Colorado Bar Exam Information

2010 exam dates and location(s)

The February 2010 Colorado bar exam will take place on Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24. The July 2010 Colorado bar exam will take place on Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28. The exam is administered in the Denver metro area at one location only.

MEE subjects (MBE subjects are in bold)

Business Associations (Agency and Partnership, Corporations and Limited Liability Companies); Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law; Contracts; Criminal Law and Procedure; Evidence, Family Law; Federal Civil Procedure; Real Property, Torts; Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates, Trusts and Future Interests); and Uniform Commercial Code (Commercial Paper and Secured Transactions).

Structure

The Tuesday exam day consists of the written portion of the exam – eight MEE questions (four administered in the morning, four administered in the afternoon, 30 minutes each) and two MPTs (one administered in the morning, one administered in the afternoon, 90 minutes each). The Wednesday exam day consists of the MBE. The MBE is a 200 question multiple choice exam. 100 questions are asked in the morning over a three hour period, and 100 questions are asked in the afternoon over a three hour period. The MBE has 33 questions each for Contracts and Torts, and 31 questions each for Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, and Real Property. 190 of the 200 questions are graded, the other 10 are experimental. 200 questions over six hours averages out to 1.8 minutes per question.

Scoring

The MPT score equals approximately 40% of the combined MEE/MPT score, meaning that one MPT is worth approximately three MEE questions. The MBE scaled score is combined with the MEE/MPT score to determine the final score.

MPRE

Applicants for the Colorado bar exam must score an 85 on the MPRE. An applicant cannot take the MPRE more than two years prior to the day the Board accepts his or her application. An applicant need not take the MPRE prior to filing his or her application; however, he or she must “pass” the MPRE prior to admission to the bar.

Pass rate

Colorado’s pass rate for the February 2009 exam was 74% for first time takers, and 61% for all takers.

Other exam information

The Board offers a laptop program to all interested candidates for a $100 fee.

Bar examiner contact information

Applicants should mail their application, fees, and supplemental documentation to:

Application deadlines

The timely deadline for the February exam is December 1. The late deadline is December 31. Applicants cannot file their applications prior to September 1.

The timely deadline for the July exam is May 1. The late deadline is May 31. Applicants cannot file their applications prior to February 1.

Application fees

The timely application fee is $475. The late application fee is the timely fee plus $200. Applicants must pay a credit report fee of $7.25. The Board accepts personal checks payable to “Colorado Board of Law Examiners.”

Forms

The “Filing Packet” contains a candidate’s application, fees, and supplemental documentation. The Filing Packet must be postmarked by the deadline to be considered timely filed – electronic submission of the application alone is not enough.

The online application has five sections: 1) Identifying Information, 2) General History, 3) Personal History, 4) Supplementary Forms and Informational Materials, and 5) Filing Packet. Note that supplementary forms and informational materials are not subject to timely filing requirements.

The Board will mail a letter to each applicant shortly after receiving his or her application. This letter will contain each applicant’s application number, Fingerprint Card, and Declaration Verifying Your Identity form.

The Board will mail a letter to each applicant within a few weeks indication application completeness/incompleteness.

The Board will mail each applicant’s admission badge approximately three weeks prior to the exam.

Character and Fitness requirements

The Board will obtain a credit report for each applicant as part of its background investigation.

Results

The Board releases results early-May for the February exam, and early-October for the July exam. The Board posts the pass list by name on its website. Unsuccessful examinees can use the “Bar Exam Score Calculator” on the Board’s website to verify their scores.

Admission to the bar

Examinees must attend a six-hour professionalism course prior to taking the oath. Six units of general CLE credit will apply toward each examinee’s three-year compliance period in exchange for attendance. Examinees must take the oath no more than 18 months following the date exam results are released.

*All state bar exam information is subject to change without notice; please verify this information with the bar examiner’s office.*