The Young Lawyers Division Bar Exam Committee (“YLD BEC”) exists to assist prospective North Carolina lawyers in applying and sitting for the North Carolina Bar Examination. In this post, the YLD BEC shares important details regarding the upcoming February and July 2021 North Carolina Bar Exams, which, like most things since early 2020, will likely be anything but ordinary.

In addition to the information below, all applicants should thoroughly read all information posted on the website of the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners (NCBLE) (www.ncble.org), as well as the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in the State of North Carolina and the Character and Fitness Guidelines, both of which can be located on the NCBLE website here.

Information Regarding the February 2021 Bar Exam

Dates, Location & Passing Score

The February 2021 North Carolina Bar Exam is currently scheduled to take place in-person on February 23 and 24, 2021, at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds and the Jane S. McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University. The NCBLE has lowered the minimum passing score for the February 2021 exam from 270 to 268.

Test-Day Conditions

General test-day conditions are located on the NCBLE website here. Although NCBLE has not yet published the protective measures it is adopting for the February 2021 exam, applicants can expect testing conditions similar to the July 2020 exam, which was also held in-person.

Temperature Screening: For the July 2020 exam, applicants were temperature-screened during the check-in process. Applicants with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher were required to wait ten minutes and be rescreened; applicants who continued to have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher when rescreened were not permitted entry.
Masks: Applicants were also required to wear protective face coverings continuously throughout the July 2020 exam administration, including when waiting for admittance, during check-in, throughout the exam, and during check-out.
COVID-19 Screening: For the July 2020 exam, applicants were required to submit multiple COVID-19-related documents prior to receiving an admission ticket, including a declaration acknowledging COVID-19 regulations, bar examination regulations and code of conduct, and COVID-19 screening certification. In addition, applicants were required to report to staff any development of COVID-19 symptoms during the exam.
Hand Sanitizer: In addition to the standard permitted items, applicants sitting for the July 2020 exam were allowed to bring one bottle of hand sanitizer for personal use and one bottle of water to each exam session.

Information Regarding the July 2021 Bar Exam

Dates, Location & Passing Score

The July 2021 North Carolina Bar Exam is currently scheduled to take place in-person on July 27 and 28, 2021, at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds and the Jane S. McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University. For the July 2021 exam, the minimum passing score returns to 270.

Filing Deadlines & Fees

Applications for the July 2021 North Carolina Bar Exam have recently opened. General applications for the exam opened November 4, 2020, and will close on March 2, 2021. All applications submitted between November 4, 2020, and January 5, 2021, will be considered “timely,” while applications submitted from January 6, 2021, to March 2, 2021, will be considered “late” and subject to increased filing fees. Supplemental applications for the July 2021 exam will open December 23, 2020, and close May 4, 2021. No late supplemental applications will be accepted.

Since North Carolina’s adoption of the Universal Bar Exam (UBE) in 2019, UBE transfer applications are also accepted by the NCBLE year-round (note that the minimum acceptable score for UBE transfer applicants who sit for the UBE in July 2020, September 2020, or February 2021 has also been reduced from 270 to 268). Applications are also accepted year-round for applicants seeking admission by comity. For all applicants, please make sure to review the NCBLE’s specific rules regarding when an application is considered “filed” to avoid missing the filing deadline. In addition to the relevant filing fee, applications can be subject to additional fees for a variety of reasons. A complete list of deadlines, fees, forms, and instructions for each application type is located at the NCBLE website here.

Application Information & Materials

All applicants should be aware that the general application to sit for the North Carolina Bar Exam is comprehensive and may require information or documentation that most applicants do not have readily available. The NCBLE maintains an interactive form for previewing application contents and requirements, which can be accessed for general applicants year-round here. All applicants are advised to review the application in its entirety well in advance of the filing deadline to avoid incurring late fees or missing the application deadline. In particular, general applicants should consider gathering the following items and information as soon as possible:

Certified birth certificate
Documentation of name change (if applicable)
Residency timeline (including temporary and permanent addresses since the applicant’s 18th birthday)
Employment timeline (including all paid and unpaid employment held since the applicant’s 18th birthday)
Certified driving record
Traffic violations (for the past five years; including date, location, and details regarding the offense & disposition)
Police reports (for all criminal actions, including DWI/DUI and any traffic violation resulting in jail time)
Court records (for any litigation to which the applicant has been a party — criminal and civil)
Educational transcripts
Law school admission application (for applicants that attended law school outside the State of North Carolina)
Disciplinary statements & Certificates of Good Standing (if applicable)
Student loan information (including all student loans and whether payments are current, deferred, or delinquent, as well as documentation)
Credit card information (including all credit card account numbers, balances, and statuses)
Other debt information (for debts over $1,000, bankruptcy, default/discharge, judgments, etc.)
Four persons willing to submit a Certificate of Moral Character on behalf of the applicant (no relatives, current law students, current bar exam applicants, or current or former supervisors and cannot be listed elsewhere on application)
Eight general character references (no relatives, current law students, current bar exam applicants, or current or former supervisors and cannot be listed elsewhere on application)

A number of other forms, including signature pages, a handwriting sample, a signed release, and fingerprints are also required components of the application. Applications should note that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCBLE is permitting applicants to submit documents using a signed declaration in lieu of a notarized signature until March 1, 2021. Additional details are located here.

November 3, 2020/by NCBA YLD