Qualifications for Bar Exam

If you want to take the Washington Bar Exam, you must meet the qualifications stated in APR 3. In all cases, you must establish that you possess good moral character and the requisite fitness to practice law.   

Law School Graduates and APR 6 Law Clerks

To qualify to take the bar exam, you must have:

• graduated from an ABA accredited law school; or
• successfully completed the APR 6 Law Clerk Program.

U.S. and Foreign Licensed Lawyers

You may sit for the bar exam if you are admitted to the practice of law in any state or territory of the United States or District of Columbia, or you are admitted to the practice of law in any jurisdiction where the common law of England is the basis of its jurisprudence, and:

• you can establish that you have active legal experience* for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the filing of the application;
• you provide a certificate of good standing from the jurisdiction where you are admitted; and
• you were admitted by examination in the other jurisdiction.

* "Active legal experience" means experience:

• in the active practice of law; or
• as a teacher at an ABA accredited law school; or
• as a judge of a court of general or appellate jurisdiction; or
• any combination of the above

in a state or territory of the U.S. or in the District of Columbia or in any jurisdiction where the common law of England is the basis of its jurisprudence.

ABA-Accredited Law Schools

Information about ABA-accredited law schools is available from the American Bar Association. 

Character and Fitness

All applicants are subject to a character and fitness review prior to being admitted to practice law in Washington State. The practice of law is a privilege, not a right. Admission may be withheld pending a hearing before the Character and Fitness Board and final determination regarding whether the applicants have met their burden of proving that they are of good moral character and fit to practice law. Factors considered by Admissions staff and Bar Counsel when determining whether an applicant should be referred to the Character and Fitness Board are set forth in APR 24.2(a).

Washington strongly favors resolution of all character and fitness issues prior to sitting for the bar exam. Applicants with unresolved character and fitness issues may not be permitted to sit for the exam. Therefore, applicants who answer yes to questions 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 19, 20A, 21, 24, and/or 25 on the application or disclose any information that may raise an issue of character or fitness are strongly encouraged to file their applications early in the registration period.