Essay Exam - six essay questions that consist of one or more of the following topics:
Multi-State Bar Exam
Performance Test - "By Order of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, one Performance Test (PT) question, developed by the Board, may be used in lieu of a Multistate Performance Test question as a component of the essay portion of the bar examination."
"Examples of tasks that might be required to be performed include preparing: letters to opposing counsel, opinion letters to clients, contract or will provisions, briefs, memorandum to a partner, legal memoranda, petitions, motions, and other tasks that a lawyer might be expected to perform."
The first day of the examination consists of one Performance Test (PT) question and six essay questions that are prepared by the examiners and approved by the Board. The second day of the examination is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).
The bar examination is administered twice a year - the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. The examination is administered in two locations (Eastern and Western areas of the state) in February and July.
The February bar examination results are released in mid- April, and July bar examination results are released in mid- October.
See the Pennsylvania Bar Exam website for more information.
Payment may either be by credit card at the time of the initial online filing, or by a certified check, cashier's check, corporate check or money order payable to the "Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners" in the appropriate amount by the applicable deadline(s). Personal checks will not be accepted, nor will any application be accepted until all fees are paid. Refer to the specific Pennsylvania Bar Admission Rule (Pa.B.A.R.) to determine which rule you qualify under and, the appropriate application and fee(s) that you must submit. Fees payable to the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners may be combined and submitted during online filing for credit card payment or subsequently in one check. There are no refunds or transfers of applications and/or fees.
Effective April 1, 2024, the online-payment convenience fee charged by Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System will change from a $2.75 flat fee per transaction to a 2.75% fee based on the total cost of each transaction.
Application for Permission to Sit for the Pennsylvania Bar Examination and for Character and Fitness Determination under Pa.B.A.R. 203/205
Application deadlines and filing fees for the bar exam. The following deadlines are POSTMARK deadlines.
| Filing Deadline | February Exam | July Exam | Applicant Fee |
| Timely | October 30 | April 15 | $650.00 |
| First Late | November 15 | April 30 | $800.00 |
| Second Late | November 30 | May 15 | $1,100.00 |
| Final | December 15 | May 30 | $1,500.00 |
FINAL FILING DEADLINE: Application payments that are submitted by the United States Postal Service (USPS) or overnight courier (e.g., Federal Express, UPS, etc.) must be POSTMARKED by the final filing deadline as indicated above; otherwise, you will not be permitted to sit for the bar examination.
Miscellaneous Fees:
It is strongly recommended that you make copies of all documents submitted to the Board office.
| Computer Based Testing (CBT) | Varies Dependent on Deadline |
| MBE Score Transfer (Applies when an individual seeks to transfer their MBE score to another jurisdiction.) |
$30.00 |
| Miscellaneous Certification of Documents/Request (Applies to additional documentation other jurisdictions seek for review for licensure.) |
$30.00 |
| Copy of Completed Application (or computer summary data sheet if prior to July 2009) | $30.00 |
| Corrective Certificate (After results have been released) | $50.00 |
| Duplicate Bar Examination Results Packet | $30.00 |