A major influence on selection of elective courses is the examination for admission to the bar.

The subject areas to be covered on a bar examination should, of course, be considered by a student in deciding which elective courses to take in the last two years of law school. They need not dictate a student's entire course selection. The principal goal of course selection by a student should be to achieve a broad-ranging legal education, including substantive law, procedural law, moral reasoning and ethics, history, public policy, skills, and methodology, not just to pass a bar examination. The fact that certain substantive areas of the law are on a bar examination does not mean necessarily that courses in each area must be taken in law school. It does mean that many of the areas should be covered, and that the other areas must be studied in the intense preparation period immediately prior to the bar examination.

Most states indicate that certain subject areas are to be tested on their bar examinations.  Effective June 1, 2000, the subjects tested by essay on the Ohio Bar Examination are as follows:

• Business Associations (including Agency, Partnership & Corporations)
• Civil Procedure
• Commercial Transactions (including Secured Transactions,Payment Systems, and Sales)
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Criminal Law (including Criminal Procedure)
• Evidence
• Legal Ethics
• Property (including Real Estate Transactions)
• Torts
• Wills

The Rules governing the examination call for at least one and no more than two questions in each of the subject matter areas.

The current Ohio Bar Exam lasts two and one-half days. It consists of twelve essay questions, six on Day One and six on Day Three.

Also on Day One, the Court administers the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). This is a test of practical legal knowledge. The test taker will be required to accomplish a typical legal task using standardized materials. It is a closed-universe test, wherein all documents and facts necessary to complete the task are included. You can purchase past MPT tests from the National Conference of Bar Examiners as study aids.

On Day Two, the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) is administered. This is a standardized, multiple choice test with questions pertaining to six subjects: contracts, torts, property, civil procedure, constitutional law, and evidence.

Several states have gone so far as to specify classes which are prerequisites for taking the bar exam. Please check with the Bar Examiner's Office of states other than Ohio. The Center for Professional Development can help you with the bar examiner addresses, and other state bar deadlines and requirements.

Bar review courses begin immediately after graduation. Check with your campus representatives concerning discounted fees for those who sign up early -- sometimes as early as a student's second year in law school.