Virginia
Admission Process
- Admitting Entity
- Virginia Supreme Court
- Entity Managing Admissions Process
Virginia Board of Examiners (a separate agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia)
- Phone Number
- 804-367-0412
- Email Address
- Admission by Exam
- Yes
- Admission by Score Transfer
- Yes, but applicant must pass the Virginia Essay Exam, unless they qualify for admission without examination
- Admission by Motion
- Yes
- Diploma Privilege
No
Education Requirements
- Application Materials
- Prelegal Education Requirements
No, but see the legal education requirements. Code of Virginia § 54.1-3926.
- Legal Education Requirements
There are several different options for meeting the education requirements. Code of Virginia: § 54.1-3926. Before an applicant will be permitted to take the bar exam, the applicant must furnish to the Board satisfactory evidence of required education (for instance, completing 5 semesters or equivalent of full-time study at a law school approved by the ABA or the Board; receiving a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree from a DOE accredited institution of higher learning and studying law for three years; etc. ). See also the Virginia Law Reader Program (alternative option for training under the supervision of a Virgina attorney rather than attending law school).
- Mandatory Law Student Bar Card Registration in Jurisdiction
- No
- Mandatory Student Registration Requirements (if applicable)
N/A
- Mandatory Student Registration Fee (if applicable)
- N/A
Bar Exam
- Universal Bar Exam
- No; however, Virginia intends to administer the NextGen bar exam in July 2028.
- Jurisdiction-Specific Component
- N/A
- Multistate Bar Exam
- Yes
- Multistate Essay Exam
- No
- Jurisdiction-Drafted Exam
- Yes. There is a Virginia-specific essay exam.
- Multistate Performance Test
- No
- Attempt Limit on Bar Exam
- 5, with possibility to obtain permission for additional attempts. See § 54.1-3930 of the Code of Virginia.
- Minimum Passing Bar Exam Score
- Applicants sitting for the Virginia Essay and either the MBE at the same exam administration or transferring a prior MBE score to Virginia require a score of 160. Such weighting is made by combining 60% of the Virginia Essay exam and 40% of the MBE scaled scores. For already-licensed attorneys, a minimum score of 64 raw points on the Virginia Essay, out of a possible 100 raw points, is a passing score.
- Fee(s)
$575 for original application; $575 for re-application; $275 for update of a previously filed application (for those who are eligible to carry forward from the previous exam)
- Laptops Allowed/Required
- Allowed through the "Laptop Program" for use on the essay portion of the Virginia Bar Exam
- Laptop Fee
- $175 during the initial registration period; late registration (available after the 10th day and until the end of the month registration began) is an additional $50
- Courtesy Seating Availability
- No
Transfer Score
- Transferred Scores Accepted
- MBE scores of 133 or higher only
- UBE Score Required for Transfer
- MBE only
- Score Transfer Time Limit
- 3 years
- Score Transfer Fee
- $50 for MBE Score Transfer Request
Mpre
- Passing MPRE Score Required
- Yes
- Minimum Passing MPRE Score
- 85
- Time Limit on MPRE Score
- Must be achieved at any time before taking the bar exam or prior to the expiration of a passing Virginia bar exam score. Virginia bar exam scores are valid for 5 years from the date of the examination.
- MPRE Fee
- $160
- MPRE Application Name and Gender Identification Requirements
The MPRE application requires the first and last name to match exactly as listed on valid government-issued photo identification. If the applicant indicates they have been known by a different name, they must list the first name and last name or surname and does not have the option to explain the reason for the name change. The demographic information section asks, “[w]which of the following questions best represents your gender identity?” and provides the following options: “man,” “woman,” “non-binary,” “gender not listed here (please specify),” and “I prefer not to have my response used for research purposes.”
- MPRE Testing Day Procedures
An applicant testing at a Pearson VUE testing center must present a government-issued primary ID and a secondary ID. The primary ID must include a first and last name, recent recognizable photo, and signature. The secondary ID must include at least a first and last name and signature or first and last name and recent recognizable photo. The first and last name used to register must match exactly both IDs presented on test day. Any name corrections must be submitted through the NCBE Account Dashboard at least 48 hours before the first day of the test administration. Before entering the test room, Pearson VUE will collect a digital photograph and digital signature to verify identity. The applicant must consent to the NCBE Candidate Rules Agreement, which in part requires that if the applicant uses the restroom during testing, they must use “the restroom that is closest to the testing room” and pat themselves down (arms, legs, waistline) when leaving and re-entering the testing room. Applicants must also pat themselves down before entering the test room for the first time.
Testing Day Procedures
- Bar Exam Testing Day Procedures
Virginia posts bar exam instructions for the upcoming bar exam. The link for the July 2025 Virginia Bar Exam is available here and covers various testing day procedures
- Bar Exam Testing Day Restroom Rules
Staff on 7.15.2025 call indicated that their belief that both venues used historically had family bathroom options (gender neutral); Staff recommended that students with a specific concern reach out to the general email (email@barexam.virginia.gov); alternatively, applicants can reach out to the assigned application processer after applying
- Bar Exam Testing Day Security Measures
All applicants taking the Virginia Bar Exam will be subject to security screening and ID verification before entering the testing facility/area and upon reentry if you exit the building at lunch. If you refuse to submit to such screenings, you will be denied entrance and/or disqualified from the exam. Any items brought into the exam room, including your laptop, are subject to search. Only the following items are allowed in the exam room. If an item is not on this list, you may not bring it into the exam room without prior written permission from the Board. Other than your laptop, ALL items MUST be packaged in a clear (see-through) plastic bag so Board staff can easily see all items.
- Bar Exam Testing Day Identification Documents
Applicants are subject to photo ID verification before entering testing facility/area and upon reentry. On a 7.15.2025 call, staff stated that applicants should use the same ID for their application and at the test day. The Exam Photo ID Card must be returned at the conclusion of testing.
- Bar Exam Testing Day Seating Assignment
Applicants are grouped by selected Option (1, 2A, 2B, and 3) and seated alphabetically. Place Cards and Exam Photo ID Cards are on the exam tables to designate assigned seat