Illinois Bar Exam
Illinois Bar Examiners
Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar
625 S. College Street
Springfield, IL 62704-2521
(217) 522-5917
Bar Exam Format
The Illinois bar exam includes the MPT, essay questions from the Illinois Essay Exam (“IEE”) and the Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”), and the MBE.
Day 1
On the first day, the Illinois bar exam format includes one MPT and three IEE questions in the three-hour morning period, and six MEE questions in the three-hour afternoon period.
Day 2
On the second day, the Illinois bar exam format includes 100 MBE multiple choice questions in the 3-hour morning period and another 100 in the 3-hour afternoon period.
Reciprocity
Illinois allows for admission on motion for attorneys who fulfill certain requirements, some of which include:
- being licensed to practice law in any United States jurisdiction for at least five years;
- fulfilling all educational and character and fitness requirements; and
- being in good disciplinary standing in every jurisdiction of admission.
Subjects/Topics
Essay questions on the Illinois bar exam can test these subjects:
- Administrative Law;
- Agency and Partnership;
- Business Organizations (including Corporations and Limited Liability Companies);
- Commercial Paper (i.e., Negotiable Instruments);
- Conflict of Laws;
- Constitutional Law (Federal and Illinois);
- Contracts (including Sales under U.C.C. Article 2);
- Criminal Law and Procedure;
- Equity Jurisprudence;
- Evidence;
- Family Law;
- Federal (Civil) Procedure and Jurisdiction;
- Federal Taxation;
- Illinois (Civil) Procedure;
- Personal Property (including Bailments and Sales);
- Real Property;
- Secured Transactions;
- Suretyship;
- Torts;
- Trusts and Future Interests; and
- Wills and Decedents’ Estates.
Bar Exam Dates
The Illinois bar exam is held in February and July. The exam is usually on the last Wednesday and prior Tuesday of each month.
2024
- February 27-28, 2024
- July 30-31, 2024
Exam Results
At the examinees’ user homepages, the Illinois board of admissions posts the February Illinois bar exam results during the first half of April, and the July Illinois bar exam results in the first half of October.
Scoring/Grading
You must score 266 to pass the Illinois bar exam. The Board of Admissions to the Bar weights the essay questions score 40%, the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) question score 10%, and the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) score 50%.
Pass Rate/Stats
The Illinois bar exam pass rates for total takers falls between 69% – 89%. First-time takers have the higher pass rates of 81% – 93%. Repeat takers have lower pass rates of 30% – 58%.