Louisiana Bar Exam

Louisiana Bar Examiners

Louisiana Committee on Bar Admissions
2800 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 310
Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 836-2420

Bar Exam Format

The Louisiana bar exam consists of part one and part two.  Part two, the MPRE, occurs separately from part one.  Part one consists of three days that all have three sessions, which each cover one subject. Each session can include some combination of written and multiple choice questions. The written questions can have either essay or short answer form.

Day 1

Day one’s first, two-hour session examines the Code subject of Civil Code I.
Day one’s second, two-hour session examines the Code subject of Civil Code II.
Day one’s final, three-hour session examines the Code subject of Civil Code III.

Day 2

Day two’s first, two-hour session examines the Code subject of Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure.
Day two’s second, two-hour session examines the Code subject of Torts.
Day two’s final, three-hour session examines the Non-Code subject of Business Entities and Negotiable Instruments.

Day 3

Day three’s first, two-hour session examines the Non-Code subject of Constitutional Law.
Day three’s next, two and one-half hour session examines the Non-Code subject of Criminal Law, Procedure and Evidence.
Day three’s final, three-hour session examines the Non-Code subject of Federal Jurisdiction and Procedure.

Reciprocity

Louisiana does not provide for admission on motion or by transfer of any multistate exam score.

Subjects/Topics

The Louisiana bar exam consists of two parts.  Part one’s questions will examine the nine subjects of its locally drafted components.  Part two consists of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (“MPRE”), which tests topics of Legal Ethics.  On part one, these five subjects are Code subjects:

  • Civil Code I;
  • Civil Code II;
  • Civil Code III;
  • Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure; and
  • Torts.

On part one, these four subjects are Non-Code subjects:

  • Business Entities and Negotiable Instruments;
  • Constitutional Law;
  • Criminal Law, Procedure and Evidence; and
  • Federal Jurisdiction and Procedure.

Bar Exam Dates

The Louisiana bar exam is held in February and July. The exam is scheduled for:

2023

  • July 21, 23, and 25, 2023

Exam Results

Normally, the Committee reports the Louisiana bar exam results: 1) five to six weeks after the February exam; and 2) eight to nine weeks after the July exam. The Committee posts the released results online.

Scoring/Grading

To pass part one of the Louisiana bar exam, you must attain a total weighted score of 650 out of 900 points.  Each subject is worth 100 raw points.  The Code subjects carry twice the weight of Non-Code subjects.  This is the formula for calculating the score:

Total score = (1.20 x sum of 5 Code scores) + (0.75 x sum of 4 Non-Code scores)

To pass the part two of the Louisiana bar exam, you must score at least 80 on the MPRE.

Pass Rate/Stats

The pass rate varies from exam to exam.  The overall pass rate ranges from 41% to 78%.  The pass rate for first-time examinees ranges from 48% to 81%.  The pass rate for repeat takers is lower and ranges from 27% to 79%.