DE Bar

The Board describes it only as a written examination; the public page does not publish an item-by-item format or subject weighting. Confirm the current structure, subjects, and scoring directly with the Board of Bar Examiners before building a study plan around any assumed format.

Graduates of ABA-accredited law schools, including recent graduates and attorneys already licensed in another jurisdiction. Every applicant must also pass the written exam, complete a Character & Fitness evaluation, and complete a 12-week clerkship. Limited permission to practice is a separate track for in-house counsel, military spouses, foreign legal consultants, and certain government or nonprofit placements.

The February 2027 exam runs February 23-24, 2027, at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, 815 Justison Street, Wilmington. The July 2027 exam runs July 27-28, 2027, at the same venue. Applications for July 2027 open mid-February 2027 and close early May 2027.

The application final deadline is December 1, 2026. The early filing date, the testing accommodations application deadline, and the administrative accommodations application deadline are all November 3, 2026. Missing the accommodations date is effectively fatal to an accommodation request, so file those early rather than with the main application.

The Board states that early filing registration fees of $700/$800 apply for any July 2026 applicant who applies for the February 2027 Bar Exam. The page does not explain which applicant category pays which amount, so confirm your specific fee with the Board before submitting payment.

The public Board page does not state a retake policy, number of attempts allowed, or any waiting period. Because retake rules are set by Supreme Court Rules 51-56 and the Board of Bar Examiners Rules, read those rules and contact the Board directly rather than relying on assumptions from other jurisdictions.

A Character & Fitness evaluation and a 12-week clerkship. For the July 2026 class, the clerkship checklist, the preceptor's clerkship certificate, and an MPRE score report of 85 or above were due November 23, 2026, to qualify for the December 9, 2026 admission ceremony. Plan clerkship and preceptor arrangements long before results arrive.

Work backward from the exam dates. Lock in your clerkship and preceptor first, since the Board publishes preceptor duties and guidance for applicants who cannot find one. Then build the character and fitness file, including the criminal history reports the Board instructs applicants to obtain. Reserve the final months for written exam practice.

Administrative failures rather than exam performance: missed accommodation deadlines, incomplete clerkship certificates, late MPRE score reports, and incomplete criminal history documentation. The Board's published deadlines are firm and several fall months before the exam, so treat paperwork as a parallel project from day one rather than something to handle after studying.

The Board's website includes a Prior Bar Exam Questions page in its navigation, alongside bar exam results and the rules. Use those official materials, plus Supreme Court Rules 51-56 and the Board of Bar Examiners Rules, as your primary sources rather than third-party outlines of uncertain currency.