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Washington Bar Exam

The Washington Bar Exam lasts two and a quarter days, and it is given twice a year.  The exams are held every year once in late February, and once in late January at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington.  The substantive essays occur on the first two days and the ethics portion is administered on last day.  The Washington Bar Exam tests candidates on unique aspects of Washington’s laws. Washington is one of two states (the other being Louisiana) that does not use the MBE.

The Washington Bar exam consists of

  • Eighteen 45-minute Washington essay questions covering substantive law;  and
  • Six 22-minute Washington essay questions covering the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct.

The Washington bar exam covers the following areas of law:

  • administrative law
  • business organizations (corporations, partnerships, LLCs)
  • commercial transactions, consisting of UCC Articles 1 (general provisions), 2 (sales), 3 (negotiable instruments/commercial paper), 4 (bank deposits and collections), and 9 (secured transactions)
  • constitutional law (federal and Washington, including both criminal and civil law)
  • contracts
  • criminal law, including substantive crimes and defenses
  • family law
  • Indian law & tribal sovereign immunity
  • professional conduct (Washington Rules of Professional Conduct)
  • property, real and personal, including community property, conveyancing, financing, leasing, use, and zoning
  • torts
  • trial procedure, including evidence and procedure before, during, and after civil and criminal trials (evidence, civil procedure, criminal procedure, lawyering process)
  • wills, probate, and trusts.

The first day of the Washington Bar Exam will be broken up into three two hour and fifteen minute sessions with a half hour break in the morning and an hour break for lunch. During each session you will be given three essay questions to answer.
Day two will be formatted the same as day one and you will be given the same amount of essay questions.
Day three will be made up of (1) two hour and fifteen minute session in which you will have six essay questions to answer on the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct.
Each essay question is worth 10 points, with 180 points possible. You have to earn a score of at least 126 points on the essay questions and at least 42 points on the professional responsibility section to pass the Washington Bar Exam. Results from your exam will be mailed to you 71 days after the exam has been completed, and results will be posted on the WASB website the Monday after the results are mailed off.

The following topics will be covered in both a general manner, and in some cases they will be examined as to how Washington Laws impact them. You will need to know rules, regulations, and general applications and procedures that apply to these topics.

  1. Administrative Law
  2. Corporations
  3. Limited Liability Corporations

Inside Washington Bar Exam