Virginia Bar Exam Subject Areas
The Virginia Essay exam, given on Tuesday, is prepared and graded under the supervision of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (Board). The Virginia Essay exam includes essay and multiple-choice questions and may test the applicant's knowledge in the following areas:
- Contracts
- Domestic Relations
- Real Property
- Virginia Civil and Criminal Procedure (including appellate practice)
- Creditor's Rights
- Evidence
- Torts
- Criminal Law
- Local Government Law
- Uniform Commercial Code (Articles 2 & 9A)
- Professional Responsibility
- Wills, Trusts and Estates
The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), given on Wednesday, is compiled and scored by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). The MBE is intended to test the applicant's knowledge of:
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Real Property
- Civil Procedure
- Contracts
- Evidence
- Torts
Please refer to the Rules of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners here: Board Rules Rev 3.5
Prior Amendments:
***Beginning with the July 2025 Virginia Bar Exam, the Virginia Essay Exam will no longer test an applicant’s knowledge of the following subjects:
- Business Organizations
- Federal Practice and Procedure
- Uniform Commercial Code Article 3 (Negotiable Instruments), and
- Personal Property
***Starting with the February 2022 Virginia Bar Exam, Virginia no longer tests on the essay portion of the bar exam:
- Agency
- Constitutional Law
- Equity
***Effective July 2020, the Virginia Bar Exam dropped Conflict of Laws and Taxation as testable topics on the essay portion of the bar exam. Suretyship was dropped in February 2010.