What to Bring to the District of Columbia Bar Exam (July 2026)

If you're figuring out what to bring to the District of Columbia bar exam, you're in the right place. DC's July 2026 Uniform Bar Exam runs Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28 and 29, 2026. Packing right matters here, because a locked phone pouch and a strict door policy mean you can't run home for the pen you forgot. Here's a clean checklist, plus the DC-specific rules that trip people up.

The Official District of Columbia List: What You Must Bring

• Your exam ticket, paper or digital. It's issued through your online application account on or before July 14, 2026. If you go digital, memorize your section and seat number, because your phone gets locked away all day.
• A photo ID. ID rules aren't spelled out in the current public notices, so confirm what's accepted on your July 2026 admission ticket.
• Ballpoint pens AND pencils. You need both. The MBE answer sheet is marked in pencil, and ballpoint pens must not be used on it. Pens are your backup for handwriting essays if your laptop fails.
• Your laptop, registered with the software vendor (more on that below).
• Your accommodations grant letter, if you have one.

DC's schedule is worth memorizing so nothing surprises you. Tuesday July 28 morning is both MPTs (3 hours). Tuesday afternoon is the six MEE questions (3 hours). Wednesday July 29 is the full 200-question MBE on paper, split into the morning (questions 1-100) and afternoon (questions 101-200).

What District of Columbia Provides

The testing site hands you a secure phone pouch (Yondr-style) at check-in. Your cellphone goes in and stays locked for the entire day.

For scratch paper, DC allows a limited amount for the MPT, but the exact number of sheets isn't confirmed in the currently published materials. Treat any figure as approximate and confirm on your admission ticket.

What DC does NOT provide: earplugs, masks, or pencils. Bring your own.

What You Can Bring

From the DC Code of Conduct (the July 2026 version is expected to match the prior one and posts by July 14, 2026):

• A sweater or jacket. Rooms run cold, so layers help.
• Your own earplugs, foam or silicone, with NO cords attached.
• Ballpoint pens and pencils (as above).
• A mask, if you want one. None are provided.
• Your accommodations letter, if applicable.

A quick note on watches. The Code broadly prohibits electronic devices, and an analog, non-smart watch's status isn't clearly published for July 2026. To be safe, confirm on your admission ticket before assuming you can wear any watch. The same goes for water bottles, medication procedures, and cash for lunch, which aren't spelled out in the retrieved notices.

What to Leave at Home

DC's prohibited list is strict. Leave these behind or in your car:

• Headphones, headsets, earmuffs, hats, hoodies, or anything covering your head or ears (religious head coverings are the exception).
• Smart eyewear, meaning Meta AI glasses, Bluetooth eyewear, or any audio or photo capable glasses. These are presumed cheating.
• Smartwatches, fitness bands, and any electronic device during the exam.
• Your cellphone anywhere but the locked pouch. An unlocked phone, or missing the "no cellphone" card at your desk, is treated as suspected cheating.
• Study materials of any kind. They can be confiscated at the door, and you can't study in the room or building during breaks.

A few more rules to respect: no using your laptop for anything but the exam, no taking your laptop out of the room during lunch, and clear your desk of all personal items at the end of each day.

Laptop and Software

DC's written portions (MEE and MPT) run on your own laptop using the vendor's software, ILG360. This is NOT Examplify or ExamSoft, so don't confuse DC with ExamSoft states.

Key requirements:

• Every applicant, including repeaters, pays a $150 software licensing fee and registers the laptop directly with ILG360.
• The registration period is June 17-26, 2026. The regular deadline is June 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET, with late registration through June 30, 2026.
• You complete the trial or mock exam through the download portal during that window.
• Your laptop must run an operating system version that ILG360 supports, which is set at registration.
• Accommodated applicants should confirm the downloaded software title matches their grant.

If your laptop fails mid-exam, you handwrite your essay and MPT responses. That's exactly why the pens matter. For the full official rundown, check the COA's July 2026 notice from the DC Committee on Admissions.

What Should You Wear

There's no formal dress code, but layers win. Test rooms can be cold, and a sweater or jacket is permitted. Skip anything that covers your head or ears, since hats and hoodies are banned (religious head coverings excepted).

One easy-to-miss rule: don't wear perfumes, scented oils, or scented lotions. It's an allergy courtesy to the people testing near you. Masks are welcome if you bring your own.

Key Deadlines and Report Times

• Laptop and software registration: June 17-26, 2026 (regular deadline June 26 at 5:00 PM ET, late through June 30).
• Exam ticket and testing assignment, including your location: released through the portal on or before July 14, 2026.
• Report time: you can't enter the testing room before 8:00 AM. Check-in begins at 8:00 AM, and instructions begin at 9:00 AM. Once instructions start, no one is admitted, no exceptions. If you have accommodations, your check-in time is printed on your ticket and may differ.
• Answer-file upload deadline: for July 2025 it fell in early August, and missing it meant a zero on all essays. The exact July 2026 date wasn't confirmed in the current notices, so watch your portal and confirm on your admission ticket.

Your venue is assigned from DC locations like the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave NW), the Andrew Mellon Auditorium (1301 Constitution Ave NW), and the DC Bar office (901 4th St NW). You can't request one, so check your assignment when it posts on July 14. Want a broader packing list that works for any UBE state? Here's the general exam day checklist.

In the final week, tighten your essay timing instead of cramming new rules. You can paste a practice MEE into BarScore and get a score plus detailed feedback in seconds, which helps you see where you're losing points while there's still time to fix it. It works with any prep course's essays and any UBE jurisdiction, and there's a free trial, so it's a low-effort way to sharpen up before July 28. (One heads up: BarScore grades essays, not MPTs.)

Pack the night before instead of the morning of, run one more scored practice essay through BarScore, and walk into July 28 ready.