Pennsylvania
Overview
- Admitting Entity (Supreme Court, Mandatory Bar, etc.)
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court
- Entity Managing Admissions Process
- [State] Application Materials
- Are law students required to register with jurisdiction while in law school?
- No
- If UBE, is there a Jurisdiction Component?
- No
- Multistate Bar Exam?
- Yes
- Multistate Essay Exam?
- Yes
- Is exam jurisdiction-drafted?
- No
- 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?
Applicants are permitted to use the restroom so long it is not within the last 10 minutes of a testing section.
General
- Phone Number
- 717-231-3350
- Email Address
webmaster@pabarexam.org (technical issues only)
- Diploma Privilege
No
- Prelegal education requirements
Yes, must have undergraduate degree from accredited college or university or an equivalent education
- Legal education requirements
Must have Bachelor of Laws or JD from an accredited law school. See Rule 205 (relating to admission by bar examination for graduates with foreign law degrees) for standards applicable to graduates of foreign law schools. See Rule 203(a)(2)(ii) for standards applicable to graduation from a non-accredited law school.
- Registration requirements, if applicable.
N/A
- Registration fee, if applicable.
- N/A
- Limit on attempts?
- No limit
- Fee(s)
$650-$1,500 depending on when the application is submitted
- Are laptops allowed/required?
- Allowed
- Laptop fee?
- $115 - $165, depending on timing
- Is courtesy seating allowed?
- No
- Transfer fee?
- $650
- 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?
N/A
Eligibility
- Admission by Exam
- Yes
- Admission by Transfer
- Yes
- Admission by Motion
- Yes
- UBE Exam?
- Yes. Pennsylvania 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?
- 30 months
- Is MPRE required?
- Yes
- Minimum passing score
- 75
- 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)?
Government-issued photo identification (e.g. state driver’s license, passport or military identification)
- 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?
The applicant’s seat number is the Application Examination Number on the ticket.