FEDERAL BAR EXAMINATION - NOTICE TO APPLICANTS

The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico must ensure that attorneys admitted to practice before this Court are proficient in the English language and capable of rendering effective assistance of counsel consistent with the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Accordingly, applicants for admission to the district bar are required to execute a certification of English language proficiency as part of their application for the federal bar examination.

The Court has directed the inclusion of a mandatory essay question in the federal bar examination. This essay will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis and will not be assigned a numerical score. Its purpose is to provide applicants with an opportunity to present a concise and logically organized written response, thereby enabling the Court to assess the applicant’s ability to communicate clearly, coherently, and effectively in Standard English. The Court does not require perfection in written expression; however, it must determine that each applicant is capable of providing constitutionally effective legal assistance.

To pass the federal bar examination, applicants must (1) achieve a minimum score of 66 percent on the multiple-choice portion of the examination and (2) receive a grade of “pass” on the essay question. Applicants who fail to answer the essay question will be deemed to have failed the examination, regardless of their score on the multiple-choice portion.

An applicant who achieves a passing score on the multiple-choice portion but does not receive a passing grade on the essay question will be referred to the District Examination Committee for further evaluation. 

Rev. 04/2026