- Reciprocity
- Maryland
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)
- Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
- Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
- Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)
- MPRE
Contact Information
Maryland State Board of Law Examiners
2011-F Commerce Park Drive
Annapolis, MD 21401
TEL: 410-260-3640
www.mdcourts.gov/ble
Bar Admission Rules
The procedures for gaining admission to the bar of the State of Maryland are set by the Court of Appeals and enacted into law by the General Assembly. The Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Maryland can be accessed either through the link below (both current as of 2016), or in the Rules pamphlets of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
Out-of-State Attorney's Exam
The Out-of-State Attorney's Exam is an abbreviated form of the Maryland Bar Exam designed for admission of eligible members in good standing of the bars of sister states. As the State of Maryland does not grant reciprocity to other states, the Out-of-State Attorney's Exam and the regular Maryland Bar Exam are the only two paths to unrestricted entry to the Bar of the State of Maryland.
The Out-of-State Attorney's Exam is a handwritten open-book test administered in one three-hour session. The permitted books are:
Annotated Code of Maryland, Rules Vols. I & II
Annotated Code of Maryland, Courts & Judicial Procedure title
Annotated Code of Maryland, Criminal Procedure title
Detailed information on the exam and eligibility can be found here: Out-of-State Attorney's Exam Information
General Information on the Admission Process
The process by which applicants gain admission to the bar of the State of Maryland has several steps:
- Application for Admission ($225 fee for timely application; $275 for late) (submitted online through eBar and in duplicate hardcopy along with a Notice of Intent)
- Proof of Character (including Personal Interview)
- Transcripts (Undergraduate and Law School)
- Notice to Take a Scheduled General Bar Examination ($250 fee)
- Mandatory Orientation (to be completed prior to admission)
- Passing Score on the Bar Exam (min. 406), and Affirmation Form (attesting that information provided on bar application is still current, or providing update)
For unrestricted admission to the bar, some form of examination is required, whether the regular Bar Exam, or the Out-of-State Attorneys' Exam. Maryland also allows restricted admission for attorneys associated with an organized legal services program sponsored or approved by the Legal Aid Bureau, Inc., for a period of no more than two years.
For additional information on the application process, see General Bar Exam Information and Bar Application Checklist.
The Maryland Bar Exam
The Maryland Bar Exam is administered by the State Board of Law Examiners twice annually, on the last Wednesdays of February and July, and the immediately preceding Tuesdays. The Maryland-specific written portion is administered on the Tuesday, while the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is administered on the Wednesday.
The morning session for the written portion consists of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) question and the first three essay questions, while the afternoon session contains the remaining seven essays. Suggested time budget is 90 minutes for the MPT and 25 minutes apiece for the state-specific essays.
The minimum passing score is a 406 (Bar Application Checklist).
According to Board Rule 4, the written portion of the Bar Exam covers the following subjects:
- Agency
- Business Associations
- Commercial Transactions
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Evidence
- Family Law
- Maryland Civil Procedure
- Professional Conduct
- Property
- Torts
Past Maryland Bar Exams
Exam Questions & Answers
- February 2017 Board's Written Test A.M.
- February 2017 Board's Written Test P.M.
- February 2017 General Bar Exam Extract A.M.
- February 2017 General Bar Exam Extract P.M.
- February 2017 General Bar Exam Representative Good Answers
- February 2017 Out-of-State Attorney Exam
- February 2017 Out-of-State Attorney Exam Representative Good Answers
- July 2016 Board's Written Test A.M.
- July 2016 Board's Written Test P.M.
- July 2016 General Bar Exam Extract A.M.
- July 2016 General Bar Exam Extract P.M.
- July 2016 General Bar Exam Representative Good Answers
- July 2016 Out-of-State Attorney Exam
- July 2016 Out-of-State Attorney Exam Representative Good Answers
- February 2016 Board's Written Test A.M.
- February 2016 Board's Written Test P.M.
- February 2016 General Bar Exam Extract A.M.
- February 2016 General Bar Exam Extract P.M.
- February 2016 General Bar Exam Representative Good Answers
- February 2016 Out-of-State Attorney Exam
- February 2016 Out-of-State Attorney Exam Representative Good Answers
- July 2015 Board's Written Test A.M.
- July 2015 Board's Written Test P.M.
- July 2015 General Bar Exam Extract A.M.
- July 2015 General Bar Exam Extract P.M.
- July 2015 General Bar Exam Representative Good Answers
- July 2015 Out of State Attorney Exam
- February 2015 Board's Written Test A.M.
- February 2015 Board's Written Test P.M.
- February 2015 General Bar Exam Extract A.M
- February 2015 General Bar Exam Extract P.M.
- February 2015 General Bar Exam Representative Good Answers
- February 2015 General Exam Board's Analyses
- February 2015 Out of State Attorney Exam
- February 2015 Out of State Attorney Exam Board's Analysis
- July 2014 Board's Written Test A.M. (PDF)
- July 2014 Board's Written Test P.M. (PDF)
- July 2014 General Bar Extract A.M. (PDF)
- July 2014 General Bar Extract P.M. (PDF)
- July 2014 General Bar Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- July 2014 Maryland General Bar Exam Board's Analyses (PDF)
- July 2014 Out of State Attorney Exam (PDF)
- July 2014 Out of State Attorney Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2014 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2014 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2014 Exam and Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- February 2014 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- February 2014 General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- July 2013 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2013 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2013 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- July 2013 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- July 2013 General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2013 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2013 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2013 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- February 2013 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extract (PDF)
- July 2012 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2012 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2012 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- July 2012 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2012 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2012 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2012 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- February 2012 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- July 2011 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2011 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2011 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- July 2011 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2011 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2011 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2011 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- February 2011 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- July 2010 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2010 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- July 2010 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- July 2010 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2010 Out-of-State Attorney's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2010 General Exam Board's Analysis (PDF)
- February 2010 Representative Good Answers (PDF)
- February 2010 Multistate Performance Test (PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- July 2009 Out-of-State Attorneys' Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2009 General Exam Board's Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2009 Representative Good Answers (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2009 Multistate Performance Test (WordPerfect or PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2009 Out-of-State Attorneys' Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2009 General Exam Board's Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2009 Representative Good Answers (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2009 Multistate Performance Test (WordPerfect or PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- July 2008 Out-of-State Attorneys' Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2008 General Exam Board's Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2008 Representative Good Answers (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2008 Multistate Performance Test (WordPerfect or PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2008 Out-of-State Attorneys' Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2008 General Exam Board's Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2008 Representative Good Answers (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2008 Multistate Performance Test (WordPerfect or PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- July 2007 Out-of-State Attorneys' Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2007 General Exam Board's Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2007 Representative Good Answers (WordPerfect or PDF)
- July 2007 Multistate Performance Test (WordPerfect or PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
- February 2007 Out-of-State Attorneys' Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2007 General Exam Board's Analysis (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2007 Representative Good Answers (WordPerfect or PDF)
- February 2007 Multistate Performance Test (WordPerfect or PDF)
- General Exam Extracts (PDF)
Character and Fitness Process
Like all U.S. jurisdictions, the State of Maryland requires a character and fitness review of all applicants for admission to the bar. However, Maryland is one of only three jurisdictions (Wisconsin and Puerto Rico are the other two) that do not require the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). Maryland's Character and Fitness review for regular applicants is conducted by the Board of Law Examiners, and by one of seven regional Character Committees composed of volunteer practitioners.
The Character Questionnaire (Part II of the bar application) requires applicants to document everything that might potentially impact one's fitness to practice law, including employment, academic, and criminal history (down to parking tickets). The applicant's references are then contacted by an assigned committee member and the application vetted.
Finally, applicants must submit to a personal interview with a member of the review committee.
For out-of-state attorneys, the review is conducted by the NCBE. The process for both types of application is outlined at: Character and Fitness Process for General Bar Admission
Uniform Bar Exam
On October 11, 2017, an advisory committee assembled by the Maryland Judiciary voted 11-1 to recommend adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) no earlier than July 2019. On November 16, 2017, the Court of Appeals voted unanimously to adopt the UBE along with a Maryland law supplement effective some time during the 2019 calendar year. The remaining information on this page is valid for at least the February and July 2018 administrations.
