Information & Applications » Bar Exam for NJ Disbarred Attorneys » Bar Exam for NJ Disbarred Attorneys – General Information
I. General Description of Qualifications for Admission to the New Jersey Bar by taking Bar Exam for NJ Disbarred Attorneys
The Supreme Court has exclusive authority to determine who is qualified to practice law in New Jersey and what admission procedure will be used. Only a member of the New Jersey Bar may practice law in this State. Pursuant to Rule 1-20-21A, a disbarred attorney applying to sit for the New Jersey Bar Examination as a prerequisite for filing a petition for readmission to the Supreme Court must satisfy the following criteria within twelve months prior to the filing of the petition for readmission:
1. qualify for and pass the New Jersey bar examination;
2. pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a 75 or higher; and
3. complete all continuing legal education courses the Supreme Court designates as required for readmission; and if the petition for readmission is granted.
To sit for the New Jersey bar examination, candidates must:
1. be at least 18 years of age;
2. have earned a Juris Doctor from an ABA accredited law school; provide Law School Certificate
3. provide signed and notarized Authorization and Release form
4. complete fingerprint/criminal history check as prescribed through Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Jersey State Police;
5. ensure availability of credit history for review;
6. provide a Certified, complete record of your driving history obtained from the motor vehicle agency of the respective state or jurisdiction; and
7. provide disciplinary history from each state in which you have ever been admitted.
II. New Jersey Bar Examination
The Supreme Court adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) effective with the February 2017 bar examination. The UBE is a standardized test drafted by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), and is uniformly administered, graded, and scored in participating jurisdictions. Applicants who take the UBE earn a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions.
The UBE is administered on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. The UBE consists of three components: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), a multiple-choice exam; the Multistate Essay Examination, comprised of six essay questions testing law of general application; and the Multistate Performance Test, comprised of two writing tasks designed to test practical lawyering skills. Applicants must take all three portions of the UBE in the same jurisdiction to earn a portable UBE score.
III. Application
In order to apply to sit for the New Jersey Bar Examination, applicants must:
1. Complete the online application
2. Upload an acceptable photo
3. Submit payment, either online via credit card or via check or money order
4. Upload a signed and notarized Authorization and Release form, immediately following application submission
5. Submit required Supplemental Documentation
Within one to two weeks, once all steps above have been completed, your case file manager will acknowledge your application. Your acknowledgement, which will be posted to your User Home Page, will contain additional information and instructions.
A. Starting the process. Applicants must create an account on-line. The link to register/log in is located on the top right-hand side of the home page of the web site. Once you have registered, you will receive an activation email from noreply@njbarexams.org. Make sure you check your spam folder and/or permit emails from njbarexams.org. After you have activated your account and if the application period has been opened, you can begin an application.
You must press "Submit" in order to submit your application. A red exclamation mark (!) indicates that problems exist with your application. Click on the "!" to view the problems.
B. Payments. Payments can be made via credit card OR with a money order or check. If paying via check or money order, you must attach payment to the Non-credit Card Payments form, which is available on the User Home Page, when submitted through the mail or in person. Payments are non-refundable. Additionally, once you submit your on-line application, an "Upload" button will appear on the lower right-hand side of your User Home Page. Supplemental documentation can then be uploaded.
PAYMENT NOTES
Once the payment screen appears and you select a payment method (check or credit card), you will not be able to go back and change the payment method.
We do not accept any foreign instruments including personal checks, money orders, or other instruments, even if drawn against a US financial institution. If an application is submitted with the incorrect amount or an incorrect method of payment, the application will not be considered submitted until appropriate payment is received. The fees applicable at the time of a correct submission (amount and method) will be in effect.
C. Fee schedule. Payment must be submitted according to the schedule found at: New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners - Fees & Deadlines (njbarexams.org). Fees are non-refundable.
If a deadline falls on a Sunday or a holiday, non-credit card payments may be submitted on the next business day.
D. Application Acknowledgement. Your application will not be acknowledged until your application is submitted online, payment is received, and your authorization and release form is uploaded.
E. Testing Accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Candidates who, because of physical, learning or other disabilities, require testing accommodations when taking the bar examination must complete a written Non-standard Testing Accommodations (NTA) application. Forms and instructions are included online and must be downloaded from the website. NTA applications must be submitted by November 30th for the February examination and April 30th for the July examination.
F. Withdrawal from Bar Examination. Candidates who withdraw from an examination and wish to apply for a subsequent examination must submit a new application, along with the appropriate filing fee.
IV. Requirements for Passing the Bar Examination
Candidates for admission to the bar of the State of New Jersey must take the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), Multistate Essay Examination consisting of six (6) essay questions, and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) consisting of two (2) questions, contemporaneously. The MEE and MPT are graded on a seven-point (0-1-2-3-4-5-6) standard. Applicants must attain a combined total of 266 points or greater to pass the examination. The MBE portion of the examination constitutes 50% of the score, the MEE 30% and the MPT 20%.
PHASE I (BAR EXAMINERS AND READERS)
Combined MBE and Essay Score Phase I Result
272.0 and above Pass, no further review
260.0 to 271.9 Regrade
259.9 and below Fail, no further review
PHASE II (READERS)
Candidates whose essays are re-graded under Phase II will have all of their MEE and MPT questions regraded by different readers who will be unaware of the first grades. When the scores differ by one (1) or zero (0) points, the two grades for each answer are averaged.
PHASE III (BAR EXAMINERS)
Candidates whose essays have been re-graded under Phase II and who have had the readers from Phase I and II disagree by two or more points on any given question will have that question graded by the Bar Examiner responsible for that question. The Examiner's grade will be the final grade for that question. This "resolution" grade may not be below the lower grade or above the higher grade assigned by the readers in Phases I and II. Once all Phase III grading is completed, scores for all applicants who entered Phase II or III are recalculated. Applicants receiving a combined score of 266 or higher pass; a score lower than 266 is a failing score.
V. Fingerprinting/Criminal History/Driver’s Abstract(s)
To practice law in the State of New Jersey, candidates are required to demonstrate their fitness by showing the requisite traits of honesty, integrity, fiscal responsibility, trustworthiness, and a professional commitment to the judicial process and the administration of justice.
The Board of Bar Examiners is authorized through the Supreme Court of New Jersey (2B:1-3) to obtain a criminal history check of all candidates through fingerprints submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New Jersey State Police. Each applicant must be fingerprinted for each exam. The fingerprints submitted by the applicants are processed through the New Jersey State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a criminal check.
Complete Driver's Abstracts must be submitted from each state in which the candidate has been licensed to drive within the last seven years. Candidates should start the process of obtaining Driver's Abstracts immediately. Contact the Division of Motor Vehicles in each state or jurisdiction (including foreign jurisdictions) where you have been licensed to drive over the past seven years and request the most complete abstract of your driving record that is available.
You have a continuing obligation to maintain current information in your application file until the date of your admission to the bar of New Jersey.
VI. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
All candidates must demonstrate knowledge of the ethical obligations of the legal profession. Pursuant to Rule 1-20-21A, a disbarred attorney applying to sit for the New Jersey Bar Examination as a prerequisite for filing a petition for readmission to the Supreme Court, must take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) within twelve months prior to the filing of the petition for readmission, and earn a score of 75 or better.
VII. Attorneys' Oaths and Signing the Attorneys' Roll
No one is admitted to the New Jersey Bar without signing the attorneys' roll and taking the oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of New Jersey, the oath of allegiance to this State, and the oath of office as an attorney. An affirmation may be given in lieu of an oath. See R. 1:27-1(c) and (d).
Oath forms and instructions will be provided to eligible candidates. Pursuant to Supreme Court R. 1:27-1(d), successful applicants from the bar examination must be sworn in as an attorney-at-law of New Jersey no more than ninety (90) days after the date on which they have become eligible for the administration of the attorney's oath.
Candidates may elect to complete their admission by taking the oaths before any person authorized to administer oaths. Eligible candidates must take the oath within ninety days of the date of notification of their eligibility. The candidate must forward the completed Oath form to the Clerk of the Supreme Court within thirty (30) days of the date the oath is administered. The effective date of mailed-in admissions will be the date on which the oath is taken, and the Oath form is signed. Newly admitted attorneys will receive a new attorney packet of materials addressing important issues such, but not limited to, Attorney Registration instructions, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements, the New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, and the process of requesting a wall license.
VIII. Confidentiality
Subject to rules and regulations by the Board of Bar Examiners, and unless otherwise ordered by the Supreme Court, bar candidates' files are confidential. See Rule 1:23-3.