Format, Content, & Grading of the Alaska Bar Exam

All data provided below are subject to change by a decision at any time by the Alaska Bar.  When any changes are made, they will be posted on this site.

The Alaska Bar Exam is a three-day exam -- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday -- with the essays and performance questions on Tuesday and Thursday and the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam on Wednesday.

First & Third Days (Tuesday & Thursday):  
Nine Essay Questions
These include three one-hour questions that require substantial legal analysis, six short essays that emphasize substantive law, and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) problems.

For details on the MPT, click here.

Second Day (Wednesday) morning session: 
3 hours 
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
100 Multiple-Choice questions.

Second Day (Wednesday) afternoon session: 
3 hours
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) 
100 Multiple-Choice questions.

Alaska requires that you sit for the MBE as part of the Alaska Bar Exam. Alaska does NOT accept your score from an MBE taken in another jurisdiction.

For further details on the MBE, click here.


Subjects Tested on the Alaska Bar Exam:

MBE Subjects
Constitutional Law
Contracts/Sales
Criminal Law/Procedure
Evidence
Real Property
Torts

Alaska Essay Subjects
Alaska Business Law
Alaska Civil Procedure
Alaska Constitutional Law
Alaska Criminal Law & Procedure
Alaska Family Law
Alaska Rules of Evidence
Alaska Tort Law
Contracts
Real Property


Grading of the Alaska Bar Exam:

MBE: 50%
3 Long Essays: 15%
6 Short Essays: 22.5%
2 MPTs: 12.5%

The essay scores are converted to a scaling like the MBE (low of 0 to a high of 200).

If your combined score equals 140 or higher, you pass the Alaska Bar Exam.

Alaska generally releases the results 2 1/2 to 3 months after the bar exam.

Admission on Motion 
(i.e., without having to sit for the bar exam)

1. You must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school.

2. You must have actively practiced law for five of the seven years immediately preceding your Alaska application and you must have passed a written exam in the reciprocal state. 

For further information, contact:

Alaska Bar Association
P.O. Box 100279
Anchorage, AK 99510-0279
Telephone: 907-272-7469

Exam Dates:

Summer 2009
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 
July 28, 29, 30, 2009


Filing Deadlines and Fees:

Filing deadlines and fees are subject to frequent change.  Contact the Alaska Bar Association to learn the rules in effect at the time of your application.