Arkansas Bar Exam: What You Need to Know
REQUIREMENTS
Before you apply to sit for the Arkansas Bar Exam you need to determine if you qualify to take this professional exam. To qualify for the Arkansas Bar Exam you must pass a background check, pay the fee of $325, have graduated from a ABA approved law school and have certified documentation of your graduation, complete a questionnaire and application package by appropriate due dates, and meet any other requirements established by Rule XVI of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Arkansas. In addition to these educational requirements you will also need to take and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibilities Exam with a score of at least 85. If are able to meet all of these requirements then you are ready to request the application materials for the Arkansas Bar Exam.
APPLICATION MATERIALS
Application materials can be requested from Arkansas’ State Board of Law Examiners, or they can be downloaded from their website:
The State Board of Law Examiners
120 Justice Building
625 Marshall
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
(501) 374-1855 Telephone Number
http://courts.state.ar.us/courts/ble_exam_essay.html
WHAT TO STUDY
The process of studying for the Arkansas Bar Exam will be a very involved process. You will need to know not only statutes and procedures that are used in the state of Arkansas and in the U.S., but you will also need to be able to effectively execute legal procedures in a closed environment. To prepare for the Arkansas Bar Exam you can take advantage of the free study materials that are available on the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners’ website. Here you will find copies of both questions and answers of past essay examination questions. These are a great tool for directing your path of study, as well as to help you gain a better understanding of how you should format your answers. These materials can be found at the following link: http://courts.state.ar.us/courts/ble_exam_essay.html
In addition to practicing your legal writing and essay writing skills it is also important that you study the following topics:
1. Torts
2. Property
3. Wills, Estates, and Trusts
4. Equity and Domestic Relations
5. Criminal Law and Procedures
6. Administrative Orders
7. Code of Professional Responsibility for Interpreters in the Judiciary
8. Rules for Civil Procedures
9. Rules for Criminal Procedures
10. Rules of Evidence
11. Rules of Appeals
A good source for finding study and reference materials on these topics as they pertain to Arkansas can be found at http://courts.state.ar.us/opinions/rulechanges.htm
CLOSING REMARKS
In the past most of the people who sat for the Arkansas Bar Exam passed it. In fact between 73 and 81 percent of all takers of this exam pass. If you want to sit for, and pass the Arkansas Bar Exam it is important to read through all of the materials that are available from the Arkansas State Board of Examiners, as well as take some kind of guided Bar Exam Prep course that will not only provide you with a structured study program, but that will also run you through practice skill tests. If you put in the time when preparing for this exam, you should have no problem passing this professional exam.
