The Kansas Bar Exam is a difficult exam to pass. However, with the proper preparations you can pass this exam with flying colors and start your legal career. The most important thing to remember when preparing for the Kansas Bar Exam is that you are studying the topics that will be covered in the exam that you will be taking. I mention this because laws change every year, and so do testing requirements. If you are using an outdated study guide then you will be wasting your time and your money. This article will help to direct you current study materials and information, which should help you to create a more effective study plan.
QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify to sit for the Kansas Bar Exam you will need to have a law degree from an ABA approved law school. The Kansas Attorney Admissions website and the American Bar Association website both have lists of approved schools. If you are an attorney from another state you will need to visit http://www.kscourts.org to see what reciprocity is available, or to determine what steps you will need to take to qualify to become a Kansas Attorney.
In addition to the above educational requirements you will also need to take the Multistate Professional Responsibilities Exam. To meet the testing requirements set out by the state of Kansas you will need a score of at least 76, one of the lowest score requirements in the country. Information about the MPRE for Kansas attorney candidates can be obtained by contacting NCBE at:
NCBE
MPRE Application Department
2255 N. Dubuque Road
PO Box 4001
Iowa City, Iowa 52243-4001
(319) 341-2500 Telephone Number
REGISTERING FOR THE EXAM
To register to sit for the Kansas Bar Exam you will need to download, print out, complete, and submit an application package. These can be found on the Kansas Attorney Admissions website.
Attorney Admissions
Kansas Judicial Center
301 S.W. 10th Street, Room 374
Topeka, Kansas 66612
(785) 296-8410 Telephone Number
http://www.kscourts.org
THE EXAM’S FORMAT
The Kansas Bar Exam is a two day event that is held in Topeka two times a year. The first testing session is held the last week of February, and the second testing session is held during the week of the July. On the first day of the Kansas Bar Exam you will be given twelve Kansas law essay questions and six Multistate Essay Exam questions. On the second day of the exam you will be given the Multistate Bar Exam, which consists of 200 multiple choice questions that deal with general legal issues and topics. The scores from the two days will be combined to make the final composite score. To pass the Kansas Bar Exam you will need a score of at least 133 points.
WHAT TO STUDY
The first day of the Kansas Bar Exam will be all essays. To prepare for these questions you should study the following topics, as well as practice your essay writing skills:
1. Personal Property
2. Domestic Relations and Family Law
3. Noncorporate Business Organizations
4. Agency and Employment
5. UCC & Commercial Transactions
6. Legal Ethics
7. Contracts
8. Corporations
9. Real Property
10. Constitutional Law
11. Criminal Law
12. Criminal Procedures
13. Kansas and Federal Civil Procedures
14. Torts
15. Wills
16. Trusts and Administration
17. Conflict of Laws
18. Evidence
For study materials please check out the following links:
1. Kansas Rules of Civil Procedures located at http://www.megalawserve.com/states/ks.php
2. Rules of Criminal Procedures located at http://www.lawmoose.com/index.cfm?Action=Library.&Topic;=WI188700
3. Kansas Rules of Evidence located at http://www.lawmoose.com/index.cfm?Action=Library.&Topic;=WI188700
4. Universal Commercial Code located at http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/ucc.table.html
On the second day of the Kansas Bar Exam you will take the Multistate Bar Exam. This exam will be made up of 200 multiple choice questions that cover the following topics as they are generally applied throughout the United States of America:
1. Constitutional Law
2. Contracts and Sales
3. Criminal Law and Procedures
4. Evidence
5. Real Property
6. Torts
If you would like a study guide for this section you can visit the NCBE website at http://www.ncbex.org/.
