July 2020 FL Bar Exam

July 2020 FL Bar Exam

Our July 2020 FL Bar Exam information is concisely stated and was compiled using the Supreme Court of Florida’s website, the Florida Bar’s website, the Florida Board of Bar Examiners website, and the National Conference of Bar Examiners website.

I. When & Where is the July 2020 FL Bar Exam?

July 28–29, 2020: The July 2020 Florida Bar Exam is still scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28 & 29, 2020. There will be two exam locations for the July exam: the Tampa Convention Center and the Orange County Convention Center. You can find updated and detailed information such as arrival and exam session times on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners website.

II. What is the Purpose of the General FL Bar Exam?

According to the Florida Supreme Court, the “General” Florida Bar Exam’s purpose is threefold:

1. First, the exam tests your “ability to reason logically.”
2. Second, it tests your ability to “accurately analyze the problem presented.”
3. And third, it tests your ability to “demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles of law and their application.”

Taking the bar exam is very different from taking a law school exam. The bar exam is all-encompassing. You need to know a vast array of federal law subjects, including Florida law distinctions. Memorization alone is not enough to pass the exam, although mnemonics are certainly helpful.

So, when you’re studying for the bar exam, study like a lawyer and not like a student. Know as much about your opponent as is diligently possible. In this case, your opponent is the bar exam. The more insight you have about the overall exam, including the actual law, the more confident you should feel when facing your opponent on exam day.

Source: See Rule 4-21, Rules of the Florida Supreme Court

III. How is the FL Bar Exam Tested?

The “General” Florida Bar Exam consists of two parts:

1. Part A (the Florida Portion (Day 1)), and
2. Part B (the MBE (Day 2)).

Part A, the Florida Portion, might be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Part A traditionally consists of three hours answering 3 Florida essay questions in the morning, and three hours answering 100 Florida multiple-choice questions in the afternoon.

Part B, the MBE, might be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The MBE consists of six hours answering 200 federal law multiple-choice questions; three hours in the morning, and three hours in the afternoon.

Source: FL Bd Bar Examiners Website; see also NCBE Website

IV. What Subjects are Tested on the FL Bar Exam?

A. Day 1—Part A (the Florida Portion)

The Florida Portion of the Florida Bar Exam consists of approximately 23 to 25 subjects. In its strictest terms, the “General Florida Bar Exam consists of six one-hour segments from the following subjects:”

1. Constitutional Criminal Procedure ^
2. Contracts ^
3. Corporations *
4. Criminal Law ^
5. Dependency ^
6. Evidence *
7. Family Law ^
8. Federal Constitutional Law ^
9. Florida Civil Procedure *
10. Florida Constitutional Law ^
11. Florida Criminal Procedure *
12. Florida Rules of Judicial Admin *
13. Juvenile Delinquency ^
14. Partnerships *
15. Professionalism ^*
16. Real Property ^
17. Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, Chapter 4 ^*
18. Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, Chapter 5 ^*
19. Torts ^
20. Trusts ^
21. UCC Article 3 (Negotiable Instruments) ^
22. UCC Article 9 (Secured Transactions) ^
23. Wills & Administration of Estates *

^ Usually tested in essay format * Frequently tested in multiple-choice format

B. Required Subjects on Every Florida Bar Exam

1. The Florida Rules of Civil Procedure,
2. The Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, and
3. The Florida Rules of Judicial Administration comprise one segment of the exam. …

“The remaining five segments of the exam, each of which will embrace no more than three subjects per segment, are selected from the above listed subjects, including their equitable aspects” (paraphrasing Rule 4-22; see also FL Bd Bar Examiners Website; How Many Subjects Can Be Tested on the FL Bar Exam?).

Questions on the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration will address the following areas:

1. disqualification of trial judges;
2. public access to judicial branch records;
3. minimization of the filing of sensitive information;
4. the qualifications, restrictions, and conditions pertaining to attorneys in their representation of clients in Florida Courts; and
5. the signature of attorneys and parties on pleadings and other papers. (Quoting Rule 4-22.)

Source: Rule 4-22; see also FL Bd Bar Examiners Website

C. Subject Changes Effective Immediately

Florida Juvenile Law and Florida Dependency Law have been removed as testable subjects from the Florida Bar Exam. This change takes effect immediately. [Read More >>]

Day 2—Part B (the MBE)

The MBE (Multi-State Bar Exam) consists of the following subjects. The number in parenthesis indicates the amount of questions for that specific subject:

1. Civil Procedure (25 Q)
2. Constitutional Law (25 Q)
3. Contracts (25 Q)
4. Criminal Law and Procedure (25 Q)
5. Evidence (25 Q)
6. Real Property (25 Q)
7. Torts (25 Q)

While there are 200 total MBE questions on the exam, only 175 of those questions are actually scored. Each one of the above subjects consists of 25 questions. This means that each subject is equally weighted when grading.

Source: NCBE Website

V. Time Allotment and Raw Points

You are essentially allotted one-hour to answer each essay question. Each essay is worth 100 points for a total possible essay raw score of 300 points. As for the 100 multiple-choice questions, you are essentially allotted 1.8 minutes to answer each question.

The total raw score available on the multiple-choice section is 90 points. This is because 10 of the questions are “experimental” and do not count toward your total score. The total raw points available on Part A of the Florida Bar Exam are 390—300 points on the essay section and 90 points on the multiple-choice section.

VI. Passing Score Requirements

To pass the General Florida Bar Exam, you “must attain a minimum scaled score of 136 points or above on both Parts A and B under the individual method, or an average scaled score of 136 or above under the overall method.” (See, e.g., Grading-From Raw Score to Scaled Score.)

VII. New FL Character & Fitness Requirements

According to the Florida Board of Bar Examiners website,

“The Florida Board of Bar Examiners announced that the Board approved a policy change effective March 21, 2019, affecting applicants requested by the Board to undergo evaluations related to substance use disorders or certain severe mental health disorders. Under the new policy, the Board shall pay the fees for such evaluations, up to $3,000 per applicant.” [Read More]

VIII. FL Bar Exam Resources

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners published a “Virtual Tour” of the exam in hopes of making your 2020 Florida Bar Exam experience less stressful. The board also published a “Study Guide” containing past essay questions and sample multiple-choice questions.

The NCBE published a “2020 MBE Subject Matter Outline” which gives examinees valuable MBE information. The NCBE also has its own MBE study resources store where you can purchase Practice Exams and study aides. Additionally, we posted a Florida court jurisdiction flowchart page in case you need it.

Posts of Interest

Subjects Removed—FL Bar Exam

Feb 2020 FL Bar Exam Results

Copyright © 2020 Aplus eBooks Publications - All Rights Reserved

{1338}