Bar exam: Indiana bar exam FAQs (Updated)

Click here if you’re looking for the Indiana Bar Exam Capsule Outlines.

Q. Where’s my admission ticket?
A. Don’t worry; you’re not supposed to have one. Indiana does NOT send out admission tickets prior to the exam.

Q. So how do I get in to the exam?
A. Bring a photo identification (your drivers license is fine). Your photo ID will allow you to get your seat number for the exam.

Q. My seat number?
A. Yes. Indiana has “assigned seating.” You will be given a seat number when you enter the exam, and you must sit in that seat. No switching. Even if it means you have to sit by someone other than your bestest friend.

Q. Can I wear my pajamas to the test?
A. If you want to. Indiana does not specify any dress requirement (unlike other states, like Virginia, that require their applicants to take the exam in full business suit attire!). However, you CANNOT wear hats. Not even your luckiest fraternity hat from undergrad.

Q. What all can I take in to the exam with me?
A. Pens (with BLACK ink) for Tuesday, pencils (number 2) for Wednesday, and yourself. No food, drinks, cell phones, calculators, pets, lucky charms, or human “assistants.”

Q. No food? Surely I can still bring in my gum/jolly ranchers/peppermints/life savers, etc.?
A. No. If you have gum or candy in your mouth when you enter the exam, you’re not going to have to spit it out to enter the room. But you cannot take in a pack of gum, a roll of candy, a granola bar, etc. However, you MAY bring those items in your lunch bag and leave the testing room to go get a piece of gum/candy as you need to. So for those of you with hypoglycemia or just a strong oral fixation, you’re not out of luck; just plan to build in a couple of minutes here and there to go out and grab your food or candy (and eat it–or at least get it in your mouth–before re-entering).

Q. What about earplugs? Can I take earplugs in with me?
A. Yes–but you don’t even have to. The bar examiners will be supplying ear plugs on-site. But you’re welcome to bring your own.

Q. Can I stick a handful of notes in my lunchbag for mid-test consultation?
A. NO. Do not attempt that. Do not stick them in between two pieces of bread and hope no one notices you “reading” your sandwich during the test time. The people who administer this exam have done this before, and you won’t fool them. Do NOT bring any notes, flashcards, or “hints” with you in any way, shape, or form. It’s not worth risking getting booted from the exam for the sake of an extra point or two!

Q. How much does parking cost?
A. The on-site parking is free.

Q. My friend from [insert state here] said that they had to sit on hard metal chairs and I should bring a chair pad or pillow to sit on.
A. That may be the case for [insert state here], but not for Indiana. While padded chairs are certainly not guaranteed, historically Indiana test-takers have not had to sit on metal folding chairs. And even if you do have to this year, chair pads and pillows are NOT allowed in the testing room, so you’ll just have to make do.

Q. Are there clocks? Can I bring a watch/clock?
A. I have heard from a friend that there are no clocks in the testing room(s). So you’ll probably want to bring a wristwatch. Just make certain that your wristwatch cannot make noise. Don’t even bring one that just has the alarm switched “off.” You’d be amazed at how many people said that their “off” noises somehow came “on” during the exam and got them either in trouble with the examiners or nearly beat up by their fellow test-takers. So bring an old-fashioned one that has no bells, whistles, or functions other than just telling time.

Q. What is a “passing score”?
A. You need a “combined scaled score”of 264 to pass.

Q. How is each part of the exam weighted?
A. The MPT is worth 20% of your score. The IEE (essay exam) is worth 30%, and the MBE is worth 50%.

Q. What is “scaling?”
A. “The MPT and IEE raw scores are scaled to the MBE scores using the standard deviation method.” That’s from the bar examiners, and I don’t know exactly what that means. As Professor Bruce Berner so often said, “If I could do that kind of math, I’d have gone to med school.”

Q. How long will I have to wait to find out if I passed, or if I get to do this all again in February?
A. The Indiana BLE website currently states that the list of successful July 2006 applicants will be posted on that website beginning September 29, 2006. [Note: I have heard --from no one official-- that the full list of successful applicants is sometimes not posted all at once; so if your name doesn't appear at 7:00 a.m. on September 29, don't start panicking. Wait a few days before you panic.]

Q. What website are you talking about? Where can I look for that list?
A. The Indiana BLE Bar Exam Information page

Q. Where is the bar exam site again? I lost the address!
A. It’s in the Ballroom of Primo West, 2353 Hadley Road, Plainfield, Indiana 46168. Ballroom attire is suggested but not required. (I’m kidding, of course, but wouldn’t that be amusing?)

Q. What is the schedule for the exam?
A. See below:

Tuesday (bring your black ink pens!)

• 7:45 to 8:45 = registration (but show up on time, people. Don’t be “that guy” that races in at 8:44 a.m. and makes everyone else fidget while you try to hurry up and get to your seat.)
• 8:45 to 9:00 = test insructions
• 9:00 to 10:30 = MPT Problem 1
• 10:30 to 10:45 = break
• 10:45 to 11:00 = handing out MPT materials?
• 11:00 to 12:30 = MPT Problem 2
• 12:45 to 1:45 = lunch break
• 1:45 to 2:00 = test instructions
• 2:00 to 6:00 = Essays (6 questions)

Wednesday (bring your #2 pencils!)

• 8:00 to 8:45 = Check-in
• 8:45 to 9:00 = test instructions
• 9:00 to 12:00 = MBE questions 1-100
• 12:15 to 1:15 = lunch break
• 1:15 to 1:30 = test instructions
• 1:30 to 4:30 = MBE questions 101-200

Q. With all the daylight-savings-time fiasco stuff in Indiana, what time zone are those times actually in? I don’t want to show up an hour early/late!
A. Plainfield, like Indianapolis, is on Eastern Daylight Time. (NOTE: That is an hour ahead of Valparaiso time!!)