Arizona: Early Testing

While a JD is required in order to gain admissions via testing, the Arizona Supreme Court allows "early" bar examination (i.e. taking the exam prior to graduation) in some situations.

Please read the requirements below to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for early exam. Contact the Bar & Academic Success team at University of Arizona Law if you wish to proceed with early testing so we can determine your eligibility for the exam.

Click on the link for the full text of A.R.S. Sup. Ct. Rules, Rule 34; in brief:

An applicant may sit for the Arizona bar exam prior to the award of a juris doctor (J.D.) degree if the applicant:

• is in good standing at an ABA approved law school;
• is expected to graduate within one hundred twenty (120) days of the test;
• has satisfied all requirements for graduation except for not more than 8 semester hours at the time of the test;
• will not be enrolled in more than 2 semester hours during the month of the early exam and the immediately preceding month;
• has been determined by their school to be academically prepared for early testing;

Such applicant must provide an affidavit whereby both they (the student applicant) and their law school's designee attest that the applicant meets the above criteria. 

The applicant must then subsequently graduate and meet the other requirements for bar admission, or their early test score will be voided.

In compliance with the Court's Rules for Early Testing, the faculty have passed Bylaws to ensure our early testers are ready for the rigors of the bar exam.  The policy is as follows.

February Early Bar Takers Policy

Under the AZSC Rule 34(b)(2), February early bar takers must be “academically prepared” in order to be able to sit early for the bar. Because bar passage is strongly tied to GPA, we are defining “academically prepared” in the following manner based on GPA:

• > 3.5: Student is considered to be “academically prepared”
  • Student must qualify based on credit requirements per Rule 34(b)(2)
  • Student must declare intent to take the early bar by the last day of drop/add period in the Fall (See procedures for declaring)
  • Student must have at least 30 hours of graded credits at the Law College
  • Recommended that student participate in the following:
    • 679A Pre-Bar Skills in Fall (1 unit - 14 week)
    • 698A Pre-Bar Skills in Spring (2 unit - 7 week)
    • Meeting with the Bar Success Counselor to discuss their study plan
• 3.3 - 3.49: Student is considered to be “academically prepared” with additional support in place
  • Student must qualify based on credit requirements per Rule 34(b)(2)
  • Student must declare intent to take the early bar by the last day of drop/add period in the Fall (See procedures for declaring)
  • Student must have at least 30 hours of graded credits at the Law College
  • Student must also do the following:
    • Meet with the Bar Success Counselor for development and approval of their study plan
    • Must be enrolled in 679A Pre-Bar Skills in Fall (1 unit - 14 week)
    • Must commit to register for 698A Pre-Bar Skills in Spring (2 unit - 7 week)
• 3.0-3.29: Student can become “academically prepared” with appropriate preparation and additional support in place
  • Student must qualify based on credit requirements per Rule 34(b)(2)
  • Student must declare intent to take the early bar by the last day of drop/add period in the Fall (See procedures for declaring)
  • Student must have at least 30 hours of graded credits at the Law College
  • Student must also do/have done the following:
    • Participated a simulated bar before their last year of law school
    • Meet with the Bar Success Counselor for development and approval of their study plan
    • Be on track to successfully complete 679A Pre-Bar Skills in Fall (1 unit - 14 week)
    • Commit to successfully complete 698A Pre-Bar Skills in Spring (2 unit - 7 week)
• <2.99: Student is not considered “academically prepared” to take the early bar
  • Student does not qualify to take the early bar unless a petition for an exception is approved by the Executive Committee (See Petition Process)

Procedure for declaring intent to take the February bar:

• Students will need to declare their intent to take the February Bar by the last day of drop/add period in Fall
• Students will need to complete the online form to declare their intent to take the early bar and upload any supporting documents required
• The Bar Success Team may follow up with students for additional information as needed
• Once approved to take the early bar, the Bar Success Team will email the student to alert them that they can now move forward with their bar application
• Once students receive the email of approval, students may arrange with Dean Jordan-Curtis to complete an affidavit of readiness per Rule 34(b)(2)

Student may petition the Executive Committee for an Exception to any of the requirements/deadlines:

• Petitions for exceptions must be received no later than November 1 to be considered. (Note: It is recommended that petitions be submitted well before the deadline in order to ensure adequate time to be heard by the Executive Committee and to timely submit the bar application with the Arizona Supreme Court.)
• When petitioning the Executive Committee for an exception to any requirements of the early taker policy, the Student must:
  • Demonstrate that they are in fact academically prepared to pass the bar.  The Executive Committee may consider whether the student demonstrated a sufficient score on simulated bar, demonstrated proficiency on a diagnostic, or other appropriate evidence of ability to pass the bar; AND
  • Provide evidence that they have completed similar/comparable activities to those required under the policy OR demonstrate that not having met other requirements will not negatively impact their ability to pass; AND
  • Explain how they intend to pass in sufficient detail, including identifying potential obstacles and how they will address those; AND
  • Notify the Bar Success Team of their petition so that the Bar Success Team may submit a recommendation as to whether the student is academically prepared for consideration by the Executive Committee.

Other Jurisdictions: Early testing

Most Arizona Law students who take the test before attaining their J.D., do so in Arizona; Arizona is one of a few states that allow this practice. However, there are about a dozen other states that allow early testing. See this article from JD Advising for a list. Check with those jurisdictions if this is something you might be interested in.