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

If you're figuring out what to bring to the Pennsylvania bar exam, you're already thinking like someone who wants July to go smoothly. The Pennsylvania bar exam runs two days in person, Tuesday July 28 and Wednesday July 29, 2026. Tuesday is the written portion (the MEE essays and the MPT), which you type in Examplify if you registered for computer-based testing. Wednesday is the MBE, handwritten in pencil only. The rules about what you can carry into the room are strict, so let's get you packed correctly the first time.

What Must You Bring to the Pennsylvania Bar Exam?

A few items are non-negotiable, and forgetting one can cost you real trouble at check-in.

• A printed admission ticket. Bring a hard copy. Phone screens and electronic tickets are not accepted. Your ticket lists your assigned site and report time, and it's issued by July 1, 2026.
• Photo ID as directed by your admission ticket instructions. Your identity is confirmed at check-in, and you'll lower any face mask briefly to do it.
• Your own pens and pencils. Black ballpoint or roller pens, plus sharpened No. 1 or No. 2 pencils. There are no pencil sharpeners available, so bring several pre-sharpened pencils, especially for the Wednesday MBE.
• Your registered CBT laptop (essay day only), with an external wired or wireless keyboard, mouse, and power cord if you plan to type.

Keep your admission ticket in your hand or pocket at check-in, not in your clear bag. The Board is specific about that.

What Pennsylvania Provides

You don't have to pack everything, because the Board supplies a handful of things at your seat.

• Earplugs. You get a set each day of testing. You may not bring your own.
• Scratch paper booklets on Tuesday only. These are provided for the essay day. Scratch paper is prohibited during the MBE on Wednesday.
• Tissues, cough drops, and writing implements on request. Proctors can hand these to you if you ask.
• Feminine hygiene products in the restroom.
• Power at every CBT seat at all sites, so your laptop stays charged during the essays.

That's a short list, but it matters. Knowing earplugs are provided means you won't waste a slot in your clear bag on a pair that would get confiscated.

What You Can Bring

Here's where the details get precise. Permitted items should go in a small clear plastic bag no larger than 7 by 8 inches (quart-size). You can bring more than one bag if needed.

• A drink in a completely resealable, clear plastic container (think an Aquafina bottle), kept on the floor. No insulated cups, glass, metal, Styrofoam, or paper or plastic cups.
• Cash, credit cards, and keys or a fob in a clear bag. No wallets, and nothing in your pockets, which must be empty.
• Individual tablets of medicine in a clear bag. Note that medicine bottles are not allowed, so pop your tablets out ahead of time.
• Tissues and feminine hygiene products.
• A lumbar cushion, sanitizing wipes (stored on the floor), and an eyeglass case (stored on the floor).
• A face mask, which you'll lower to confirm ID.

Some medical items need prior approval: inhalers, diabetic equipment, other medical devices, and any unwrapped food. You have to arrange those with the Board office in advance, and the Medical Alert deadline is June 19, 2026. Don't assume you can explain an inhaler at the door.

What's Prohibited at the Pennsylvania Bar Exam?

Pennsylvania's prohibited list is long, and violations get documented for character and fitness review. Leave these behind or in the bag storage area.

• Watches or timers of any kind, mobile phones, and headphones or headsets.
• Any electronic or Bluetooth device other than your registered CBT laptop and its mouse and keyboard. That explicitly includes fitness trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses, media players, e-cigarettes, and vaping devices.
• Hats, hoods, and head coverings or anything covering your ears, except pre-approved religious headwear.
• Outdoor coats (they can't be worn during the exam).
• Food, candy, and gum. No eating during the exam.
• Medicine bottles, eye drops, lip balm, lotion.
• Mechanical pencils, felt-tip pens, erasable-ink pens, separate erasers, White-Out, book holders or stands, and pencil sharpeners.
• Any written material or scratch paper, including your info packet. Bring only the admission ticket.

On the MBE day (Wednesday), the rules tighten further: highlighters, pens, and scratch paper are all additionally prohibited. Pencil only.

Laptop and Software

If you're typing your essays, Pennsylvania uses Examplify by ExamSoft for the MEE and MPT. The MBE cannot be taken on a laptop. A few specifics worth knowing:

• Spell-check is enabled; grammar check is not. Neither is used in grading.
• One laptop per applicant. An external wired or wireless mouse and keyboard are allowed, but mousepads are not.
• The mock exam is mandatory. Multiple mock exams auto-download after registration, and completing and uploading the required mock is required to use your laptop on exam day. Skip it and you'll handwrite the essays.
• Answer files must be uploaded by 11:00 p.m. ET each exam day. The Board provides no internet, so you'll need to find your own connection.

Since your essays are scored on your analysis, not your spelling, timed practice before exam day is what moves the needle. A grader like BarScore can score your practice MEE answers and flag exactly where your issue-spotting or rule statements fall short, which is hard to judge on your own.

The hard cutoff to register your laptop is the Examplify registration deadline of July 10, 2026. After that, laptops cannot be used for the essay portion. For minimum operating system requirements and the current Examplify version, check ExamSoft directly at bar.examsoft.com, since Pennsylvania defers to their published specs. ExamSoft support is 888-816-3065.

What Should You Wear on Exam Day?

The Board recommends dressing in layers, because the room temperature suits most people but not everyone, and you can't count on it being comfortable. A few rules apply:

• Wear soft-soled shoes or sneakers. No flip-flops and no noisy shoes or boots.
• No outdoor coats during the exam, and no hats or hoods.
• Skip fragrances. Refrain from perfume, aftershave, and body sprays out of courtesy to other applicants.
• Bulky clothing will be inspected by Board staff, so keep it simple.

Layers you can add or remove quietly are your best bet.

Key Deadlines and Report Times

The bag storage area for main testing opens at 7:45 a.m., and your phone must be off before you store it. Your exact report time is printed on your admission ticket, not posted publicly, so confirm your session time and assigned site on your ticket once it's issued by July 1, 2026. Lateness is documented and no lost time is made up.

Deadlines worth marking:

• June 19, 2026: Medical Alert deadline and name/address change deadline.
• July 10, 2026: Examplify registration and laptop deadline.
• July 1, 2026: Admission tickets issued.

You can review the full official rules at pabarexam.org, and for a broader packing rundown, see the general exam day checklist.

In the final week, once your bag is packed, the highest-value thing you can do is sharpen your essays. Pennsylvania's Tuesday is all MEE and MPT, and timed writing under real conditions is where scores move. Running a few practice essays through BarScore gives you a score and detailed feedback in seconds, so you can see exactly where your analysis is thin before test day (it works with any prep course's essays, and there's a free trial). Pack smart, write sharp, and walk in Tuesday ready.