IA Bar study guide
IA Bar · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Iowa Bar Examination is the licensing examination administered under the authority of the Iowa Supreme Court through its Board of Law Examiners, a body listed within the Office of Professional Regulation on the Iowa Judicial Branch website. It is intended for law graduates and lawyers who seek admission to practice law in Iowa and who do not qualify for admission by another route such as admission on motion or admission by transferred UBE score. The IA Bar study guide has 8 sections and about 2,310 words.
01Civil Procedure
Civil Procedure on the IA Bar asks you to apply the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to a dispute from filing through preclusion. Expect personal and subject-matter jurisdiction, venue, pleading sufficiency, joinder, discovery scope, summary judgment, and the preclusive effect of judgments.
370 words, about 2 min02Constitutional Law
Constitutional Law tests judicial review, standing, federalism, separation of powers, due process, equal protection, and the First Amendment. The exam favors fact patterns where a state or city law burdens a protected right or interstate commerce.
301 words, about 2 min03Contracts
Contracts tests formation, enforceability, performance, breach, and remedies under common law and UCC Article 2. Expect offer and acceptance, consideration, Statute of Frauds, parol evidence, warranties, and damages.
310 words, about 2 min04Criminal Law and Procedure
Criminal Law and Procedure tests mens rea, actus reus, homicide, defenses, and the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. Expect searches, seizures, interrogations, identifications, and trial rights.
299 words, about 1 min05Evidence
Evidence tests relevance, character evidence, impeachment, hearsay and its exceptions, confrontation, privilege, and expert testimony. Expect questions that turn on the purpose for which a statement is offered.
282 words, about 1 min06Real Property
Real Property tests estates and future interests, concurrent ownership, landlord-tenant, easements, covenants, recording, mortgages, and takings. Expect a deed or lease problem with competing claims.
270 words, about 1 min07Torts
Torts tests negligence, intentional torts, strict liability, products liability, defamation, and defenses. Expect duty, breach, causation, and damages in a fact pattern.
239 words, about 1 min08Legal Writing and Analysis
Legal Writing and Analysis tests your ability to organize a clear answer under time pressure. Expect a memo or brief-style question that requires issue spotting, rule synthesis, application, and counteranalysis.
239 words, about 1 min