DE Bar study guide
DE Bar · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Delaware Bar Examination is the written exam that the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware requires before admission to the Delaware bar. According to the Board, candidates must have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school, pass the written Delaware Bar Examination, complete a Character & Fitness evaluation, and complete a 12-week clerkship. The same pathway applies to current law students, recent graduates, and attorneys already admitted elsewhere, though the Board also offers limited permission to practice in defined situations such as in-house counsel, military spouses, foreign legal consultants, and certain government or nonprofit placements. Admission is governed by Supreme Court Rules 51-56 and the Board of Bar Examiners Rules, which every applicant must read. The Board's site does not publish an official content outline or domain weighting, so treat the subject list as something to confirm directly with the Board rather than assume. Exams are held at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington: February 23-24, 2027, and July 27-28, 2027. Topics on this exam: Delaware Bar Examination content (official domain list not published on source page). The DE Bar study guide has 1 section and about 4,295 words.
01Business Organizations - Delaware Corporate Law
The Delaware essay on business organizations asks you to apply the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) and the fiduciary doctrine developed by the Court of Chancery to a fact pattern involving directors, officers, controlling stockholders, or a merger. Expect to identify the applicable standard of review first, then allocate the burden of proof, then apply the elements to the facts. The law of the state of incorporation governs the corporation's internal relations, so Delaware law applies to a Delaware corporation even if it operates elsewhere. DGCL § 141(a) vests management in the board.
4,295 words, about 21 minMore study resources for DE Bar
- Practice questionsUnder Delaware evidence law, which privilege belongs to the client and may be waived only by the client or the client's authorized representative?
- FlashcardsUBE score required. Delaware requires a scaled UBE score of 143 for admission, computed from the MBE and written components weighted equally.
- Cheat sheetDelaware administers the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE): the exam consists of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), with the MBE weighted 50% and the MEE and MPT weighted 50% combined under UBE scoring.
- Key termsPersonal Jurisdiction. A court's power over a particular defendant or property, requiring minimum contacts with the forum state, fair play, and substantial justice consistent with due process.
- Study planMap the official Delaware Bar Examination subject list and weightings from the Delaware Board of Bar Examiners materials, then rank each subject by expected question volume.
- Common mistakesMost candidates prepare primarily with multistate materials and carry over the habit of dumping rules; Delaware essays are graded by Delaware practitioners who reward precise statements of Delaware law and penalize padding that ignores the call.
- Exam-day guideBring the exact ID the bar authority and testing vendor require; the name must match your application.