The Vermont Board of Bar Examiners is responsible for the bar exam. The Examiners are among the most open and transparent in the country. They release their essay questions and answers here, and the links are reproduced below.
The Vermont bar exam, a two-day exam, consists of
- the six-hour multiple-choice Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), weighted 50%;
- two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) problems, weighted 25%; and
- four 60-minute Vermont essay questions, weighted 25%.
The applicant also must pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of 80.
The following subjects may be tested on the Vermont bar exam:
- administrative law
- bankruptcy
- business organizations
- civil procedure
- commercial law, including the Uniform Commercial Code
- constitutional law (Vermont and federal)
- contracts, including UCC Article 2 sales
- criminal law and procedure
- equity (remedies)
- ethics (professional responsibility)
- evidence
- family law, including juvenile law
- general practice skills
- personal and real property, including foreclosure and real estate finance
- taxation
- torts
- trusts and estates (wills)
- wills and probate.
Here are the past essay questions and model answers from the Vermont State Bar:
February 2008 – Essay Questions
February 2008 – Model Answers
July 2007 – Essay Questions
July 2007 – Model Answers
February 2007 – Essay Questions
February 2007 – Model Answers
July 2006 – Essay Questions
July 2006 – Model Answers
February 2006 – Essay Questions
February 2006 – Model Answers
July 2005 – Essay Questions
July 2005 – Model Answers
February 2005 – Essay Questions
February 2005 – Model Answers
July 2004 – Essay Questions
July 2004 – Model Answers
February 2004 – Essay Questions
February 2004 – Model Answers
July 2003 – Essay Questions
July 2003 – Model Answers
February 2003 – Essay Questions
February 2003 – Model Answers
February 2002 – Essay Questions
February 2002 – Model Answers
July 2001 – Essay Questions
July 2001 – Model Answers
February 2001 – Essay Questions
February 2001 – Model Answers
July 2000 – Essay Questions – not yet available
July 2000 – Model Answers – not yet available
February 2000 – Essay Questions
February 2000 – Model Answers
July 1999 – Essay Questions
July 1999 – Model Answers
February 1999 – Essay Questions
February 1999 – Model Answers
July 1998 – Essay Questions
July 1998 – Model Answers
February 1998 – Essay Questions
February 1998 – Model Answers
July 1997 – Essay Questions
July 1997 – Model Answers
February 1997 – Essay Questions
February 1997 – Model Answers
July 1996 – Essay Questions
July 1996 – Model Answers
February 1996 – Essay Questions
February 1996 – Model Answers