How often do you have to take the bar exam to become a lawyer?

Bar exam – The term “Bar Exam” and "Bar Exam Requirements" are really all-encompassing terms for all of the written tests you will have to take for admittance to a state bar. Generally, all states require that you take the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) which is a 6 hour long multiple choice test concerning subject matter that you cover in your first year of law school. This test is the same for every state, and can be compared to the SAT or the LSAT you have previously taken. 

The second part to every bar exam is the Essay Section. This is another 6 hour test where you have to answer questions in essay form. The essay section is state specific, i.e. here is where each state will give a different test (be advised some states are now adopting the MBE which is a general test and not state specific). The form and subject matter of the essays will differ for each state. 

Finally, depending on the jurisdiction you may or may not be required to take two additional 2 hour tests (one of which concerns analytical skills and the other concerns attorney ethics). 

Generally, you can only take two bar exams at most because of scheduling that looks like this… 

Day 1= Essays for state #1. 

Day 2 = MBE, (Your MBE score gets applied to both states.)

Day 3 = Essays for state #2. 

Understand that each state has different guidelines for Bar exams

Thus, if you are sitting for two bar exams, you would be sitting for three days in a row 6 hours each day.