All applicants must submit two current and identical 2-inch by 2-inch passport-style photographs; a credit report and motor vehicle department records from any state where you have held a license during the past five years. The motor vehicle records must be dated within 60 days of the date when you're taking the bar exam. You mush also submit, as of 2011, a $375 application fee and a character and $400 fitness investigation fee for new law school graduations, $425 for applicants who graduated law school more than one year ago or in a foreign country. Applicants who have never applied for the exam before must also submit education verification documents, naturalization documents or a birth certificate, an address list for the applicant's previous employers, schools and residences and a fingerprint card. Some applicants must submit other documentation because of their particular circumstances; for example, applicants who have already passed the bar in another state might file a petition for nonstandard testing.
The character and fitness questionnaire and investigation allows the board to certify the court may trust the applicant to work within the system of justice. Applicants must declare any crimes, including misdemeanors. Motor vehicle and credit records are also reviewed. During the course of the investigation, academic honor code violations, a history of substance abuse, and any other misconduct is reviewed. If an applicant fears that he's shown dishonesty or negligence that will be looked at askance by the committee, the applicant should address it in the questionnaire, and may include references.
Virginia bar applicants must have a degree from an American Bar Association -- or board-approved law school. Applicant may still be in law school when they apply to take the exam but must finish their degree requirements before taking the test. Applicants may also take the test if they studied law using the "Law Reader Program Rule and Regulations" resource put out by the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners. Applicants must submit proof of their studies to the board in order to successfully apply to take the bar exam.
To obtain a Virginia license to practice law, the applicant must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. The National Conference of Bar Examiners administers the exam. The applicant must file an application to take the exam with the National Conference of Bar Examiners within two years of taking a state's bar exam. The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination needn't be taken in Virginia, but the applicant's scaled score -- which must be 85 or better -- must be certified by the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners' Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination administrator.