passing Score: The score for Option 2A & 2B applicants will be based on the Virginia Essay and the previous MBE score the applicant elected to use/transfer. Both parts of the exam will be weighted and combined to determine if the applicant has achieved a minimum overall passing score of 140. Such weighting shall be made by combining 60% of the Virginia Essay exam scaled score and 40% of the MBE scaled score. Accordingly,
Procedures for Determining Scores for Option 3 Applicants
The February 2023 Virginia Bar Exam will consist of 9 essay questions and 10 multiple choice questions on Tuesday.
Essay Score: Each essay answer is graded on a 10-point scale, and each of the 10 multiple choice questions is graded right or wrong. Each correct multiple choice question is worth 1 point. Thus, the maximum essay "raw" score is 100 points: (10 points x 9 essay questions) + (1 point x 10 multiple choice questions).
Minimum Passing Score: The passing score for Option 3 will be based solely on the raw points awarded on the Virginia Essay exam. A minimum score of 64 raw points, out of a possible 100 raw points, is a passing score.
Regrade Policy For All Options
Prior to the release of the results, the Board meets to regrade the Virginia Essay papers of those applicants whose initial score is near but below the minimum passing score. The Board may determine that the overall quality of an applicant's answers may adequately demonstrate minimum competence, resulting in that applicant achieving the minimum passing score. After the regrading, all scores are final and not appealable. All grading is done anonymously.