North Dakota Bar Exam Information

2010 exam dates and location(s)

The February 2010 North Dakota bar exam will take place on Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24. The July 2010 North Dakota bar exam will take place on Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28. Note that administration of the February exam is contingent on the Board receiving 10 or more applications for it. Exams are given in Bismarck.

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 – six MEE questions (30 minutes each) and two MPTs (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

North Dakota’s bar exam score is comprised of 50% MBE, 20% MPT, and 30% MEE. Examinees must achieve a minimum score of 260 to pass.

MPRE

Applicants for the North Dakota bar exam must score an 85 on the MPRE. The Board does not accept scores achieved more than five years prior to an applicant’s application date.

Pass rate

North Dakota’s pass rate for the February 2009 exam was 75% for first time takers, and 65% for all takers.

Other exam information

The Board offers a laptop program to all interested applicants for a $100 fee. Applicants must register for the laptop program by January 31 for the February exam, and June 30 for the July exam.

Bar examiner contact information

Application deadlines and fees

Note that law student registration is required. The registration application is, however, only appropriate until January 1 of a candidate’s third year of school. After that date, the bar exam application is appropriate.

Candidates filing their application no later than October 1 of their second year or within 14 months of the first day of their first year must pay a $150 fee. Payment can be made via Visa or MasterCard, or via check or money order payable to the “National Conference of Bar Examiners.” This fee increases to $200 if the Board does not receive a candidate’s application within 15 months of the first day of his or her first year of school. In this case, if a candidate files by May 31 immediately following his or her second year of school, he or she must pay a $150 late fee payable to “State Board of Law Examiners.” If a candidate files by January 31 of his or her third year of school, he or she must pay a $250 late fee payable to “State Board of Law Examiners.”

For the February exam, applications filed by December 1 require a fee of $550 ($400 late law student registration fee plus the $150 exam fee). Applications filed between December 1 and December 15 require a fee of $600 ($400 late law student registration fee plus the $150 exam fee plus a $50 late exam filing fee).

For the July exam, applications filed between January 1 and March 1 require a fee of $550 ($400 late law student registration fee plus the $150 exam fee). Applications filed between March 1 and 90 days prior to the exam require a fee of $600 ($400 late law student registration fee plus the $150 exam fee plus a $50 late exam filing fee).

Applicants must also pay an investigative fee. This fee can be paid via Visa or MasterCard, or via check or money order payable to “National Conference of Bar Examiners.”

Forms

The application for law student registration consists of: 1) the required paperwork, 2) a recent 2” by 2” photograph, 3) an “Authorization of Release” form (in addition to the three NCBE release forms), 4) an official pre-legal education transcript, and 5) a copy of the candidate’s law school application. The Board requires that both the transcript and law school application be forwarded directly by the school.

The bar exam application consists of all of the above plus: 1) an original “Petition” form, and 2) an official legal education transcript. The Board requires that the transcript be forwarded directly by the school.

The Board prefers typewritten answers, but will accept legible answers written in black ink.

The Board advises candidates of the date and time of the exam, as well as furnishes admission cards, not less than two weeks prior to the exam.

Results

The Board releases results approximately six weeks after the exam.

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