Virginia bar exam information

What is the Virginia bar exam?

The Virginia bar exam assesses whether an examinee is competent to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Passing the bar exam is an essential step in becoming a lawyer in Virginia. Examinees are tested on a variety of legal subjects. Bar exam scores are scaled, meaning that scores are adjusted to reflect the relative difficulty of a particular exam. These adjustments ensure that no examinee is unfairly penalized or rewarded for taking a more or less difficult exam.

Studying for the Virginia bar exam is a full-time job that requires discipline, determination, and—for most people—a formal course structure. The Quimbee Bar Review course is expertly designed to help you supplement your preparation for the Virginia bar examination in the most efficient and effective way possible. Our bar review course includes 1,400+ real practice questions from past bar exams, detailed answer explanations, and comprehensive outlines of MBE subjects.

Read on to learn more about the Virginia bar exam.

What is the Virginia bar exam format?

The Virginia bar examination consists of two sections: the MBE and an essay exam.

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

The MBE is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and administered by participating jurisdictions, including Virginia, on the last Wednesday in February and July of each year.

According to the NCBE, the purpose of the MBE is to assess the extent to which an examinee can apply fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns.

The MBE is divided into morning and afternoon testing sessions of three hours each, with 100 questions in each session. There are no scheduled breaks during either the morning or afternoon session, though test taskers typically may be excused from the exam room during the test. Be sure to check with your jurisdiction, however, as the rules regarding leaving the exam room may vary.

Of the 200 questions on the MBE, 175 questions are scored. The remaining unscored 25 questions are used by the NCBE to test potential future questions. The scored questions are distributed evenly, with 25 questions from each tested subject area. The Virginia bar exam subjects include civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts.

The MBE is worth 40 percent of an examinee’s total score.

Jurisdiction-Specific Component

In addition to the MBE, the Virginia bar exam includes an essay section. This section includes both essay and multiple choice questions and may test the applicant's knowledge in the following areas:

• agency

• criminal law

• professional responsibility

• Uniform Commercial Code

• conflict of laws

• domestic relations

• real and personal property

• Virginia civil and criminal procedure

• constitutional law

• equity

• sales

• business organizations

• federal practice and procedure

• torts

• wills and estate administration

• creditor's rights

• local government law

• trusts

The Virginia essay section counts for 60 percent of an examinee's total score. The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners provides previously used essay questions on its website. For more information on this component of the Virginia bar exam, please see the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners’ website.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

A passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is also required to become a licensed Virginia attorney. The MPRE tests an examinee’s knowledge of the ethics rules related to the practice of law. According to the NCBE, the purpose of the MPRE is to “measure examinees' knowledge and understanding of established standards related to the professional conduct of lawyers.”

The MPRE’s questions are largely based on the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, but the MPRE also covers relevant court decisions as well as procedural and evidentiary rules.

The MPRE consists of 60 multiple choice questions—50 scored questions and 10 unscored questions. As with the MBE, each question on the MPRE is followed by four possible answer options. You’ll have two hours to complete the exam.

The MPRE is offered three times per year, typically in March, August, and November. Be sure to register early—the regular registration fee is $135, but the late registration fee is $220.

The MPRE is scored on a scale that ranges from 50 to 100. Virginia requires a minimum-passing MPRE score of 85.

Virginia bar exam information

Below is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that provides helpful information to Virginia bar examinees.

What are the Virginia bar exam dates?

The Virginia bar exam is a two-day exam and is offered twice a year on the last Tuesday and Wednesday in February and July. The Virginia bar exam is typically administered in Norfolk. For more information on dates and locations, please see the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners' website.

When do I need to register for the Virginia bar exam?

The regular deadline for the February 2025 exam is December 15, 2024. The regular deadline for registering for the July 2025 bar exam in Virginia is May 10, 2025. For the latest deadline updates, please see the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners' website.

What are the fees for the Virginia bar exam?

The regular application fee for the Virginia bar exam is $575. For more details on fees, visit the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners' website.

When will I receive my Virginia bar exam results?

February bar examination results are available approximately eight weeks after administration of the exam. July bar examination results are available approximately 12 weeks after administration of the exam. Results are posted publicly on the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners’ website.

What is the statewide pass rate for all exam takers in Virginia?

66% (February 2024)

Please note that this is not the pass rate for Quimbee Bar Review, but rather the average for all people who took the bar exam in Virginia. To see Quimbee Bar Review's pass rates, please go here.

What is the Virginia bar exam contact information?

The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners is the organization responsible for overseeing admission to the bar in Virginia. It is through this board that you will register for the bar exam, receive exam information, and obtain your score.

Address:
Virginia Board of Bar Examiners
2201 West Broad Street
Suite 101
Richmond, VA 23220

Phone: (804) 367-0412

Website: http://barexam.virginia.gov/

How do I get Virginia bar exam news?

News and information about the Virginia bar exam can be found on the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners' website.

What is the best Virginia bar exam prep course?

Quimbee does not provide state-specific coverage for the Virginia bar exam, but you can use Quimbee Bar Review to supplement your prep. All of the course material for Quimbee Bar Review is available from your computer.

Virginia Bar Practice Tests

Quimbee’s course offers several full-length practice MBEs and thousands of MBE practice questions—many licensed directly from the NCBE.

Virginia Bar Study Guide

With Quimbee, you’ll watch Quimbee's beautifully designed video lessons, practice multiple-choice questions to test what you've learned, and read through Quimbee's expert-written outlines. And true understanding isn’t just answering a question correctly. You need to know why you got a question right or why you got a question wrong. Quimbee provides you with detailed explanations for every practice question so that you can understand the difference between the correct and incorrect answers. 

Quimbee’s outlines provide comprehensive coverage of all MBE subjects. Quimbee Outlines are written by experts and are perfectly tailored to the NCBE’s subject matter outlines, so you can be confident you’re studying only the material that’s tested on the bar exam.

So, if you’re wondering how to pass the Virginia bar exam, check out Quimbee Bar Review, and you’ll see why Quimbee is the best supplemental course available.