Colorado Supreme Court - Board of Law Examiners

Effective April 1, 2013 our new address is:

Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center
Colorado Supreme Court
Office of Attorney Admissions
1300 Broadway, Suite 520
Denver, CO 80203
New Phone: (303) 928-7770

Colorado Adopts Holistic Grading

Effective with the February 2013 Colorado Bar Examination, the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Law Examiners will employ a holistic grading method to score Multistate Essay and Performance Exams.  
Holistic grading assigns a score to an answer based on a global impression of the answer’s quality.  Although grading guidelines outline specific elements that should be included in an answer to the question, the grade assigned to the paper goes beyond a simple tally of the elements covered and assigns a global score that includes the overall quality of the answer.  All answers are scored using the same score scale such as 1-6. The National Conference of Bar Examiners uses a 1-6 to train graders.  Colorado will use this scale, as well.  The 1-6 scale is a relative scale, that is, a “6” is better than a “5,” which is better than a “4,” etc.

Prior to implementing holistic grading, exam answers were scored in three phases, First Scoring, Regrade and Reconciliation.  With the implementation of holistic grading the Regrade and Reconciliation phases were eliminated. This decision was not made for purposes of convenience or expediency. Rather, it was intended to improve the uniformity, reliability, and integrity of the scoring process by having all answers graded at one time when the graders are focused and calibrated.  

As a Uniform Bar Exam jurisdiction all examination results are final and not open to regrading or appeal.

July 2013 Admission Ceremony

The Admission Ceremony for those who passed the July 2013 Colorado bar exam will be held on Monday, November 4, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. at Boettcher Concert Hall.

Adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination

The Colorado Supreme Court recently amended its Rules Governing Admission, Rule 201 C.R.C.P., to allow the transfer of a bar exam score achieved in a jurisdiction which has adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE).  To be able to transfer a UBE score to Colorado without having to take the Colorado Bar Examination, the person wishing to transfer must have achieved a total score of at least 276 on the UBE taken in the other jurisdiction.   Conversely, people obtaining a UBE score in Colorado may transfer that score to another UBE jurisdiction, provided their UBE score meets the minimum passing bar exam score in that other jurisdiction.  Colorado will administer the UBE effective with the February 2012 bar examination.

ATTENTION CLASS A APPLICANTS
(Admission without Examination)

In accordance with Rule 201.3(1), C.R.C.P., eligibility for on-motion admission in Colorado is restricted to those who have been admitted and who have "actively and substantially" practiced law in a jurisdiction(s) that accept(s) Colorado attorneys for admission without examination. It is the applicant's responsibility to check with the jurisdiction(s) in which you are admitted to ensure reciprocity exists with Colorado. Persons who file an on-motion application, but who are not eligible to do so, may transfer the application to the next scheduled bar exam and the application fee will be applied to take the bar examination. Application fees are non-refundable.

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