Bar Exam Information

Admission to the practice of law in Georgia is a two-step process that requires the submission of two applications with separate deadlines and fees. You must first file an Application for Certification of Fitness, and after you are notified that the Fitness Board has certified you as fit to practice law, you must timely file a Bar Exam Application to become eligible to sit for a particular bar exam. You can view upcoming deadlines at a glance here. If you have already registered for the next bar exam and would like to review the rules, procedures, and instructions for that exam, click here.

Valid Certification of Fitness is required. If your Certification of Fitness is pending or expired, you are not eligible to apply to sit for the bar exam. Certifications of Fitness expire after five years; if your Certification of Fitness will expire before the general release of exam results, you must apply for—and receive—recertification of fitness before your scores can be released.

Filing Deadlines and Fees. The filing deadlines and fees for the bar exam are established by Section 2 of Part B of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. For more information about deadlines and fees, including specific deadlines for upcoming exams, click here.

Transcript Requirement. In order to sit for the bar exam, both your undergraduate and law school must provide your official transcript to the Office of Bar Admissions prior to the transcript deadline below. Each transcript must indicate the degree awarded and the date conferred. If you have not yet graduated from law school, do not cause your law school to send a transcript before your transcript shows that you received your degree. If your law school is unable to provide a degree-conferred transcript prior to the transcript deadline because your graduation date is near the deadline, ask your law school to submit a letter (to [email protected]) certifying that you graduated within the six months prior to the bar exam you wish to take. This certification letter will enable you to sit for the bar exam, but your official law school transcript will be required for you to receive your score. Official transcripts must be submitted directly by the degree-granting institution via email or regular mail, and you can find information about submission procedures here.

Deadline for Receipt of Transcripts
February Exam	January 31 (4 p.m.)
July Exam	June 30 (4 p.m.)

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). The MPRE is administered three times a year (in April, August, and November) by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. An MPRE score of 75 or higher is required to receive a Certificate of Eligibility to Practice Law, and Georgia does not impose an expiration date on MPRE scores. You may take the bar exam even if you have not yet satisfied the MPRE requirement, but you will not receive your Certification of Eligibility until your passing MPRE score is received. For information about how to have your MPRE Score forwarded to the Office of Bar Admissions, click here.

 

Non-Standard Testing Accommodations. It is the policy of the Board of Bar Examiners to provide non-standard testing accommodations to applicants with disabilities to the extent such accommodations are timely requested, reasonable, not unduly burdensome, consistent with the nature and purpose of the exam, and necessitated by the applicant’s disability. For information on how to apply for Nonstandard Testing Accommodations, click here.

Administrative Accommodations. Applicants who require administrative accommodations, such as the ability to bring into the exam room diabetic supplies or food, a lactation pump, or lumbar support cushion, or applicants who need special seating arrangements (such as being seated near a restroom) due to a medical condition, must submit an Administrative Accommodation Request Form to the Office of Bar Admissions. For information on Administrative Accommodations, click here.