What to Bring to the Illinois Bar Exam (July 2026)

If you're figuring out what to bring to the Illinois bar exam, start with the short version: photo ID, your IBAB-issued badge, a registered laptop, and a clear plastic bag holding a tightly controlled list of items. The Illinois exam runs two days, Tuesday July 28 and Wednesday July 29, 2026, in Chicago. Get the packing right now and you free up your final weeks for the part that actually moves your score: practice. Here's the full breakdown from the Board's official instructions.

The Official Illinois List: What You Must Bring

There's no separately printed admission ticket in Illinois. The IBAB-issued photo ID badge placed on your table serves as your admission ticket for both days, and you wear it visibly on your chest the entire time. Your Notice of Eligibility tells you which venue and seat you're assigned, and those assignments post to your applicant homepage roughly two weeks before the exam.

Beyond the badge, you must bring a valid photo ID: a passport, a state driver's license, or a state ID card. You'll also need your registered laptop and power cord (more on that below). Everything except your laptop equipment has to be displayed in a clear plastic bag so a proctor can inspect it when you sit down. Per the most recent official notice, confirm these specifics on your admission ticket and the instructions posted to your homepage, since venue and seat details are personalized.

What Does Illinois Provide?

The Board places paper test booklets at each seat containing the exam questions and instructions. Don't touch or look at them until you're told. If you're handwriting, each of the six MEE answer booklets has four lined pages and each of the two MPT answer booklets has twelve lined pages, with more available on request.

The Board also provides disposable foam earplugs on request, which matters because your own earplugs are banned. One thing the official instructions do not mention is Board-provided scratch paper or note boards, so plan to work within your booklets rather than expecting loose sheets. You'll bring your own pens and pencils, and there's a Laptop Reporting Form available on exam day if your machine acts up.

What You Can Bring

The permitted list is specific, and (except for laptop gear) every item goes in that clear plastic bag:

• Your IBAB photo ID badge (worn on your chest) and a valid photo ID
• Laptop equipment: registered laptop, power cord, external mouse, full-sized keyboard, and a USB adapter for Macs
• Credit card and money, a transportation card, and keys
• Feminine hygiene products
• Eyeglasses (not sunglasses), but leave the case at home
• Previously approved medical necessities: medicine in a clear labeled bag stored under your seat, and you must notify a proctor to access it
• One clear plastic water bottle, lid on, no writing on it, kept on the floor unless you're drinking
• One bottle of hand sanitizer
• A cloth, paper, or polypropylene face mask

Writing implements are day-specific. Day One is pens in blue or black ink only, plus highlighters, and no pencils. Day Two is No. 2 pencils only, with no highlighters, pens, mechanical pencils, large erasers, or sharpeners. You don't need a watch, since a clock is visible to everyone.

What to Leave at Home

With the exception of your authorized laptop gear, all electronic and mechanical devices are strictly prohibited. Cellphones get special emphasis: one found on you anywhere at the site, including a restroom, means immediate dismissal and failure. Also banned: tablets, watches and timers of any kind, fitness trackers, smart glasses, calculators, cameras, e-cigarettes, and any headphones, earbuds, or headsets.

Leave your personal earplugs at home too (foam ones come from the Board). No outerwear is allowed, meaning coats, jackets, gloves, hats, umbrellas, and scarves. Skip eyeglass cases, laptop bags, backup laptops, USB sticks, mouse pads, and any notes or papers. Weapons of any kind are barred from the entire test site. Anything prohibited goes to an unsecured Designated Storage Area at your own risk, or gets tossed.

Laptop and Software

Illinois runs on ILG Exam360 from ILG Technologies, not Examplify or ExamSoft. Registration opened June 4 and closes June 18, 2026, with a $135 fee. Here's the part people miss: installing the software is not enough. You must also complete and submit the mandatory mock exam by the June 18, 2026 deadline, or your account is deactivated and you'll be handwriting the real thing.

Bring one registered laptop, fully charged, plus its power cord (it stays plugged in and powered up all day). An external mouse and full-sized keyboard are fine if table space allows. Mac users without USB ports can bring a USB adapter, and the Board strongly urges Mac users to bring a power extension cord under 12 inches. Spellcheck works inside Exam360. There's no wireless internet at test sites, so you upload your answer files afterward from your own connection. If your laptop isn't working at the start of a session, or goes down for more than seven minutes, you handwrite the rest. Keep Exam360 installed until results post in early October. You can review the official requirement highlights straight from the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.

What Should You Wear?

Dress is casual, and layering is the move. Test rooms run warm or cool, so bring a sweater or sweatshirt (they're subject to search). What's off-limits: scarves, hats, and coats. You also can't cover your ears or head with a hood, hat, or any garment in the room, except for religious apparel, so ears and heads stay fully exposed. Skip footwear that makes loud or distracting noise, and face masks are welcome if you want one.

Key Deadlines and Report Times

Day One (Tuesday, July 28): doors open at 7:15 a.m. for metal detection, you're seated by 8:30 a.m., the two MPTs run 9:00 a.m. to noon, then a roughly 50-minute lunch, and the six MEE questions run 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. with dismissal at 4:45 p.m.

Day Two (Wednesday, July 29): doors open at 7:30 a.m., seated by 8:30 a.m., MBE morning 9:00 a.m. to noon, about a 45-minute lunch, and MBE afternoon 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

If you're more than 30 minutes late to a session, you're out for it. You can't leave the building during exam hours. And mark this one hard: your answer upload deadline is 2:00 a.m. Central Time on July 29, and missing it means a zero on each MPT and MEE. For a broader cross-state view, see the general exam day checklist.

With the logistics locked, spend your final week where it counts: timed essays under real conditions, then honest feedback fast enough to fix things before exam day. That's where BarScore fits, and the free trial lets you paste a practice essay and get a score with detailed feedback in seconds. It works with any prep course's questions in any U.S. jurisdiction, so put a few graded reps in before you pack that clear bag, and let BarScore carry the scoring while you focus on the law.