Illinois Bar Exam: A Basic Guide

Taking the bar exam in any state is a challenge. However, with proper preparation you should have no trouble passing the Illinois Bar Exam. This article will go over a few of the fundamental elements of the Illinois Bar Exam to help you identify the areas that you will need to concentrate on while preparing for your exam, including how to qualify for the exam, how to register for the exam, and what to study for the exam.

QUALIFICATIONS

Prior to registering for the Illinois Bar Exam, all applicants are required to fill out and submit a Character and Fitness Questionnaire. You can save a lot of time and money by filing this form during your first year of law school. For more information about this requirement please visit the following link: http://www.ibaby.org/law_student_registration.html.

In addition to qualifying morally for the Illinois Bar Exam, you must also meet educational requirements. To sit for the Illinois Bar Exam you have to have graduated from an ABA approved law school with at least a JD.

The final qualification to sit for the Illinois Bar Exam is to take and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibilities Exam. You will need a minimum score of 80 to meet the Illinois Bar requirements. There are many review courses for this exam, as well as several free online study guides available to Illinois candidates.

REGISTERING FOR THE EXAM

To sit for the Illinois Bar exam you will need to fill out a complete application package, which can be found on the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.

Board of Admissions to the Bar
625 South College Street
Springfield, Illinois 62704
(217) 522-5917 Telephone Number
http://www.ibaby.org/applying.html

THE EXAM’S FORMAT

The Illinois Bar Exam is a two day event that is given during the last week of February and during the last week of July in Chicago. On the first day of the exam you will be given one Multistate Performance Test question, three Illinois State Law essay questions, and six Multistate Essay Exam questions. On the second day you will take the Multistate Bar Exam, which consists of 200 multiple choice questions that cover general legal issues and topics. To test sections will be weighted as follows: 50% for the MBE, 43% for the Illinois Essay Questions, and 7% for the MPT.

WHAT TO STUDY

As mentioned above, the first day of the Illinois Bar Exam will focus on laws and legal procedures that are applicable in the state of Illinois. The topics that are generally covered on day one include:

1. Illinois Constitutional Law
2. Real Property
3. Torts
4. Contracts
5. Family Law
6. Ethics

For a study materials please check out the following links:
1. Illinois Rules of Procedures located at http://www.state.il.us/jib/rulesicc.htm
2. Illinois Rules of Civil Procedures located at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2017&ChapAct=735%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B5%2F&ChapterID=56&ChapterName=CIVIL+PROCEDURE&ActName=Code+of+Civil+Procedure%2E
3. Illinois Rules of Criminal Procedures located at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=54
4. Illinois Codes located at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp

On the second day of the Illinois Bar Exam you will take the Multistate Bar Exam. This exam will be made up of 200 multiple choice questions that cover the following topics as they are generally applied throughout the United States of America:

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

If you would like a study guide for this section you can visit the NCBE website at http://www.ncbex.org/.