South Carolina Bar Exam: A Basic Guide

In the state of South Carolina you are required to sit for the South Carolina Bar Exam if you want to practice law. This exam will cover both state and federal laws and procedures, and it will involve essay questions and multiple choice questions. If you are one of the many South Carolina Bar hopefuls you will want to make sure that you tailor your Bar Exam study program to reflect the elements and topics that will be covered in this exam. Reading this article is a good place to start.

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for the South Carolina Bar Exam you only need to meet a few requirements. The first qualification is that the candidate has a law degree from an ABA approved law school. The second qualification is that the candidate be of good moral character. To meet this requirement you will need to undergo a criminal and financial background check. The final qualification is that the candidate takes the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, and passes it with a score of at least 77 points.

REGISTERING FOR THE EXAM

To register to sit for the South Carolina Bar Exam you will need to download, print out, complete, and submit an application package. These can be found on the Supreme Court of South Carolina’s website.

Supreme Court of South Carolina
PO Box 11330
Columbia, South Carolina 29211
(803) 734-1080 Local Phone Number
http://www.judicial.state.sc.us/bar/index.cfm

THE EXAM’S FORMAT

The South Carolina Bar Exam will span three days. It is given in the city of Columbia during the last week of February and during the last week of July. On the first day of the exam you will be tested via essay questions over six different legal topics. To pass this section of the South Carolina Bar Exam you will need a minimum score of 70 points out of 100. On the third day of the exam you will be given the Multistate Bar Exam. This exam is made up of 200 multiple choice questions that cover general legal issues.

WHAT TO STUDY

To prepare for the South Carolina Bar Exam Essay you should review the following topics:

1. Business Law
2. Civil Procedure
3. Commercial Law
4. Domestic Relations
5. Equity
6. Insurance
7. Legal Writing and Research
8. Trial Advocacy
9. Wills, Trusts, and Estates

For a study materials please check out the following links:

1. South Carolina Legal Code located at http://www.romingerlegal.com/state/southcarolina.html
2. Uniform Commercial Code located at http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/ucc.table.html
3. You can request sample MEE essay questions by writing to: National Conference of Bar Examiners, 402 West Wilson Street, Madison, WI 53703-3614

To prepare for the South Carolina Bar Exam you will also need to study for 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/.