Georgia Bar Exam: A Basic Guide

Becoming a Georgia attorney is a challenging process. After four years of undergraduate study and three years of law school, your final steps towards realizing your professional goal of becoming an attorney includes taking one of the most difficult exams around, the bar exam. This article will cover the basics of the Georgia Bar Exam including how to qualify for the exam, how to register for the exam, how the exam is structured, and what to study.

QUALIFICATIONS

To sit for the Georgia Bar Exam the candidate must meet specific educational requirements. First they must have an undergraduate degree from a COPRA approved school. Secondly they must be a graduate from an ABA approved law school and have a JD or an LLM. If the student does not meet these requirements then they should contact the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners to see if their educational background is sufficient enough to sit for the exam. More information about alternative educational qualification can be found at http://www.gabaradmissions.org/ under the side link “Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia.” In addition to educational requirements the candidates will also need to pass a background check and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibilities Exam with a score of at least 75 points.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

If you meet the basic requirements to sit for the Georgia Bar Exam then your next step is to apply to take the exam. For application materials and instructions you should visit the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners website, or contact them directly for more information.

Board of Bar Examiners
PO Box 38466
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-3490 Telephone Number
http://www.gabaradmissions.org/

THE EXAM’S STRUCTURE

The Georgia Bar Exam is a two day event that is held two times a year in Atlanta, once in February and once in July. On the first day of the exam you will be given four essay questions and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Tests. On the second day of the Georgia Bar Exam you will be given the Multistate Bar Exam, which consists of 200 multiple choice questions.

WHAT TO STUDY

Because of the scope of the bar exam it is important to structure your study time to reflect what will be covered on the exam, as well as how it will be presented to you. To study for day one of the Georgia Bar Exam you should practice your legal writing skills, your research skills, and your legal procedure skills. You will also want to study the following topics as they are applied to Georgia legal issues:

1. Administrative Law
2. Contracts
3. Agency
4. The Uniform Commercial Code
5. Equity
6. Business Associations
7. Conflicts of Laws
8. Evidence
9. Torts
10. Wills, Trusts, and Estates
11. Family Law
12. Real and Personal Property
13. Civil Procedures
14. Criminal Procedures
15. Constitutional Law
16. Criminal Law
17. Legal Ethics

Past day one essay and performance questions and answers are available at http://www.gabaradmissions.org/pages/sampleindex.html.

To prepare for day two of the Georgia Bar Exam study the following topics as they are generally applied throughout the United States:

1. Constitutional Law
2. Contracts and Sales
3. Criminal Law and Procedures
4. Evidence
5. Real Property
6. Torts

Study material for this section of the test can be found at http://www.ncbex.org.