The South Dakota Bar Exam
Our comprehensive South Dakota bar review course offers everything you need to succeed on your bar exam.
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Themis Bar Review can help you pass the bar!
Our nationally renowned bar review course has a few features we'd like to take a minute to brag about.
Published pass rates
We're the only national bar review provider that publishes pass rates every year. Take a minute and check out our students' success on their bar exams.
Proven teaching methodology with a history of success
Our successful approach embraces the best practices in online education pedagogy. Five years and counting. Looking for references? We've got thousands. Most of them are practicing attorneys now.
On-demand video lectures taught by world class professors
Take classes around your schedule, not ours. And with great teachers like Pamela Karlan, John Jeffries, and Sherman Clark.
UWorld's MBE® QBank
Included with all Themis Bar Review courses, this robust question-based learning tool uses dynamic visuals and active-learning methods to help you master difficult legal principles and successfully analyze fact patterns on the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).
Directed Study™
Daily task schedule from day one of your studies up to the bar exam. Need to take a few days off? No problem. Directed study will adapt to work around your schedule to keep you on track.
Flex Study™
So you can brush up on your favorite topics. (Or least favorite as the case may be)
Flexible online learning platform
Works around your schedule and on your devices. On the web or for your iPad or Android tablet, plus e-reader outlines. Watch a short demo about these course features!
Unmatched customer service
Our entire team of bar exam gurus is standing by to help in any way we can. Please feel free to give us a call anytime. We're friendly.
Dedicated Essay Grader
You’ll receive personalized essay grading from one, dedicated attorney. By tracking patterns in your writing and evaluating your progress, your essay grader will work with you to target your weaknesses and hone your writing skills.
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Bar Exam Format
Themis currently offers a South Dakota Bar Review course beginning with the July 2022 exam administration.
South Dakota administers a two-day bar exam. Day One consists of five 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions, one 30-minute Indian Law essay question, and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions. Day Two consists of the 200-question Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).
South Dakota Essay Exam
(Combined written scores are weighted one half of Bar Exam Score)
The South Dakota Essay Exam consists of six 30-minute essay questions to be completed in one three-hour session. Topics covered on the first five essays include: Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and Limited Liability Companies), Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts (including Article 2 [Sales] of the Uniform Commercial Code), Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates; Trusts and Future Interests), and Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code.
The sixth essay question covers Indian Law which includes basic principles of federal Indian law, including but not limited to civil and criminal jurisdiction, the Indian Civil Rights Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. It does not include tribal laws or customary laws.
Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
(Combined written scores are weighted one-half of Bar Exam Score)
The MPT consists of two 90-minute items to be completed in one, three-hour session. The MPT is designed to assess the examinee’s ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation. Each item contains a “File” of source documents and a “Library” of cases, statutes, and rules. The MPT is a “closed universe” component in that it provides all necessary materials to answer the question and does not require the applicant to use any state-specific law.
Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)
(Weighted one-half of Bar Exam Score)
The MBE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that test the following areas: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts & Sales, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. Of the 200 questions, 175 are scored questions and 25 are unscored pre-test questions. The pre-test questions are indistinguishable from the scored questions so applicants are advised to answer all questions.
Subjects Tested
South Dakota Subjects
- Business Associations (Agency and Partnership
- Corporations and Limited Liability Companies)
- Civil Procedure
- Conflict of Laws
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Evidence
- Family Law
- Real Property
- Torts
- Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates
- Trusts and Future Interests)
- Secured Transactions (Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code)
MBE Subjects
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts & Sales
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
My constant dialogue with the Themis staff helped me avoid feeling overwhelmed and optimized my study time. Without the personalized support, quick response time and such a flexible/adaptable program, I would've been in heaps of trouble. I still cannot fathom why anyone would pay double or triple for an inferior product. Thanks Themis!
