Please read all information below before proceeding.
Registration is now CLOSED
If you have already registered and paid, you may download the software
through February 24th for the February 2012 Laptop Program by clicking here.
Laptop Program - Virginia Bar Examination
Laptop registration begins the second Wednesday of January for the February exam, and the second Wednesday of June for the July exam. The initial registration period extends for 10 days. Late registration, with increased fee, extends until the last day of the month such registration began.
Laptop Registration/Download Schedule for February 2012 Bar Exam
| Type | Dates | Fees |
| Regular Registration Begins | January 11, 2012 | $125.00 |
| Regular Registration Ends | January 20, 2012 | |
| Late Registration Begins | January 21, 2012 | $175.00 |
| Late Registration Ends | January 31, 2012 | |
| Software Download available | January 11 - February 24, 2012 | |
| (for those who have registered and paid for the upcoming bar exam laptop program) | ||
| Reapplicants and those who deferred sitting to a later exam MUST register, pay, and download the software for each bar exam. | ||
| If you do not register for the Laptop Program during the dates noted above, you will handwrite the exam. | ||
General Conditions
The Board of Bar Examiners offers all timely filed bar exam applicants the ability to use their laptop computers for the essay portion of the Virginia Bar Examination. We have contracted with an exam software company, Extegrity, to provide this service. ALL applicants who timely and properly register for the laptop program will be allowed to participate.
On the first day of the exam (Tuesday), we will provide a separate computer testing room for all applicants who have registered for the laptop program. The computer testing room will be equipped with tables and electrical outlets.
If you do not register in the time period allotted, you WILL be handwriting the exam.
If you are interested in using your laptop, carefully review the following:
Laptop registration begins the second Wednesday of January for the February exam, and the second Wednesday of June for the July exam. The initial registration period extends for 10 days. Late registration, with increased fee, extends until the last day of the month such registration began.
A PayPal account MUST be established prior to registration. It can take up to a week for an account to be set up, depending upon your circumstances. You will not be considered properly registered until PayPal has verified your payment. Click www.paypal.com to set up an account. If you already have a PayPal account, you can use your prior-established account. Make sure you remember your Log-on ID and Password.
Please Note: For a very small percentage, pop-up blockers may be an issue for your computer to allow you access to PayPal. Prior to the registration period, make sure you can utilize your PayPal account.
You will be required to download, install and verify the operation of Extegrity Exam4 software on your laptop prior to the exam. The software limits access to anything other than the word processing functions provided by the software, and facilitates essential administrative functions.
A special version of Exam4 will be issued specifically for the current administration of the Virginia Bar Examination — NO other version or copy of Exam4 software may be used. The software will be available for download from the date registration begins until the Friday prior to the bar exam. Downloading the software does not constitute registering for the laptop program. You must timely complete ALL the registration steps in order to be considered properly registered.
Your laptop MUST meet all requirements of the Technical Requirements section below, and you MUST follow all Exam4 user instructions.
If your computer has any type of hardware or software problem, Extegrity technical staff are authorized to make a reasonable effort to resolve it. However, if the problem cannot be resolved easily, or if there is a site power failure, you must be willing to continue taking the examination by handwriting your answers using a pen with dark blue or black ink. You will be permitted to continue handwriting your answers, beginning at the point where you were when your computer malfunctioned. After the session, every attempt will be made to retrieve your answer(s) from your hard drive. Exam4 software is designed to protect your work, and it is very likely the data can be recovered, but it is not guaranteed. No extra exam time will be granted in the event your computer malfunctions. YOU ASSUME ALL RISKS of using a computer to take your exam.
You must report to the computer testing room by 8:00 A.M. Latecomers will be required to handwrite the exam. No one will be permitted to leave the computer examination room early. After the stop writing warning has been called, all examinees will be required to stay in the computer room until all data has been properly collected for printing.
You must have both a complete "Application, Re-Application or Update of Previously Filed Application for Examination and License to Practice Law" and a complete "Character and Fitness Questionnaire" filed with this office.
There will be a fee of $125 for participation in the Laptop Program. The fee covers software licensing plus additional administrative costs associated with administration of the Laptop Program. The entire fee is payable to Extegrity, which will only accept payments via the registration form. The fee is non-refundable nor deferrable to a subsequent administration of the exam (with an exception for cases of unexpected military deployment).
All communications with you from the Board about the laptop program will be by email or posted on our website. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to inform the Board of any email change and to regularly check our website and your email. **If you have Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or any other email provider which detects unfamiliar emails as junk, you will need to set your preferences to accept mail from email@vbbe.state.va.us and usersupport@extegrity.com.**
Technical Requirements
YOUR LAPTOP MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATIONS:
- Must be running the Microsoft Windows operating system (Vista and Windows 7 only) or the Apple Macintosh operating system (10.5 Leopard, 10.6 Snow Leopard, and 10.7 Lion only). No other operating system versions will be allowed. Windows must be native on the computer and not within a virtual operating system under Macintosh, Linux, etc., nor running via Apple Boot Camp.
- Must have a working USB port on your computer.
- Must have 10 MB free hard disk space (a very small amount), and minimum 800x600 screen resolution.
- Must be able to download the software from the Internet and install it on your laptop.
- Must have a fully charged battery on the day of the exam. You are also required to bring a 6-foot long (minimum) extension cord to the exam.
- Macintosh (Apple) Laptop Users – make sure you know your Administrator Account Name and Password. Your Administrator Account Name and Password ARE REQUIRED before the security check can begin.
Further technical specifications:
You will be responsible for the operation of your own computer, including but not limited to the following good practices: operating system has been updated with the latest patches and updates from Microsoft or Apple; computer is free of viruses on the basis of a recent scan with up-to-date anti-virus software. Spyware, adware and peer-to-peer file sharing software can interfere with normal operation of the computer and should be removed.
The exam software will be made available for download and installation from the date registration begins until the Friday prior to the exam. It is your responsibility to make sure you have installed the software and can run it on your laptop. The way to test the software is to follow the software vendor's instructions for taking a practice exam. (There are no questions for a practice exam. A practice exam is to test the software's compatibility with your computer and to familiarize yourself with the keyboard functions ONLY). Information about using Exam4 is available at www.exam4.com > Bar exams > FAQ.
Technical support via email is available from the software vendor for several weeks prior to the exam at www.exam4.com > Bar exams > User/Tech support. Only limited technical support will be provided at the bar exam test site immediately prior to the start of the exam.
In the event of electrical problems or substantial computer problems, as determined by the Board in consultation with Extegrity representatives during the exam, applicants should be prepared to handwrite their answers.
Submit Info > Make Payment
On the second Wednesday of January for the February bar exam or the second Wednesday of June for the July bar exam a link will be added to this web page, which will take you to the Laptop Program Registration Form. Your registration will be completed online and payment will be made through PayPal.
You are paying Extegrity for a seat license for Exam4 software, plus associated services. You will download the software from the Exam4 website. NO software will be shipped.