Applying to Sit for the Exam

Applicants must click on each section and check the certification at the bottom of each section.

In order to apply to sit for the New Jersey Bar Examination, applicants must:

1. Complete the online application questionnaire
2. Complete the online character questionnaire
3. Upload an acceptable photo
4. Submit payment, either online via credit card or via "paper" payment
5. Upload a signed and notarized Authorization and Release form

Once all five of the steps above have been completed, your case file manager will acknowledge your application. Your acknowledgement, which will be posted to your User Home Page, will contain additional information and instructions.

Application. Please make sure you meet all application requirements, which include:

• 18 years of age
• Juris Doctor from an American Bar Association accredited law school
• Be in good standing (or resigned from or administratively revoked) in all jurisdictions to which admitted

Starting the process. Applicants must create an account on-line. The link to register/log in is located on the top right hand side of the home page of the web site. Once you have registered, you will receive an activation email from noreply@njbarexams.org. Make sure you check your spam folder and/or permit emails from njbarexams.org. After you have activated your account and if the application period has been opened, you can begin an application.

Character Questionnaire. The questionnaire must be completed and submitted. Applicants will not be able to submit the questionnaire until all sections are complete. Do not leave gaps in employment or addresses. If you are unemployed for a period of time, such as while attending law school, include an entry for that time which states that you were unemployed and the reason you were unemployed.

Make sure to provide all supplemental documentation (see instructions regarding Supplemental Documentation) after you have submitted your questionnaire. An Upload button will be displayed after you have successfully submitted your questionnaire. This button is used to upload documents directly to your User account. Do not send or upload a paper copy of your questionnaire. Do not send a paper copy of your supplemental documents.

CHARACTER NOTES

You are required to amend your Certified Statement within 30 days of any change to the information provided. This requirement remains in effect until you are admitted or withdraw, or until you are abandoned for failure to respond. To amend your application, go to your User Home Page and select "Amend Application." Click on Character & Fitness Questionnaire under Forms & Progress, edit as needed, and click on "Submit Addendum" on the User Home Page.

You must press "Submit" in order to submit your application. A red exclamation mark (!) indicates that problems exist with your application. Click on the "!" to view the problem areas.

Payments. Payments can be made via credit card when the character questionnaire is submitted OR with a money order or certified check or cashier’s check. If paying via "paper," you must attach payment to the Non-credit Card Payments form, which is available on the User Home Page. Payments are non-refundable.

PHOTOGRAPH

You must upload a passport-type photograph of yourself alone, without a hat or dark glasses, that was taken within 6 months of the date you file your application. The photo must be a front-facing, head-and-shoulders pose against a plain, light-colored background. A detailed overview of an acceptable photograph can be found below. Non-complying photos will be rejected, and you will be required to upload a new photo.

What are the requirements for an uploaded photo? You are required to upload a recent photo prior to submission of your application that is at least 300 pixels by 300 pixels and be a .png, .jpg, or .jpeg file. The photo must also meet the following requirements.

The photo must contain the head and part of the shoulders.
The photo must be high resolution.
The photo must have appropriate brightness and contrast.
The photo must be taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows.
The photo must be taken with uniform lighting and not show flash reflections.

Eyes
The photo must show you looking directly at the camera.
The photo must show your eyes open and clearly visible.
The photo must show you with no hair across your eyes.
The photo must show you with no red eyes.

Orientation
The photo must show you facing square on to the camera.

Background
The photo must be taken with a plain light-colored background.
The photo must show you alone.

Glasses
The photo must show your eyes clearly with no flash reflection.
The photo must show your eyes clearly with no tinted lenses.

Expression
The photo must show you with a neutral expression.
The photo must show you with the mouth closed.

PAYMENT NOTES

WE DO NOT ACCEPT personal checks, Travelers’ checks, American Express or Discover. We cannot accept any foreign instruments including personal checks, money orders, or other instruments, even if drawn against a US financial institution. If an application is submitted with the incorrect amount or an incorrect method of payment, the application will not be considered submitted until appropriate payment is received. The fees applicable at the time of a correct submission (amount and method) will be in effect.

After you submit your character questionnaire, you will be taken to the payment screen. Once you select a payment method (check or credit card) you will not be able to go back and change the payment method.

Acknowledgement. Your application will not be acknowledged until your application and character questionnaire are submitted online, payment is received, and your authorization and release form is uploaded.

UBE Information

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) are administered on Tuesday and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is administered on Wednesday.

Applicants must take all parts of the UBE in New Jersey in order to earn a portable UBE score. Score transfers to another jurisdiction must be requested from The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). Their web site address is:

http://www.ncbex.org

Applicants can no longer sit in New Jersey and another state in the same exam administration.

As stated by the National Conference of Bar Examiners:

• The purpose of the MEE is to test the examinee’s ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation. The primary distinction between the MEE and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is that the MEE requires the examinee to demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively in writing.
• The MPT is designed to test an examinee’s ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. The MPT is not a test of substantive knowledge. Rather, it is designed to evaluate certain fundamental skills lawyers are expected to demonstrate regardless of the area of law in which the skills are applied.
• 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 UBE consists of

• Two multistate performance questions (MPT) administered over three hours in the morning session on Tuesday
• Six essay questions (MEE) administered over three hours in the afternoon session on Tuesday
• 200 MBE questions, 100 of which are administered during the morning session over three hours and a second 100 of which are administered during the afternoon session over three hours on Wednesday

Fees and Deadlines

Three deadlines exist for the bar application: timely, late, and final.

Payment and the character questionnaire must BOTH be submitted according to the fee schedule below. Once you submit your on-line character questionnaire, an "Upload" button will appear on the lower right hand side of your User Home Page. Supplemental documentation can then be uploaded.

Dates and fees are shown below:

* If a deadline falls on a Sunday or a holiday observed by the US Postal Service, the payment must be postmarked by the following business day.

When you submit the character questionnaire, you will be given the option of paying by credit card. If you do not select to pay by credit card at that time, you cannot go back later and pay via credit card.

Credit cards transactions cannot be processed from 11:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. EST. Credit card payments must be received prior to 11:30 p.m. EST to ensure they are posted on the same day.

Applicants who miss the final deadline but still wish to apply must petition the Supreme Court for an exception. Instructions on petitioning the Court can be found at:

Fees may be paid online via credit card or by “paper” payment. The “paper” fee payment must be in the form of a certified check, cashier’s check, or money order and be attached to the form “Non-credit Card Payments,” which can be found on your User Home Page.

Reapplicants. If you SAT for the exam immediately preceding the current exam, you are considered a reapplicant. Reapplicants will be given a separate filing deadline based on the date results are released.

* ONLY applicants taking the exam immediately preceding the exam for which you are registering.

Supplemental Documentation

Supplemental documents must be submitted on-line AFTER submitting the Character and Fitness Questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is submitted, a link to upload documents will be activated (lower right hand side of your User Home Page). Supplemental documents are due by June 15^th for a July exam and January 15^th for a February exam.

All documents other than the character questionnaire are considered supplemental, including the one page Authorization and Release form. However, this document should be uploaded as soon as possible - applications will not be acknowledged without it. Please read the acknowledgement letter carefully as it contains information needed to continue the process.

Standard supplemental documents include:

• Any required driver's abstracts. You must submit a certified complete record of your driving history, which is maintained by the Division of Motor Vehicles in the state or jurisdiction (including foreign jurisdictions) in which you hold (or have held) a driver's license in the last seven years. Any on-line abstracts that are submitted MUST be obtained from the motor vehicle agency of the respective state or jurisdiction; no third-party abstracts will be accepted. You must request a COMPLETE abstract. Three-year (abbreviated) abstracts are not accepted.
  
  NEW JERSEY LICENSED DRIVERS:
  http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/license/DO-21.pdf
  
  Applicants must check the box "CERTIFIED COMPLETE RECORD - $15 PER SEARCH (Court/Bar Exam)."
  
  NEW YORK LICENSED DRIVERS:
  http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv15.pdf
  
  PENNSYLVANIA LICENSED DRIVERS:
  http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/DVSPubsForms/BDL/BDL%20Form/DL-503.pdf
  
  These forms can also be accessed from the "General Application Information" tab on our web site. Driver's abstracts cannot be dated more than six (6) months prior to the date of the examination. Applicants who have provided an abstract for a prior examination must provide a new abstract (if prior abstracts are dated more than six (6) months before the exam).


• Law school certificate. You must print a law school certificate form, fill out the top portion, and submit the form to your law schools(s). A certificate is required from any law school you attended, whether you graduated from that institution or not. The form can be found on your User Home Page.


• Transcripts. School transcripts are required if:
  • • requested by your reviewing attorney or case file manager; or
  • • if you answered "yes" to any of the questions under Section 3D, Education, Probation or Discipline.
  
  If required, contact your school and request that an official transcript of your grades, academic and disciplinary records be sent from the school directly to the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners.
• 
  Ethics requirement. The ethics requirement can be satisfied by:
  • 1. taking an approved ethics course in law school and receiving a grade of C- or above (as certified on the law school certificate by the law school); or
  • 2. taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) and receiving a 75 or better.
  
  If you did not take an approved ethics course in law school, you must arrange to have your MPRE score sent to us from the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). The MPRE scores do not “expire;” scores of 75 or greater from prior years can be used to fulfill the ethics requirement. Applicants who have not fulfilled the ethics requirement by the time exam results are released will be eligible for certification and therefore cannot be admitted. Results remain valid for two years from the date of the examination.
• 
  Fingerprinting. All applicants must be fingerprinted for every exam. By law, agencies may not share fingerprinting results. Applicants who have been fingerprinted by another agency must be re-printed. Applicants who have been printed for previous exams must be re-printed. Prior applicants: please note that fingerprints are no longer valid for two years.


• 
  Detailed instructions regarding the fingerprinting process will be provided in your on-line acknowledgement. You cannot be printed until you have received instructions and a "Contributor’s Case Number" for Box 7 of the form, which will be included with your acknowledgement information.


• Special supplemental documents for applicants admitted in another state:
  • 1. Certificate of Good Standing; and
  • 2. Certificate of Ethical Conduct (disciplinary history).
  
  Please note that these may not be the same documents and typically come from different agencies. A list of disciplinary offices is available on our website under the "General Application Information" tab.


• Applicant specific supplemental documents based on responses in character questionnaire, such as:
  • • Court documents;
  • • School transcripts;
  • • Police documentation;
  • • Other documents as indicated when required based on answers to the character questionnaire;
  • • Military discharge documents;
  • • Any documentation requested by your reviewing attorney, typically due within 30 days of the request.

• All candidates must be fingerprinted so that we may perform a Criminal History search. Detailed instructions will be included with your acknowledgment packet. Your application ID will be available in the acknowledgement packet and must be entered in box 7, Case Contributer’s Number.

  By law, fingerprinting results are only available to the agency requesting the prints. If you have been printed by another state agency, you MUST be reprinted for the bar examination.

  ALL applicants must be fingerprinted for EACH exam. Fingerprint results from prior exams can no longer be used.

Laptop Program

At this time, there is no additional fee for TIMELY registration for the laptop program. The registration periods and related fees for the laptop program, barring technical difficulties, will be:

Be sure to check the laptop information section on the home page of the web site for any updates or changes, which can occur due to technical difficulties. Deadlines must be strictly enforced in order to provide appropriate electrical services for laptop applicants.

Registration for the laptop program is not considered complete until the practice exam is completed. If you do not complete this step, you will not be permitted to use your laptop for the essay portion of the exam.

IMPORTANT: If you are taking the exam in another state, you must register for the laptop program in BOTH states. The software is not the same for both states and you must download both software programs.

The laptop program is open to all applicants. If you are requesting non-standard testing accommodations (NTA) under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requesting special software use, such as Dragon, you need to make that request in your NTA application. If you want to use your laptop but are not requesting special software you must register within the laptop deadlines.

Uploading the essay responses. Essays must be uploaded by the dates provided on the upload instructions that will be distributed at the examination. Failure to upload by the initial deadline will result in an administrative fee; failure to upload by the late deadline will require a petition to the Supreme Court detailing the reasons the upload period was missed.

Non-standard Testing Accommodations (NTA) for Applicants under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Requests for non-standard testing accommodations pursuant to the ADA must be made by separate PAPER application and postmarked by NOVEMBER 30th for the FEBRUARY EXAM OR By APRIL 30th for the JULY EXAM.

Supporting documentation can be sent in after submitting your application but NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30^th for the FEBRUARY EXAM OR APRIL 30^th for the JULY EXAM. Supporting documentation must be mailed to the NTA Coordinator at either contact address listed in the Contacts tab on the web site or the Acknowledgements, Correspondence with the Office, and Other Useful Information section of these instructions.

The Office of the Secretary of the Board of Bar Examiners will notify each applicant who applies for Non-Standard Testing Accommodation that their application has been granted in full, granted in part, not granted, or is incomplete.

LAPTOP NOTE: As stated above, the laptop program is open to all applicants at no additional charge for TIMELY registration. If you are requesting special software, such as Dragon, you need to make that request in your NTA application. You will be notified regarding your request for use of special software. Should a request for the use of special software be denied after the laptop registration deadline has passed, you will be given the opportunity to register for the laptop program at that time. If you are not requesting special software but wish to use your laptop for the essay portion of the exam, you must register within the laptop deadlines.

Site Assignments

The address you provide on your User Home Page under Personal Information will be used for your site assignment for the examination. This can be changed at any time; however, when site assignments are made, the address you have at that time will be used. Changes to your address after the site assignments are made will not result in a site change. To change your address, go to your User Home Page and click on Edit Personal Info in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Requests for specific sites cannot be honored.

Sites are assigned by the computer based on the address on your User Home Page under Personal Information and the number of seats at each site. The southern site typically fills up first and the overflow must be assigned to the northern site. This is particularly true in July. All out-of-state and southern New Jersey applicants CANNOT be at the Atlantic City Convention Center due to the number of seats available. Applicants must be prepared to travel to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center.

While subject to change, the usual testing sites are:

New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center

Atlantic City Convention Center

Changes to site assignments are only made in rare situations and upon submission of an affidavit indicating the reason for the request, requested site, and supporting documentation. Convenience and/or proximity to home or an airport are not considered extenuating circumstances. Requests should be made to the bar mailbox (bar.mailbox@njcourts.gov) or mailed to either contact address. Do not call your case file manager to request a site change.

Acknowledgements, Correspondence with the Office, and Other Information Useful information

A checklist is available for applicants on the web site under the "General Application Information" tab. In addition, a “Definitions” sheet is available. Please read both of these documents and use the checklist to help keep track of what you have done and still need to do.

Please retain a copy of your payment form. To guard against loss and ensure proof of timely filing, ship by overnight carrier, return receipt and/or required signature by receiver to one of the following addresses:

Overnight Delivery via DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.:
Board of Bar Examiners
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 West Market St., 8th Fl, North Wing
Trenton, NJ 08611

Certified/First Class/Express/Priority Mail via United States Postal Service:
Board of Bar Examiners
PO Box 973
Trenton, NJ 08625-0973

Complete submissions (online character questionnaire, payment, one page application and one page authorization and release form) are processed in the order received in the office. During peak times, particularly for the July examination, it may take four weeks or more for your application to be acknowledged once all required information is received.

DO NOT call the office to check on the status of your application. Due to applicant volume, it is not possible to respond to individual requests.

Keep your receipt from the Post Office, UPS, FedEx, etc. as proof that you sent your paper payment by a certain date if not paying via credit card.

Once your case file manager processes your application, you will receive an acknowledgement packet posted to your User Home Page.

The acknowledgement packet will consist of two parts:

• 1. information and general instructions;
• 2. acknowledgement of your complete application with payment; and
• 3. fingerprint instructions.

Please read these documents carefully as they contain important information regarding the next steps you must take in the process, the name of your case file manager, etc.

Communication with your case file manager can be accomplished in one of three ways:

• • Messaging from your User Home Page. This method typically results in the fastest response;
• • Email; and
• • Phone.

Please select only ONE method for each question you have; sending the same inquiry multiple times slows down response time. During peak periods, case file managers’ voice mailboxes are often filled to capacity. Please allow two business days for your case file manager to respond before sending a follow up.

Committee on Character and Certification Process

To be admitted, applicants must pass the bar examination AND be certified by the Committee on Character. Please read the Committee on Character Regulations, available under the “Exam” tab on the web site. Each applicant will be assigned to a reviewing attorney. Your application will not be forwarded to the reviewing attorney until it is complete. A complete application package consists of:

• • Law school certificate(s);
• • Proof of satisfaction of ethics requirement (MPRE or law school course as indicated on law school certificate);
• • Driver's abstract(s) as appropriate;
• • Certificate(s) of Good Standing as appropriate;
• • Disciplinary History as appropriate; and
• • Fingerprinting results.

Please make sure to provide all of the required supplemental documents as soon as possible. Candidates cannot be admitted without being certified. Your reviewing attorney may request additional information after receiving your file. Again, the more quickly you comply, the more quickly your file will be processed by your reviewing attorney. Applicants who do not respond may be abandoned and scores nullified.

In some cases, an interview or hearing may be required. Applicants will be notified when this occurs. It is the applicant’s duty to update the Character and Fitness Questionnaire until admitted or until the applicant withdraws from consideration or is abandoned due to non-responsiveness.

Failure to timely submit supplemental documentation and other required information, such as driver’s abstracts, may result in a delay in the certification process.

Submitting required documentation after results are released does not allow for sufficient time for the Committee on Character to review and certify applicants.