Bar Exam

Requirements

The path to register for the bar exam has many steps that help verify and prepare each student for the big day. Below is a list of requirements that arise from their first year to the exam.

Declaration of Intent to Study Law

According to the Texas Board of Law Examiners: 

The Declaration of Intention to Study Law form is to be filed by all persons who have begun their law study at ABA-approved schools in Texas to pursue a Juris Doctorate degree and who intend to apply for licensure in Texas. Do not file this form until you have actually started law school. Do not submit a Declaration of Intent if you are not (or will not be) applying as a non-attorney graduate of an ABA-approved law school in Texas.

Declarations should be submitted as follows:

• Fall entrants: October 1
• Spring entrants: May 1
• Entrants transferred from out-of-state schools: within 60 days of matriculation at a Texas law school.

Standard 504 – Qualifications for Admission to the Bar

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination

According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners:

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), developed by NCBE, is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice examination that is administered three times per year. The purpose of the MPRE is to measure candidates’ knowledge and understanding of established standards related to the professional conduct of lawyers.

It is required on top of the Texas Bar Exam for all students.

86-Hour Rule

The rules governing admission to the State Bar of Texas permit a person to sit for the bar exam if they have graduated with a J.D. degree or has satisfied all J.D. requirements “except for no more than four credit hours…” Accordingly, a student may be certified to take the Texas Bar Exam before graduation, if the student has met the requirements of the “86-hour Rule” and has settled all balances on their account.

Students who plan to take the bar exam under the “86-hour rule” must adhere to the following:

• The required 86 hours must be indicated on the student’s official record by the end of the fall semester for the February exam and by the end of the spring semester for the July exam.
• A student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.300 to be certified for the exam.
• If a student takes the bar exam before graduation, they may not receive final grades in time to be sworn in with other successful bar candidates. Grades are due 28 days after the date of the last final examination. The law school does not request early grades. Student Services & Support certifies a candidate as a graduate upon receipt and posting of all grades and verification that all graduation requirements have been met. The certification date may not be earlier than the day after the official date of graduation.