Law School Bar Prep Services

The Law School offers formal assistance with bar exam preparation, free of charge, to its third-year J.D. students and interested L.L.M. students both during the academic year and, for those remaining in Pittsburgh, over the summer.

During the academic year, Professor Bratman presents separate introductory sessions on each of the three parts of the bar exam in most U.S. jurisdictions: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), Essay Questions, and the Performance Test. To accommodate students' varying schedules, each session is repeated once. There are opportunities to take practice questions, and no advance studying of substantive law is required. These sessions are designed to be bite-size introductions to the components of the bar exam and do not replace, but rather supplement and ease the transition into, a standard summer commercial preparation course. 

For summer 2014, the Law School is pleased to once again offer the PassTheBar program, a series of classes designed specifically to supplement the standard commercial preparation courses for those studying for the bar in Pittsburgh. Pitt Law professors provide instruction on test-taking technique, a guided structure in which to take practice questions and receive feedback, and lectures on selected bar subjects that focus on difficult topics. The program also offers studying tips and, perhaps most importantly, some moral support during the tough two-month stretch of bar preparation. Please note that this program does not replace but rather supplements the standard summer commercial preparation course.