Bar Exam Schedule, Fees and Applications 

 

Admissions Ceremony: Monday, April 23, 2012, 10:00 a.m., Hoyt Sherman Auditorium, 1501 Woodland Ave, Des Moines

Preferred dress for the event is business or business casual.  You are welcome to bring guests, and seating is open in the main floor and balcony sections, unless a seat is marked reserved  

 

 

ATTENTION:  The deadline for filing an application to sit for the July 2012 Iowa Bar Exam is April 1, 2012.  Any application that is not received by the Office of Professional Regulation or postmarked by April 1, 2012, will be denied, regardless of circumstances.  This is a firm deadline.  See Iowa Ct. R. 31.5(2) ("There shall be no waiver of these (bar application) deadlines."). 

 

Inquiries and Information 

 

Please direct inquiries to: 

  

David M. Ewert  Office of Professional Regulation  Judicial Branch Building, Second Floor 1111 East Court Avenue Des Moines IA 50319

Phone: 515-725-8029 Fax: 515-725-8032     Email: Bar.Admissions@iowacourts.gov

  

Law Student Registration Requirement 

  

The law student registration requirement does not apply to those who are licensed in another state.  An applicant who has passed the bar examination in another jurisdiction, but who has not been fully admitted to practice law in that jurisdiction, must comply with this requirement.  All other bar applicants must file this form. 

  

Every person intending to apply for admission to the bar by examination shall, by November 1 of the year in which the person commences the study of law at an accredited law school, register with the Iowa board of law examiners and pay a fee of $25.    

  

If an applicant does not file the law student registration by the November 1 registration deadline above, but does file one by July 1 immediately preceding the February examination or by December 1 immediately preceding the July examination, the applicant must pay a fee of $75. 

  

If the applicant does not file the registration within the above deadlines, but does file one by November 1 immediately preceding the February examination or by April 1 immediately preceding the July examination, the applicant must pay a fee of $150. 

 

The applicant must file the registration and pay the fee before the applicant's bar application will be processed. 

  

***************The law student registration does not alone allow you to sit for the bar examination.  YOU MUST ALSO FILE THE BAR EXAM APPLICATION BY THE REQUIRED DEADLINES IN ORDER TO SIT FOR THE EXAMINATION. See Bar Examination Application Form below.************************** 

  

Law Student Registration Form 

  

The law student registration form is a PDF.  You have three different options to complete this form.    

  

1)     If you have Adobe Acrobat you can complete and save your law student registration to your computer in order to work at your own pace.  Before you begin completing the application, you must save the file to a specific destination on your computer to enable you to complete the form in more than one sitting.  If you do not do so, all information will be lost and you will be required to complete the form each time you open the link. 

  

2)     If you have Adobe Reader, YOU MAY NOT SAVE YOUR LAW STUDENT REGISTRATION ELECTRONICALLY.  Due to limitations in the FREE Adobe Reader, you will not be able to save the law student registration with entries included.  For this reason, you should be prepared to fill out the law student registration in its entirety before you begin.  Once you fill out the law student registration, you will be allowed to print it, but will not be allowed to save it.  Note, as soon as you close the document, all information entered into the form will be lost.  If you do not have Adobe Reader, click here (http://get.adobe.com/reader/) to download the latest version of Adobe Reader. 

  

3)     If you do not have Adobe Acrobat and for any reason cannot complete the form using Adobe Reader, you may print out this form and complete it by hand writing the answers.  

  

Click to access the form: LAW STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM  

  

February 2012 Bar Examination Schedule 

  

Monday, February 27, 2012 

1:00 - 1:45 Mandatory Orientation Session 

1:45 - 3:30 Mandatory Applicant registration 

  

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 

8:45: Enter exam room, find seat, and receive instructions 

9:00 - 12:00: MPT Part I and MPT Part II 

1:15: Enter exam room, find seat, and receive instructions 

1:30 - 4:30: MEE 

  

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 

8:45: Enter exam room, find seat, and receive instructions 

9:00 - 12:00: MBE 

1:15: Enter exam room, find seat, and receive instructions 

1:30 - 4:30: MBE 

  

2012 Schedule: 

 

The Iowa bar examination is administered twice a year in Polk County. 

  

Exam Dates	Application Deadlines	Exam Location
February 27 - 29, 2012	November 1, 2011	Hy-Vee Hall  730 Third Street  Des Moines, IA 50309  515-564-8100
July 23 - 25, 2012	April 1, 2012	Community Choice Credit Union  Convention Center  730 Third Street  Des Moines, IA 50309  515-564-8100

  

Application deadline for retaking the exam is 30 days after posting of results, or the usual application deadline, whichever is later. 

 

All application deadlines are firm and will not be waived. 

 

Fees 

 

Bar Application Fee: $325.00 

  

Law Student Registration Fee: $25.00 

  

Late Law Student Registration Fee: $75.00 

·         (If not filed by the November 1 registration deadline, but is filed by July 1 immediately preceding the February examination or by December 1 immediately preceding the July examination) 

  

Late Late Law Student Registration Fee: $150.00 

·         (If not filed by within the above deadlines but filed by November 1 immediately preceding the February examination or by April 1 immediately preceding the July examination) 

  

All checks should be made payable to "Board of Law Examiners" 

  

Exam Application 

 

The bar exam application form is a PDF.  You have three different options to complete this form.    

  

1)     If you have Adobe Acrobat (not Adobe Reader) you can complete and save your application on your computer in order to work at your own pace.  Before you begin completing the application, you must save the file to a specific destination on your computer to enable you to complete the form in more than one sitting.  If you do not do so, all information will be lost and you will be required to complete the form each time you open the link. 

  

2)     If you have Adobe Reader, YOU MAY NOT SAVE YOUR APPLICATION ELECTRONICALLY.  Due to limitations in the FREE Adobe Reader, you will not be able to save the application with entries included.  For this reason, you should be prepared to fill out the application in its entirety before you begin.  Once you fill out the application, you will be allowed to print it, but will not be allowed to save it.  Note, as soon as you close the document, all information entered into the form will be lost.  If you do not have Adobe Reader, click here (http://get.adobe.com/reader/) to download the latest version of Adobe Reader. 

  

3)     If you do not have Adobe Acrobat and for any reason cannot complete the form using Adobe Reader, you may print out this form and complete it by hand writing the answers.  

 

Exam Application Form 

 

1)     Fill out the form: BAR EXAM APPLICATION FORM  

  

2)     To ensure all required components are submitted with the application, utilize the Bar Exam Checklist, but do not submit the document with your application. 

  

3)     If you have a question regarding the exam application procedure, see the frequently asked questions. 

  

Application Requirements: 

 

Law Student Registration
Graduation from ABA-accredited law school
Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination - Score of 80 or above
Intention to practice law in Iowa
Requisite character and fitness to practice law 

Fingerprint Card 

  

Summary of Bar Examination 

  

1)     Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) 

  

·         The MEE portion of the examination shall consist of questions selected by the board from the following subjects: 

o    Business associations 

§  Agency and partnership 

§  Corporations and LLCs 

o    Conflict of laws 

o    Constitutional law (Federal) 

o    Contracts (including Uniform Commercial Code (Sales) (Art. 2)) 

o    Criminal law and procedure 

o    Evidence (based on the Federal Rules of Evidence) 

o    Family law 

o    Federal civil procedure 

o    Real property 

o    Torts 

o    Trusts and Estates 

§  Decedents' estates 

§  Trusts and future interests 

o    Uniform Commercial Code 

§  Negotiable instruments (Commercial Paper) (Art. 3) 

§  Secured transactions (Art. 9) 

  

·         Some MEE questions may include issues from more than one area of law.  Conflict of laws issues are embedded in the other MEE topic areas.  They do not appear as stand-alone questions.  Uniform Commercial Code issues may require the applicants to know the general principles and applicable definitions set forth in Art. 1.  Complete subject matter outlines for the MEE are available on the website of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. 

  

·         For more information and sample questions visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website. 

  

2)     Multistate Performance Test (MPT) 

  

·         Two ninety-minute sessions 

·         One performance test question per session 

·         For more information and sample questions visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website. 

  

3)     Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) 

  

·         Two three-hour sessions 

·         100 multiple choice questions per session 

·         Areas of examination 

o    Constitutional law 

o    Contracts 

o    Criminal law 

o    Evidence 

o    Real property 

o    Torts 

·         For more information and sample questions visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website. 

  

Applicants may transfer any MBE score they received in another jurisdiction from one of the last four MBE administrations immediately preceding the deadline for filing the Iowa bar application.  MBE scores must be provided to the Office of Professional Regulation directly from the applicant's former jurisdiction or the National Conference of Bar Examiners.  Request forms for transferring the MBE score from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.  

  

Applicants who were unsuccessful on a previous Iowa bar examination may rely upon their MBE scaled score from one of the last four Iowa bar examination administrations immediately preceding the application filing deadline for the examination you are taking. 

 

Bar Exam Laptop Option 

  

The Iowa Board of Law Examiners is pleased to offer the option to use your laptop to write the answers to the written portion of the Iowa bar examination (Multistate Essay Exam and Multistate Performance Test). Every applicant is eligible. Applicants who timely complete the ExamSoft registration process will be permitted to participate.    

  

You must provide your intent to use the laptop option with the bar application.  Specific information about registration of your laptop and payment of the laptop use fee will be provided after all applications are received. For more information, go to the Examsoft website. 

  

The Board of Law Examiners is excited to announce that our CBT provider, ExamSoft Worldwide, now offers a native Mac version of its laptop testing application, SofTest, starting with the July Bar Exam.  This means Bootcamp and Windows will not be required for Mac users. 

  

  

Application for Testing Accommodations 

 

The Iowa Board of Law Examiners is committed to providing reasonable testing accommodations consistent with state and federal law. Reasonable accommodations are those adjustments or modifications of the standard testing conditions that ameliorate the impact of the applicant's disability on the examination process without fundamentally altering the nature of the exam, imposing an undue administrative or financial burden on the Board, compromising the security, validity or reliability of the exam, or providing an unfair advantage to the applicant with the disability.

 

Applicants seeking testing accommodations for a disability must file the ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS (Form A) (see available online forms below) along with other form(s) and all supporting documentation appropriate for the disability. The burden of proof is on the applicant to show the need for any additional testing considerations. You must prove that your condition has substantially impaired a major life activity as compared to the general population and that the requested accommodation is reasonably designed to ameliorate the impact of the disability.

The Board of Law Examiners reserves the right to request supplemental information from the applicant regarding the claimed disability or suggested accommodations including, but not limited to, additional expert examinations and/or reports.

The Board also reserves the right to make a final judgment concerning testing accommodations and may, in its discretion, seek an independent evaluation from a medical specialist, psychologist, psychiatrist or other qualified specialist. Each case will be evaluated on its facts.

In order for the request for accommodation to be considered by the Board, all appropriate forms and supporting documentation pertaining to the disability must be completed by the appropriate parties, attached to Form A and returned by the applicant to the Board.

Forms to be submitted to support a request for accommodations are:

Form A -- Eligibility Questionnaire to be completed by applicant.

Form B -- Physical Disability Verification to be completed by Physician/Licensed professional, describing the type and extent of the disability and specifying the effect of such disability on the applicant's ability to take the bar examination. The licensed professional should be specific about any recommendations for extra testing time.

Form C -- Learning Disability Verification to be completed by Physician/Licensed professional, describing the type and extent of the disability and specifying the effect of such disability on an applicant's ability to take the bar examination. This form must be accompanied by copies of the evaluation and sub-tests which were administered within the last three years from the date the application for testing accommodation is filed.

Form D -- ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder) Verification to be completed by a Physician/Licensed professional. This form must be accompanied by copies of the evaluation and tests which were administered within the last three years from the date the application for testing accommodation is filed.

Form E -- Mental Disability Verification to be completed by Physician/Licensed professional. This form must be accompanied by copies of the evaluation and tests which were administered and a psychological report.

Form F -- Law School Accommodations Form to be completed by Law School Official.

  

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) 

  

The Iowa Board of Law Examiners does not schedule or administer the MPRE.  The National Conference of Bar Examiners website includes MPRE online registration. 

  

An MPRE score of 80 or above must be on file with the Office of Professional Regulation before the applicant is allowed to sit for the bar examination.  MPRE scores will only be accepted for three years after the date the MPRE is given.  If an applicant has not achieved a score of 80 or above prior to the applicable bar application deadline, the applicant must submit with the application, a petition or letter to the Iowa Supreme Court requesting leave from the Court to submit a late MPRE score. DO NOT submit this request directly to the Iowa Supreme Court, instead include with the completed application.  There is no specific form for this petition.  Applicants should detail plans to fulfill the MPRE requirement as outlined by the Iowa Court Rules.   

  

MBE Transfer Request 

  

If you have taken the MBE in Iowa and wish to transfer your score to another jurisdiction, please send a written request to the Office of Professional Regulation at the address listed above.  The request should include: your name, the date of the examination from which you wish to transfer your MBE score, the address of the jurisdiction you wish to transfer the score to, and a check for $10 made payable to the Board of Law Examiners.