State-by-State Bar Exam Information: Pennsylvania
Bar Information
Key Dates
The last Tue and Wed of February and July
January
The first deadline is April 15th. The final deadline, with a much higher fee, is May 30th.
Exam Details
Written: Six essay questions on Pennsylvania law and one performance test
Multiple-choice: The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
Day 1:
- 9:00 to 12:00, performance test and two essays
- 12:15 to 1:15, lunch
- 1:30 to 4:30, four essays
Day 2:
- 9:00 to 12:00, first 100 MBE questions
- 12:15 to 1:15, lunch
- 1:30 to 4:30, second 100 MBE questions
The MBE tests Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts.
The state essays test Business Organizations (including corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and professional corporations), Civil Procedure (PA and Federal), Conflict of Laws, Contracts, Employment Discrimination (Title VII, ADA, and ADEA only), Evidence (PA and Federal), Family Law, Federal Constitutional Law, Federal Income Tax (personal only and limited to taxable income, nontaxable income, deductions, proprietorships, and capital transactions), Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Torts, UCC Article II (Sales), and Wills, Trusts and Decedents' Estates (including related fiduciary responsibilities).
Yes. All applicants who request to take the exam on a laptop will be able to do so.
The written portions (essays and performance test) are scaled to the MBE and then the written portions are weighted at 55% and the MBE at 45% of the overall score.
Statistics
2011: 85%
2011: 80%
Reciprocity
No
Yes, but only if the applicant has practiced law for five of the last seven years in a jurisdiction with which Pennsylvania has reciprocity. Pennsylvania has reciprocity with Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Please consult the jurisdiction directly for more detailed information on admission by motion.
The information for Pennsylvania comes from the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners' website and response to our survey, as well as the National Conference of Bar Examiners' Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements and annual statistical report.
