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Bar Examination Application Updates

The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners has revised the Virginia Bar Exam Rules. Effective September 1, 2019, applicants will have three options when applying for the bar exam:

Option 1 - Applicants will take both the Virginia Essay exam and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) in Virginia at the same bar exam administration.

Option 2 - Applicants will take the Virginia Essay exam and will use/transfer an MBE scaled score of 133 or greater, taken within 3 years prior to the date of the exam applied for, from a previous bar exam taken in Virginia or a jurisdiction other than Virginia.

Option 3 - Licensed attorneys will take only the Virginia Essay exam. They must be actively licensed to practice law and be in good standing in a jurisdiction other than Virginia, and they must have taken and passed a bar exam in a jurisdiction other than Virginia.

Please thoroughly read the Rules and application instructions, and refer to our Frequently Asked Questions before contacting our office with any questions.

July 2019 Bar Exam

Results: The July 2019 Bar Exam results were released on October 18, 2019. Click here for information.

Admission Ceremony: Click here for information about the date, time, and location of the admission ceremony for those applicants who pass the bar exam and are licensed by the Board.

February 2020 Bar Exam

Filing Deadline: The filing deadline for the February 2020 Bar Exam is *December 15, 2019. Click here for information.
*The statutory filing deadline, December 15, 2019, is a Sunday; therefore, the filing deadline is extended to Monday, December 16, 2019.

Admission Without Examination

The Admission Without Examination application has been updated to reflect Rule 1A:1 amendments effective December 1, 2018.

Applicants for Admission Without Examination pursuant to Rule 1A:1 should review the amended rule in its entirety. Click here to access the amended rule.

Changes to Rule 1A:1 include, but are not limited to:

  • For purposes of admission without examination, “full-time” practice of law is defined as a minimum of 32 hours per week. Rule 1A:1, Introduction to Regulations.
  • Practice from an office located in a jurisdiction where the applicant is not licensed (including Virginia), may be accepted as qualifying practice if “the applicant establishes, by satisfactory evidence, that such practice is permitted by statute, rule, court order, or by written confirmation from the admitting or disciplinary authority of the jurisdiction where the practice occurred.” Threshold Requirement 4.
  • “For purposes of admission without examination, ‘practice of law’ ordinarily shall not mean document review work.” Threshold Requirement 4.