Format, Content, & Grading of the West Virginia Bar Exam

All data provided below are subject to change by a decision at any time by the West Virginia Board of Law Examiners.  When any changes are made, they will be posted on this site.

The West Virginia Bar Exam is a two-day exam -- Tuesday and Wednesday -- with the essays and performance questions on Tuesday and the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam on Wednesday.

First Day (Tuesday): 
Three  hours
Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions
For details on the MPT, click here.

Three  hours
Six Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions
MEE questions are to be answered based on West Virginia law.
For details on the MEE, 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.

You may transfer an MBE score from a successful exam taken within 13 months of your sitting for the West Virginia exam.

For further details on the MBE, click here.


Subjects Tested on the West Virginia Bar Exam:

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

MEE Subjects
Agency
Commercial Paper
Conflict of Laws
Corporations & Limited Liability Companies
Family Law
Federal Civil Procedure
Partnerships
Sales
Secured Transactions
Trusts & Future Interests
Wills

Grading of the West Virginia Bar Exam:

Your answers to the MPT and the MEE are graded, and the scores are combined.

The total MPT/MEE raw score is then scaled on the same scaling as the MBE (low of 0 to high of 200).

The MPT/MEE scaled score is then added to your MBE scaled score.

If the combined score equals 270 or higher (for example, a 140 on the MBE and a 135 on the MPT/MEE, you pass.

West Virginia generally releases the results in about six-to-eight weeks after the Summer and Winter bar exams.


*MPRE -- A scaled score of 75 on the MPRE within 25 months of application for admission is required for admission.

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 be admitted to the bar of another jurisdiction and must have practiced law for at least five of the prior seven years.

3. The other jurisdiction must have admission standards substantially equivalent to those of West Virginia. 

For further information, contact:

WV Board of Law Examiners
Building 1, E-155
1900 Kanawha Blvd., E.
Charleston, WV 25305-0830
Telephone: 304-558-7815
1-800-841-6212

Exam Dates, Locations:


Winter 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday, 
February 27 & 28, 2007
Charleston

Summer 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday, 
July 24 and 25, 2007
Charleston


Filing Deadlines and Fees:

Filing deadlines and fees are subject to change.  Contact the West Virginia Board of Law Examiners to learn the rules in effect at the time of your application.