Ohio
Overview
- Admitting Entity (Supreme Court, Mandatory Bar, etc.)
- Ohio Supreme Court
- Entity Managing Admissions Process
Bar Admissions Section
- [State] Application Materials
Only accessible through a personal account
- Are law students required to register with jurisdiction while in law school?
- Yes
- If UBE, is there a Jurisdiction Component?
- Separate from the UBE, the Ohio Law Component is an open-book multiple-choice exam testing knowledge of Ohio-specific law.
- Multistate Bar Exam?
- Yes
- Multistate Essay Exam?
- Yes
- Is exam jurisdiction-drafted?
- Separate from the UBE, the Ohio Law Component is an open-book multiple-choice exam testing knowledge of Ohio-specific law.
- Multistate Performance Test?
- Yes
- Does the jurisdiction provide information on day of testing procedures?
Yes
- What are the restroom use rules of the admitting entity?
Examinees will have access to restrooms during testing and are permitted to take menstrual products back and forth to the restroom as needed (an assortment of menstrual products will also be available in each restroom). Menstrual products including tampons, maxi pads, and liners may be brought into the exam hall in the examinee’s clear plastic bag of permitted items. Each restroom is proctored for exam security.
General
- Phone Number
- 614-387-9340
- Email Address
- Diploma Privilege
No
- Prelegal education requirements
Yes, must have a bachelor’s degree or doctoral-level degree from an accredited college or university
- Legal education requirements
Must have earned a J.D. or an L.L.B. degree from an ABA-approved law school or, if not located in the United States, from a law school evaluated and approved in accordance other requirements.
- Registration requirements, if applicable.
An applicant must file an Application to Register as a Candidate for Admission to the Practice of Law in Ohio with the Office of Bar Admissions of the Ohio Supreme Court by November 15th in the applicant’s second year of law school.
- Registration fee, if applicable.
- $75 Application to Register as a Candidate for Admission to the Practice of Law; $275 Late Application to Register
- Limit on attempts?
- No limit
- Fee(s)
$462 Application to Take or Re-take Bar Exam; $562 Late Application to Take or Re-take Bar Examination; $750 Application for Admission by UBE Transfer Score; $1,500 Application for Admission Without Examination
- Are laptops allowed/required?
- Allowed
- Laptop fee?
- $121
- Is courtesy seating allowed?
- No
- Transfer fee?
- $750
- Day-of Testing 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.
- What security measures can applicants expect? Metal detectors? Bag search?
Each examinee is permitted to bring one clear plastic gallon bag in which they must keep their permitted items. Staff will visually inspect the clear plastic bag before you enter the testing room.
Eligibility
- Admission by Exam
- Yes
- Admission by Transfer
- Yes
- Admission by Motion
- Yes
- UBE Exam?
- Yes. Ohio intends to first administer the NextGen bar exam in July 2028.
- Minimum passing score?
- 270
- Can exam score be transferred?
- Yes
- Can only UBE scores be transferred?
- Yes
- Is there a time limit for accepting transferred scores?
- 5 years
- Is MPRE required?
- Yes
- Minimum passing score
- 85
- Is there a time period in which the MPRE score must be earned?
- No
- MPRE fee
- $160
Requirements
- Application Name and Gender Identification
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.”
- What identifying documents do applicants need on test days and what name is required to be on that ID (as related to the name on the application for admission)?
A government issued photo ID is required
- Is there assigned seating? If so, how do applicants identify their seat (i.e. name, application number, etc.) If it is by name, which name will be listed?
There is assigned seating. An applicant’s number appears at the seating area.