Regulations of the Board of Bar Examiners - Rule 03-25 - Application and Examination Requirements

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by moss~

Order amends the regulations of the South Dakota Board of Bar Examiners, setting procedures for admitting applicants to practice law. It specifies application submissions, copy and fee requirements, deadlines for February and July examinations, and requirements for character report requests. The rules cover admission without examination, application forms waiving confidentiality to allow background inquiries, and bar exam structure including MEE, MPT, MBE, and MPRE scoring and acceptance/transfer of results. It also addresses registration for law students.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Amendments to the Board of Bar Examiners Regulations

Application for Admission to Practice Law

Application Forms and Payment of Fees

Bar Examination Components and Requirements

Passing Score and Retaking Requirements

Acceptance and Transfer of Multistate Results

Law Student Registration

# IN THE SUPREME COURTOF THESTATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA * * * * # IN THE MATTER OF THE AMENDMENTS ) TO THE REGULATIONS OF THE BOARD ) # OF BAR EXAMINERS STATE OF SOUTH) ) DAKOTA 一一 ORDERED that Regulations of The Board of Bar ExaminersState of South Dakota be and they are hereby amended to read intheir entirety as follows: The following regulations are those adopted from time totime by the Board of Bar Examiners;approved by the SupremeCourt of South Dakota pursuant to SDCL 16-16-5,and now ineffect. (1) Application for Admission to Practice Law.Eachapplicant for admission to practice law shall file with thesecretary of the Board of Bar Examiners a written application,together with five complete machine or photo copies thereof,inthe form prescribed by the Board of Bar Examiners. Such application and copies thereof shall be postmarked by November 1for the February examination and April 1 for the July examination and shall be accompanied by the fee prescribed inthe applicable rules of court and a recent photograph of theapplicant. Each applicant for admission shall also file a request forpreparation of a character report and application with theNational Conference of Bar Examiners. Such request and application shall be postmarked by November 1 for the Februaryexamination and April 1 for the July examination and shall beaccompanied by the fee prescribed by the National Conference ofBar Examiners. RULE 03-25 一 - - - - 一 A hearing having been held on August 28,2003,at Pierre,SouthDakota,relating to the revisions of the South Dakota Rules ofProfessional Responsibility,and the Court having considered theproposed amendments,the correspondence and oral presentationsrelating thereto,if any,and being fully advised in the premises,now,therefore,it is # REGULATIONS OF THEBOARD OF BAR EXAMINERSSTATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA (1.1).Application for admission without examination.Each applicant for admission to practice law without examinationshall file with the secretary of the Board of Bar Examiners awritten application,together with five complete machine orphoto copies thereof,in the form prescribed by the Board of BarExaminers. Such application and copies thereof shall beaccompanied by the applicable fees,a recent photograph of theapplicant,and DCI and FBI fingerprint cards. Each applicant for admission without examination shall alsofile a request for preparation of a character report and application with the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Suchrequest and application shall be accompanied by the feeprescribed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. (2)Application Forms and Payment of Fees.All fees shallbe paid by money order or certified check.The application formshall require each applicant to waive confidentiality andprivacy rights in order to allow the Board of Bar Examiners toinquire into the applicant's moral character through examinationof state,federal,police,court and security records. (3) All applicants,except those applying pursuant to SDCL16-16-7.6 and SDCL 16-16-12.1 are required to take the barexamination which consists of the Multistate Essay Examination(MEE),the Multistate Performance Test(MPT),the Multistate BarExamination(MBE),and the Multistate ProfessionalResponsibility Examination(MPRE). The MEE is a three-hour examination consisting of six 30-minute essay questions which will test six subject areas: Business OrganizationsCommercial TransactionsCivil Procedure The MEE will test both general and South Dakota principles oflaw. The MPT consists of two ninety-minute questions which testthe fundamental skills of problem solving,legal analysis andreasoning,factual analysis,communication,organization andmanagement of a legal task,and recognizing and resolvingethical dilemmas. Each question shall contain all of theresource material necessary to complete the performanceexamination. The MPT will test both general and South Dakotaprinciples of law. The MBE

FAQs

What must an applicant submit to apply for admission to practice law in South Dakota?

An applicant must file a written application with the Board secretary in the prescribed form, together with five complete machine or photo copies, the applicable fees, and a recent photograph. The applicant must also submit request items for preparation of a character report and application with the National Conference of Bar Examiners where required.

Which exams are required for admission, and what do they test?

Most applicants must take the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), Multistate Performance Test (MPT), Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), and Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). The MEE covers essay questions testing subject areas and South Dakota principles of law, the MPT tests problem solving and legal analysis skills using provided resources, the MBE covers multiple-choice subjects, and the MPRE tests knowledge of ethical standards.

How are passing scores determined and what happens if an applicant fails?

The combined score of the MEE and MPT is weighted equally with the MBE score using a standard deviation method to determine the applicant’s final score for that portion. A separate passing score applies to the MPRE. If an applicant fails to attain a passing score on the combined MPT, MEE, and MBE and applies again, the applicant must take the MPT, MEE, and MBE portions of subsequent examinations.

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by moss~