The Rhode Island Bar Examination is administered by the Bar Administrator and the Board of Bar Examiners the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July each year. The deadline for the February examination is December 1st; the deadline for the July examination is May 1st. There is no provision for late filing.

    To qualify for attorney admission pursuant to Article II, Rule 2, the out-of-state attorney must have been engaged in the active practice of law for at least five (5) of the last ten (10) years immediately preceding the filing of the application for admission to the Rhode Island bar. Out-of-state attorneys taking the bar examination pursuant to Article II, Rule 2(a) - (d) are required to take only the essay and Multistate Performance Test (MPT) portions of the examination; the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is not required. The raw scores of these applicants will be scaled to the MPT and essay scores of the applicants taking both parts of the bar examination, and a scaled score of 138 is required to pass.

     Starting with the July 2012 bar examination, all applicants will be permitted to use a laptop for the essay portion of the examination at no additional cost. This service is strictly optional but applicants wishing to use a laptop must register directly with ExamSoft Worldwide, Inc. by the registration deadline. A representative from ExamSoft Worldwide, Inc. will be on-site to assist laptop users. For more information, please visit the ExamSoft Worldwide, Inc. website at www.examsoft.com.

     Questions relating to the Rhode Island Bar Examination should be directed to Suzanne Augenstein, Bar Administrator.

    Applicants for admission pursuant to Article II, Rule 2 must submit the following to the Bar Administrator at the above address:

1. Twenty-three (23) page Petition/Questionnaire for Admission to the Rhode Island Bar.
   Click here to apply for the Rhode Island Bar Examination online. (Coming Soon)
2. Handwriting Sample form. (Rule 2 Applicants do not need to have a law school official authenticate the sample, however, the completed form must be notarized).
3. Two (2) Certificates of Good Moral Character.
4. Current credit report (responsibility of applicant to submit credit report with the application).
5. Three (3) Authorization and Release forms.
6. Certificates of good standing from all jurisdictions licensed in.
7. National Conference of Bar Examiners Request for Preparation of a Character Report form.
8. Check in the amount of $700.00 made payable to the Committee on Character and Fitness.
9. Check in the amount of $425.00 made payable to the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

    Please note that Rule 2 attorney admission applicants are not required to submit a Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) score.

    The Certificates of Good Moral Character must be forwarded directly to the Committee on Character and Fitness from the individuals who complete the forms.

• Amendment Form for Bar Application must be submitted for any changes or additions to the information previously submitted.
• Application for Special Testing Accommodations

Click here to view frequently asked questions.

Click here to view information about the upcoming bar examination.

    All applicants are subject to the Rhode Island Bar Examination Regulations and Code of Conduct. Violations may result in the applicant being ejected from the bar examination.