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The New York Bar Exam is a two-day exam
-- Tuesday and Wednesday
-- with the New York essays and MPT on Tuesday and the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam on Wednesday.

First Day (Tuesday) morning session 9:00am - 12:15pm:
* 3 hours, 15 minutes
* Three Essay Questions (approximately 40 minutes per essay)
* 50 New York Multiple-Choice (NYMC) questions (approximately 1.5 minutes per question)

First Day (Tuesday) afternoon session 1:45pm - 4:45pm:
* 3 hours
* One 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
*Two Essay Questions (approximately 45 minutes per essay)

Second Day (Wednesday) morning session 9am - 12pm:
* 3 hours
* Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
* 100 Multiple-Choice questions

Second Day (Wednesday) afternoon session 1:30pm - 4:30pm:
* Three hours
* Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
* 100 Multiple-Choice questions

Grading of the New York Bar Exam: A final total weighted scaled score of 665 is required to pass the examination, and any applicant who fails to attain a total weighted scaled score of 665 must retake the entire examination at a subsequent administration. There is no appeal from the final total weighted scaled score.

The answers to the five essay questions and the MPT are each graded in accordance with a predetermined marking formula, and the grades attained by the applicant on the respective questions are the raw essay scores. The total number of questions answered correctly by an applicant on the 50 New York multiple choice questions is the raw score for that portion, and the number of questions answered correctly on the MBE questions is the applicant's raw score for the MBE portion.

Through psychometrically approved scaling procedures, the raw scores attained by the applicants on each portion of the examination are converted to scaled scores on a common scale of 0 to 1000, and the three scaled scores are then weighted and combined to yield total weighted scaled scores on the same 0 to 1000 scale. The relative weights assigned are 50% to the written portion (40% essays and 10% MPT), 10% to the New York multiple choice, and 40% to the MBE portion.

The essay and MPT answers of each applicant who receives an initial total weighted scaled score of 655 through 664 are re-read and re-graded by graders other than the initial graders. The two scaled scores for each essay answer are averaged to determine a final scaled score for each essay. The examination scores are then recomputed to determine each applicant's final scaled score. There is no appeal from this final score.

There is no passing or failing on any one portion of the examination. Thus, a poor performance on one section of the examination may be offset by a superior performance on another section. Passing or failing is determined only on the basis of the applicant's total weighted scaled score.

Admission on Motion:

New York State permits admission on motion, without examination, for applicants who have practiced for five of the preceding seven years, are admitted to practice in at least one reciprocal jurisdiction, and have graduated from an American Bar Association approved law school. The first step in applying for admission is to obtain a Certificate of Legal Education from our Board. The fee for such certification is $400. New York has reciprocity with the following states:

Alaska
Arkansas
Colorado
District of Columbia
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming