Exam Day References & Security Policy
THE BOARD HAS A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR CELL
PHONES AND ALL OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES. BRINGING A CELLPHONE,
BLACKBERRY, IPOD, IPHONE, MP3 PLAYER, CAMERA OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC
DEVICE INTO THE EXAM ROOM IS A VIOLATION OF BOARD RULE 6000.9 ON
FRAUD, DISHONESTY AND OTHER MISCONDUCT. NOTES, BOOKS, & PAPERS ARE
ALSO PROHIBITED.
IF YOU ARE FOUND TO HAVE BROUGHT ANY SUCH
DEVICE OR ITEM INTO THE EXAM ROOM IT WILL BE CONFISCATED AND IT WILL
NOT BE RETURNED TO YOU, AND A MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION WILL BE
COMMENCED UNDER BOARD RULE 6000.9. AS A PENALTY YOUR EXAM SCORE MAY
BE NULLIFIED AND, IF YOU LATER PASS THE EXAM, A REPORT WILL BE MADE
TO THE CHARACTER & FITNESS COMMITTEE.
OTHER PENALTIES PERMITTED BY RULE MAY ALSO BE
IMPOSED. TURNING OFF YOUR CELL PHONE OR ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND
STORING IT IN YOUR POCKET OR BAG WHICH IS IN YOUR POSSESSION IS NOT
A DEFENSE TO A MISCONDUCT CHARGE BROUGHT UNDER RULE 6000.9.
REQUIRED IDENTIFICATION:
You must have your Admission Ticket and Government Issued
Photo ID in hand and ready to present to security at the entrance to
the exam room. A non-U.S. citizen who does not possess a driver
license issued by a U.S. state or territory must present a valid
passport as identification
PERMITTED ITEMS:
You may bring the following items into the exam room in one
clear, gallon-sized plastic food storage bag (one clear bag only):
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Pens (blue or black ink only) on NY
Day Only (No pens on MBE day)
-
No. 2 Pencils and Erasers
-
Medications
-
Feminine Hygiene Products
-
Quiet Snack Tissues
-
Ordinary Earplugs
-
Wallet
-
Non-digital wristwatch
-
Beverage/Drink: One beverage in a
re-sealable plastic container (max size: 1 liter) which must be
kept under the table and retrieved when necessary. (Glass
containers, cans, cups are not permitted.)
PROHIBITED ITEMS: The following
items are strictly prohibited and will NOT be permitted in the exam
room:
-
NO highlighters.
-
NO pens on MBE Day.
-
NO luggage.
-
NO handbags, purses, backpacks,
briefcases, tote bags, or bags of any kind.
-
NO notes, papers, books, bar review
or other study materials in any format or media.
-
NO electronic devices of any kind
including but not limited to cell phones, Blackberries, Iphones,
PDAs, wireless e-mail devices, IPods, MP3 players, pagers,
calculators, clocks, cameras, radios, recording devices,
hand-held computers, programmable watches, etc.
-
NO headphones, headsets, ear phones,
ear buds or blue tooth devices (ordinary ear plugs are
acceptable).
-
NO weapons of any kind.
-
NO hats, baseball caps or visors,
with the exception of religious apparel provided that it does
not contain a brim or otherwise obscure the view of the
applicant’s facial features.
-
NO flip flops or other shoes or
garments which are noisy and can disrupt other candidates.
ANY OTHER ITEM NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED
ABOVE IS ALSO PROHIBITED.
IF YOU ATTEMPT TO BRING ANY PROHIBITED ITEM INTO THE EXAMINATION
ROOM YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO LEAVE IT AT A COAT CHECK FACILITY IF
ONE IS AVAILABLE. IF NO COAT CHECK IS AVAILABLE, THE BOARD WILL NOT
STORE THE ITEM FOR YOU AND WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OR
DAMAGE. IT IS AGAINST BOTH FIRE AND SECURITY CODES TO LEAVE ITEMS IN
THE PUBLIC SPACES OF THE BUILDINGS. UNATTENDED ITEMS WILL BE
DISCARDED BY SECURITY. IF YOU ARE FOUND IN POSSESSION OF ANY
PROHIBITED ITEM IN THE EXAM ROOM, A MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION WILL BE
COMMENCED.
NO RE-ENTRY. You may not leave the exam room while
the exam is in progress (except to use the restroom with permission
of a proctor); violation of this rule will prohibit re-entry into
the exam room for that session and might prohibit re-entry for all
remaining sessions. You must have an EXIT PASS to leave the exam
room after the completion of each session. Once an Exit Pass is
issued, you may not re-enter the exam room until the next testing
session. No smoking is allowed during the exam.
LAPTOP USERS: For the first day of the exam only
(NY day), the following items may be brought into the exam room:
laptop, mouse, external keyboard, mouse pad, and power cord in a
laptop bag or case containing only those items. (DO NOT have any
papers, notes or study materials in your laptop bag). Such bags or
cases will be searched. For the second day of the exam (MBE day),
the general security policy will be strictly enforced. ALL LAPTOPS
MUST BE LEFT IN THE EXAMINATION ROOM DURING THE LUNCH BREAK.
COATS, SWEATERS, JACKETS, SWEATSHIRTS, SHOES: Dress
in layers to compensate for normal temperature variations at the
test centers. Any outer garments that are removed during the exam
must be stored under your chair. Wear soft-soled shoes or sneakers
(no flip-flops because they are noisy).
SECURITY POLICY VIOLATIONS:
If it is alleged that you are in violation of this security policy,
a misconduct investigation under the Board Rule 6000.9 on Fraud,
Dishonesty and Other Misconduct will be commenced and penalties may
include nullification of your exam score, disqualification from
future exams, notice to the Character and Fitness Committee and any
other penalty permitted by Rule 6000.9.
HONOR CODE
On the day of the bar examination, all applicants will be required
to sign a statement affirming that they have read and will comply
with the Honor Code and the Board’s Security Policy. Applicants will
be required to affirm that they are do not have a cell phone,
Blackberry or any other electronic device or prohibited item in the
exam room. The Security Policy is located above. The Honor Code is
as follows:
I have no prior knowledge of these test booklets or questions. I
understand that the following acts constitute misconduct under Board
Rule 6000.9 during all sessions of the bar examination: bringing a
cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, MP3 player, camera, calculator or any
other electronic device, notes, study materials or any other
prohibited item into the exam room, copying answers or seeking
assistance from any source, giving information to any candidate,
discussing exam questions with anyone, using any unauthorized
material, writing after time is called, violating the Board Security
Policy, and any other act which might compromise the integrity of
this examination. I am aware that such acts will lead to misconduct
charges and may result in penalties including nullification of exam
results, a report to the Committee on Character and Fitness, and any
other penalty permitted by Rule 6000.9. I will not engage in any
such conduct and will honor my ethical obligation to promptly report
any misconduct by any candidate to a proctor or other Board
official.
PHOTO IDENTIFICATION
All applicants must bring an official picture ID to the examination,
which will be checked at all four sessions. Acceptable forms of ID
include a U.S. driver's license, a passport, or other government
issued photo ID. A non-U.S. citizen who does not possess a drivers
license issued by a U.S. state or territory must present a valid
passport for identification. The name on your photo ID must match the name under
which you filed your application.
ADMISSION TICKETS
Admission Tickets will generally become available to qualified
applicants to print directly from the Board’s website approximately
two to three weeks before the date of the scheduled examination.
Copies of admission tickets are no longer mailed to applicants. Test
Center Assignments will depend on the sites available for a given
administration of the examination. Generally, applicants will be
assigned to a test center in the department in which they reside;
out of state residents will be assigned to sit for the exam in
Albany, Buffalo or Saratoga Springs. Applicants must present their
Admission Ticket to security in order to enter the examination. The
seat number assigned in the Admission Ticket is the only means of
identification throughout the grading process. Each seat at the
examination has a number prominently displayed on a sticker. It is
critical that applicants sit in the correct seats, insert the
correct seat number on all of their essay answer booklets and
carefully complete the identifying grids on all multiple-choice
computer answer sheets.
ORAL AND WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN AT
THE EXAMINATION
Oral and written instructions are given at the examination. Many
problems can be avoided by listening to the oral instructions made
at the beginning and end of each examination session.
No applicant may leave the examination room (except to use the
restroom in a center where they are located outside the room)
without an Exit Pass, which can only be obtained from the proctor in
your section after you have turned in all your examination papers.
No applicant may leave their seat during the last 15 minutes of the
session for any reason. Applicants who do not stop writing when time
is called will be reported to the Board and may be found guilty of
violating the Board's rule covering Fraud and Dishonesty.
