Bar Exam & Additional Information

You must submit a comprehensive clinical evaluation (generally within the past 12 months) showing a diagnosed psychological disability and how it currently limits your test‑taking. Older evaluations may be considered depending on the disability’s nature, severity, duration, treatment history, and stability—but updated documentation may still be required.
What the report must include:

• Detailed psychological/psychiatric history, including active symptoms.
• Onset, duration, and severity of symptoms, with a clear distinction between normal test anxiety and a diagnosable condition.
• Relevant developmental, educational, family, medical, and medication history.
• Documented functional limitations across settings (academic, social, work), not just test‑taking.
• Review of prior accommodations and their effectiveness.
• Results from testing or assessment tools supporting the diagnosis (e.g., psychoeducational or neuropsychological tests, rating scales, personality measures).
• A clear diagnostic formulation, ruling out other mental disorders or substance‑related causes.
• Prognosis and expected course, if relevant to exam performance.
• Clinical rating scales and, when appropriate, effort testing to rule out malingering.
• If requesting additional time: measures of intelligence, achievement, and scholastic abilities with validity indicators.

Your Qualified Professional must submit a comprehensive, adult‑relevant ADHD evaluation (typically within the past 3 years and after age 18) that shows how ADHD currently impairs your exam performance. The evaluation must follow current DSM criteria and include objective evidence—not self‑report alone. The evaluation must include:

• A clear DSM‑based ADHD diagnosis with specific symptoms, duration, and severity;
• Evidence that symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in multiple settings, including academic functioning.
• A detailed developmental, medical, family, academic, and psychosocial history, including prior testing, accommodations, standardized test history, and medication effects.
• Third‑party evidence (e.g., parent/teacher ratings, job evaluations, transcripts, tutoring reports).
• Identification of the ADHD subtype (inattentive, hyperactive‑impulsive, combined, or unspecified).

• Required testing:
  • A neuropsychological/psychological/psychoeducational battery covering aptitude, achievement, cognitive function, and information processing.
  • Adult‑normed reading tests (decoding, comprehension) and a timed reading measure (such as SATA).
  • A continuous performance test.
  • Validity measures (embedded or stand‑alone).
• If requesting extra time: measures of intelligence, achievement, and scholastic abilities.

Your Qualified Professional must submit a comprehensive, adult‑normed psychoeducational evaluation (usually within the past 5 years and after age 18) that clearly diagnoses a specific learning disability and shows how it currently limits your ability to take the exam. The report must include:

1. A thorough diagnostic interview (developmental, medical, family, social, and educational history), and
2. A neurposcyhological or psycheducational assessment consisting of a comprehensive battery of tests that address aptitude, achievement, scholastic abilities, and aspects of cognitive function and information processing. The assessment must include:

• • Current levels of academic functioning in reading and a timed reading measure normed for adults (for example: Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults)
  • Cognitive tests related to visual word and sentence processing.
  • If requesting extra time: measures of intelligence, achievement, and scholastic abilities, with validity indicators.

A qualified professional is a licensed or certified expert who has the appropriate training and experience to assess an applicant’s identified condition, provide a diagnosis, and recommend accommodations. This person must be able not only to diagnose the specific condition but also to evaluate and rule out other conditions that may present similarly (differential diagnosis). If multiple diagnoses are given, the professional must be qualified to make each one. Diagnoses from family members, even if otherwise qualified, are not accepted due to conflicts of interest.

• For ADHD: the evaluation must be performed by a licensed mental health professional trained in psychological, neuropsychological, or psychoeducational assessment of adults.
• For a Learning Disorder, the evaluation must be performed by a certified /licensed professional experienced with adult learning disabilities and trained in psychological, neuropsychological, or psychoeducational assessment.
• For a psychological, emotional, or behavioral health disorder, the evaluation must be performed by a licensed mental health professional (such as a psychologist or psychiatrist), with license number included.
• For a physical disability, the evaluation must be performed by a medical doctor specializing in the specific disability.

It depends on the type of accommodations you need:

• Non‑Standard Testing Accommodations are for requests that change standard exam conditions.
  • Examples include extra testing time, off‑the‑clock breaks, schedule changes, a separate room, assistive technology, or special equipment.
• Courtesy Accommodations allow necessary items or conduct that do not change how the exam is administered.
  • Examples include medical food or supplies, frequent restroom breaks, large‑print materials, or special seating.

If you are requesting both courtesy accommodations and non‑standard testing accommodations, you should submit only the Non‑Standard Testing Accommodations application and list all requested accommodations in that single application.

You should submit only one application, regardless of how many conditions you have. Please do not submit separate applications for each condition.