Tips on Taking Colorado Bar Exam
Application Procedure
Board of Law Examiners
600 17th Street, Suite 520-S
Denver, Colorado 80202
(303) 893-8096
www.courts.state.co.us
In order to qualify to sit for the Colorado Bar Exam you will (1) need to have graduated from an ABA approved law school with a Juris Doctorate, and (2) pass the MPRE with a score of at least 85.
Colorado does have a reciprocity program, so you may be able to be admitted to the Colorado Bar on a motion if you meet the following requirements: (1) you graduated from an ABA approved law school, (2) you have been admitted to practice law in a state that allows Colorado lawyers to be admitted on a motion, (3) you are actively practicing in the state that you are licensed, and (4) you have practiced law for five of the last seven years.
For more information about taking the MPRE you can write to the address below for a testing application packet.
National Conference of Bar Examiners
C/O MPRE
P.O. Box 4001
Iowa City, Iowa 52243
To download or request a complete application packet with testing information, requirements, and general information you will need to visit the Colorado State Bar website at the address listed above. After you receive your packet you will need to fill out all of the forms and submit them by the stated deadlines, and you will need to enclose the appropriate application, examination, and late fees. These fees change annually, however, to give you an idea of the costs to expect the 2006 fees were $475 for non-attorney applications, $500 for attorney application fees, $100 laptop fee, and $200 late fee.
Testing Format
The Colorado Bar Exam lasts two days, and it is given twice a year. Once in late February, and once in late January.
On day one of the Colorado Bar Exam you will be given nine essay questions and two Multistate Performance Test questions.
On the second and final day of the Colorado Bar Exam you will take the Multistate Bar Exam which consists of 200 multiple choice questions.
To pass the Colorado Bar Exam you will need a total score of 276. Scoring of the Colorado Bar Exam is based on the following formula: MBE Scale Score + (Essay Scale Score + Performance Test Score) = Colorado Bar Exam score.
Study Tips
Studying for the Colorado Bar will be quite an undertaking. You will need to devote several months to studying procedures, laws, and information that you learned during your three years of law school. To help direct your studying it is highly recommended that you enroll in a Bar Exam Review course. Law schools and self-study institutes provide these courses. For a list of quality Bar Exam Review course please check out the Colorado Bar Association’s website at: www.courts.state.co.us.
In addition to enrolling in a Bar Exam Review course, you should also learn what will be on the examination and where you can go for study guides.
For the essay and MPT portions of the Colorado Bar Exam you should review the following topics.
1. Business Associations
2. Civil Procedures
3. Commercial Transactions
4. Contracts
5. Criminal Law and Procedures
6. Evidence
7. Family Law
8. Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law)
9. Real Property
10. Torts
11. Wills, Estates, and Trusts
What to Know About the Multistate Performance Test Questions
The Multistate Performance Test questions will be designed to test your ability to do “lawyer work.” They will test your proficiency in the following areas:
1. Problem Solving
2. Factual Analysis
3. Legal Analysis
4. Reasoning
5. Written Communication
6. Organization Skills
7. Project Management of Legal Tasks
8. Ability to recognize and respond to ethical dilemmas
What to Know About the Multistate Bar Exam
The Multistate Bar Exam is designed to test your general legal knowledge, and will cover the following topics:
1. Contracts
2. Criminal Law
3. Evidence
4. Real Property
5. Torts
6. Constitutional Law
Study Resources
To help you study, the following websites provide official rules of legal procedures for the state of Colorado and for federal procedures.
For past Colorado Bar Exam questions, application forms and general information go to:
www.courts.state.co.us
For Colorado Rules of Civil Procedures go to:
http://www.guaranteedsubpoena.com/co.asp
For Federal Rules of Civil Procedures go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp
For Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct go to:
http://www2.law.cornell.edu/ethics/co/code/
For ABA Rules of Professional Conduct go to:
http://www.abanet.org/cpr/mrpc/mrpc_home.html
For Colorado Rules of Evidence go to:
http://www.boulder-bar.org/bar_)media/evidence/13.11.html
For Federal Rules of Evidence go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre
