South Dakota Bar Exam Info

South Dakota Bar Exam Information

South Dakota bar exam format, subjects, scoring, pass rates, dates, and bar review course options. Comprehensive resources to help pass the South Dakota Bar Exam.

AmeriBar’s South Dakota Bar Review Course has helped students pass the bar exam for over 20 years.

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South Dakota Bar Exam Format

The South Dakota Bar Exam is administered over two days.

Day 1

The written portion of the exam is administered on the first day of the South Dakota bar exam. The written portion of the bar exam consists of the Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”), an Indian law question, and the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”). You will have three hours to answer the five MEE questions and one Indian law question. You will have three hours to answer two MPT questions.

Day 2

The Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) is administered on the second day of the South Dakota bar exam. The MBE is a multiple-choice test containing 200 questions. The MBE is split into a morning and afternoon session. Each session consists of 100 questions. You have three hours to complete each session.

South Dakota Bar Exam Format Video

Useful Links

South Dakota Bar Review Course – AmeriBar has been helping students pass the South Dakota bar exam for over 15 years.
SouthDakotaBarExam.com – Detailed Information and resources for South Dakota bar exam takers.
MBEQuestionBank.com – Online question bank with over 2500 simulated MBE questions.

Exam Dates

February 25-26, 2025
July 29-30, 2025

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South Dakota Bar Admissions

South Dakota Board of Bar Examiners
500 E. Capitol Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501

South Dakota MPRE Score Requirement

South Dakota requires bar exam applicants to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”). You must score 85 or higher on the MPRE in order to pass in South Dakota.

Scoring/Grading and Results

In order to pass the South Dakota bar exam, you must score 130 on the MBE’s 200-point scale. The scores of the exam sections are weighted as follows: the written portion 50% and MBE 50%. South Dakota makes bar exam results available approximately 8 to 10 weeks after the exam.

Reciprocity

The State of South Dakota permits South Dakota bar exam reciprocity. A person may qualify for admission to the South Dakota Bar without examination if the person fulfills several requirements, some of which include providing evidence:

of graduation from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association;
that for the past five years they have practiced law in specified capacity; and
of certification of admission to practice law in another jurisdiction.

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Jennifer

Regent Law School

Jennifer failed twice with Barbri. “I felt so prepared…for the exam. I never felt that way the first couple of times. I can’t say enough about how I felt after failing twice to come back and just nail it after six years of absence from the law.”

South Dakota Bar Review Course

AmeriBar has been helping students pass the South Dakota bar exam for over 20 years.

AmeriBar Students

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Well, the one thing I did do differently was not use Barbri... I used the AmeriBar materials and had the one-on-one tutorial for the essays. I do think it probably made a large difference in how I handled and approached my essays.

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I chose AmeriBar and I’m convinced that had it not been for AmeriBar I wouldn’t have passed the exam.

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So, I can’t emphasize enough how much I would recommend AmeriBar to any student. I was able to pass the bar on the first attempt, even in a state that I didn’t go to law school in, and I feel like AmeriBar was a very significant contributing factor to my success on the bar exam.

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You are also taking a step in the right direction by considering AmeriBar for your test materials.

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The first time I took the bar exam, I took the Barbri program, which was a big, huge program where you don’t get a lot of individualized attention. However, the second time I took a bar preparation course, I took it through AmeriBar. AmeriBar really provided the one-on-one help that I needed to pass the bar.

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This was the fourth time taking the bar ...and this time I passed. I used a competitor’s program for the prior three times, and I didn’t pass. I have to say that I think AmeriBar’s tutoring is what really pushed me over the top.

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I think having a personal tutor help to prepare me for the bar exam is the only reason I finally passed the bar. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to AmeriBar and their program.

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Once you go with AmeriBar they will help you emotionally and academically. They will get you 100% ready for the bar exam... I’m grateful for AmeriBar – because they helped me accomplish my dream. And without them, I wouldn’t be an attorney today.

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I felt so prepared and so well-versed in every area of the law for the exam. I never felt that way with BAR/BRI the first couple of times I took it. I can’t say enough about how well-prepared I felt and how relieved I was after failing twice to come back and just nail it after six years of absence from the law.

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After three unsuccessful attempts at the bar exam, I felt as though as though I had nowhere to turn.... AmeriBar is a large contributor to my success in passing and achieving the dream of becoming a lawyer

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They offered seven hours of personal tutoring and I thought, ‘wow this is a program that is quite different.’ So I signed up and paid the money. Guess what? That was what helped me pass the bar.

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I would tell law students considering AmeriBar they should go with AmeriBar because the materials are put together in a superior way. They read much more smoothly. I think they’re put together in a more sequential and chronological way. They are far easier to comprehend, and learning it in a linear sequential way, the way AmeriBar has them set out, really helped me pass.

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South Dakota Bar Exam Subjects

South Dakota Essay Subjects

MBE Subjects

Heidi

Thomas Cooley Law School

Heidi, who failed twice with BarBri, describes how AmeriBar was instrumental in raising her score from 121 to 144.

South Dakota Bar Exam Statewide Pass Rates

Exam Date	First	Repeat	Total
July 2023	75%	67%	74%
February 2023	90%	37%	55%
July 2022	79%	23%	70%
February 2022	81%	29%	55%
July 2021	73%	91%	73%
February 2021	58%	54%	56%
July 2020	76%	40%	70%
February 2020	46%	27%	38%
July 2019	85%	62%	80%
February 2019	75%	53%	67%
July 2018	84%	16%	62%
February 2018	62%	25%	44%
July 2017	66%	44%	60%
February 2017	75%	45%	55%
July 2016	58%	43%	55%
February 2016	48%	35%	43%

South Dakota Bar Review Course

AmeriBar has been helping students pass the South Dakota bar exam for over 20 years.