South Carolina Bar Exam Information
Supreme Court of South Carolina
Office of Bar Admissions
Board of Law Examiners
1231 Gervais St.
P.O. Box 11330
Columbia, SC 29211
(503) 620-0222
Subjects and Topics Tested
South Carolina is a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) jurisdiction. The UBE consists of the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The South Carolina bar exam may test the following subjects:
Scoring and Grading
A passing score on the South Carolina bar exam is 266 on a 400-point scale. The MBE is weighted 50%. The MEE is weighted 30%, and the MPT is weighted 20%.
Bar Exam Dates
The South Carolina bar exam is administered twice per year – once in February and once in July.
Upcoming Exams
2017: July 25-26
2018: February 27-28 and July 24-25
Bar Exam Results
South Carolina bar exam Results are typically released in mid-May for the February exam and mid-November for the July exam.
Bar Exam Format
The Uniform Bar Exam (adopted by South Carolina), has the written components on Tuesday and the multiple choice component (MBE) on Wednesday
Tuesday
During the 3-hour morning session, 2 MPT questions are administered. This allows an average of 1.5 hours to complete each. During the three-hour afternoon session, 6 MEE questions are administered, allowing an average of 1.5 hours to answer each essay question.
Wednesday
100 MBE questions are administered in the 3-hour morning session, and 100 MBE questions are administered in the 3-hour afternoon session.
Reciprocity
South Carolina allows for admission on motion to the South Carolina State Bar so long as the applicant:
1) has practiced law for 5 of past 7 years;
2) is admitted to practice law in a reciprocal jurisdiction; and
3) graduated from an ABA approved law school.
Admission also permitted if applicant received UBE score of 266 within previous 3 years.
