INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND FORMS FOR REQUESTING NONSTANDARD TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS (NTA)
The Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar (Board) administers the Illinois Bar Examination and all other services of this office in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended. The Board will make reasonable accommodations in the administration of the bar exam that might otherwise prevent individuals with disabilities from taking the bar examination in an accessible place or manner, provided such modifications do not result in a fundamental alteration to the examination or other admission requirements, impose an undue burden on the Board or its staff, or jeopardize examination security.
The Illinois Bar Examination is a timed, two-day examination. On the first day, standard applicants use their laptop computers to type essay answers or handwrite their answers in provided booklets. The essay portion of the exam exists in two formats. For the first three hours of the morning session, applicants complete two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks consisting of two ninety-minute essays. There is a one-hour break for lunch. During the three-hour afternoon session, applicants the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), consisting of six essays.
On the second day, standard applicants answer 200 multiple-choice questions comprising the standardized Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). This exam is administered on paper via a scantron sheet. The morning session is three hours, followed by a one-hour break for lunch. The afternoon session is three hours.
Qualified applicants with disabilities may be provided reasonable accommodations to ameliorate the impact of the applicant’s disability on their ability to take the Illinois Bar Examination. Reasonable accommodations are provided in connection with an Illinois bar examination to the extent such accommodations are reasonable, consistent with the nature and purpose of the examination, and necessitated, in each instance, by the disability of the applicant.
The ADA defines “disability” as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the individual’s major life activities. In the bar examination setting, the impairment must limit an applicant’s ability to demonstrate, under standard testing conditions, that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities tested on the bar examination.
Applicants seeking NTA must submit a request for accommodations that is accompanied by the requisite forms as set out herein. Requests for NTA will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Applicants are required to submit documentation from a qualified professional that provides information about the diagnosed condition, functional limitations associated with the condition, current level of impairment, and the rationale for the accommodations requested. The applicant must also submit verification of past accommodations, if applicable. Accommodations granted elsewhere do not necessarily entitle an applicant to accommodations on the Illinois Bar Examination, although the Board gives considerable weight to the documentation relating to past accommodation received in similar high-stakes testing situations or in response to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 plan. All requests for NTA are submitted to qualified, independent experts for an impartial review and recommendation.
All forms and supporting documents must be emailed to NTA@ilbaradmissions.org. Questions may be directed to NTA@ilbaradmissions.org.
COMPUTER USE
The use of a computer to answer the essay portions of the examination is not considered an accommodation in Illinois. All applicants have the option of using their personal laptop computers by registering to participate in the laptop program, and all applicants, including NTA applicants, who wish to use their laptop computers must timely register for the laptop program.
FILING DEADLINE
A fully completed request for nonstandard testing accommodation, including ALL required forms and supporting documents from third parties, is considered part of your application to take the bar exam. ALL such forms and documents MUST be filed simultaneously with your Character and Fitness Questionnaire in accordance with applicable examination filing deadlines and subject to corresponding application fees. All required forms must be submitted by email to NTA@ilbaradmissions.org. Any NTA forms and materials filed after the final late filing deadline (April 30th for the July exam and November 30th for the February exam), including requests to modify nonstandard testing accommodations at any stage including those already approved, not yet approved, approved in part or denied, will not be considered for the pending bar exam.
Any diagnosis or injury occurring after the final late filing deadline will NOT be considered for accommodations for the pending bar exam.
FILING REQUIREMENTS
Applicants seeking NTA must supply all relevant forms and documentation as set forth herein. Responses to all forms must be typed or printed clearly and in English. An original signature must appear on all forms, including attached pages. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required forms, including Forms A, B, E, and if applicable C and D, are properly completed and submitted to the Board for timely filing; the unavailability or failure to comply with these requirements will not result in the extension of a filing deadline or the waiver of applicable filing fees.
Forms and documents required. The forms and documents required to request NTA for a bar examination include the following:
Form A: Applicant Request for Nonstandard Testing Accommodation.
Form B: Qualified Professional Disability Verification. Each applicant must open the Qualified Professional Disability Verification form and key the applicant’s full name into the appropriate field at the top of the form. The applicant must then print the form and transmit it to their qualified professional for timely completion and return to the applicant for timely filing. If an applicant is relying on more than one qualified professional, a form must be completed by each professional. In all cases, the Verification form must be completed by a professional who is familiar with and qualified to diagnose the applicant’s current impairment as it relates to the conditions of the bar exam.
The Qualified Professional Disability Verification form must be accompanied by relevant documentation specific to the nature of the disability that serves as the basis for the request for NTA. Relevant documentation will vary depending on the nature of the disability but may include clinical test findings, visit notes, and/or a comprehensive examination report. Documentation should be sufficiently recent to establish the current level of functioning and impact of functional limitations as it relates to the applicant’s test performance.
Form C: Certificate of Nonstandard Educational, Testing or Licensing Accommodation. It is the responsibility of each applicant to make every reasonable attempt to ensure that all required certificates of nonstandard testing accommodation accorded in connection with standardized post-secondary academic examinations (e.g., ACT, SAT, LSAT and MPRE) are properly and timely completed and returned to them for timely filing with the Board. If, however, an entity administering such an examination nonetheless fails timely to comply with these requirements, then the applicant may submit in lieu thereof a copy of the accommodation approval letter from such entity.
Form D: Certificate of Nonstandard Accommodation in Employment Setting. Each applicant who has received accommodation in an employment setting must submit a Form D: Certificate of Nonstandard Accommodation in Employment Setting. The applicant must print as many copies of the form as necessary and transmit a copy of each form to each employer that afforded the applicant a disability related accommodation. If, however, an employer nonetheless fails timely to comply with these requirements, then the applicant may submit in lieu thereof a copy of the accommodation approval letter from the employer.
Form E: Authorization to Release and Exchange Information form. Each applicant must complete and timely file a Form E: Authorization to Release and Exchange Information form. Each applicant must open the Form E: Authorization to Release and Exchange Information form and key all requested information into the appropriate fields. The applicant must print, sign, date, and timely file the completed form with the balance of their NTA forms and supporting documentation.
RETAKE APPLICANTS
Even if you have previously requested and received NTA in Illinois, you must log into your personal IBAB registration account and answer affirmatively the question asking whether you wish to request NTA. If your condition has not changed, and you are requesting EXACTLY the same NTA as previously approved by the Board, you may rely on your previously submitted documentation, provided that it is sufficiently recent to establish current impairment. In that event, please send an email to NTA@ilbaradmissions.org after submitting your bar application confirming that you are requesting EXACTLY the same NTA. The Board may request updated documentation if the prior documentation is insufficient to establish the current level of impairment. If applicants are seeking new, or different, NTA than previously granted, requisite forms, including the Form A: Applicant Request for Nonstandard Testing Accommodations, Form B: Qualified Professional Disability Verification, and Form E: Authorization to Release and Exchange Information must be submitted by the published deadline.
Questions regarding the request for renewed NTA should be directed to NTA@ilbaradmissions.org. Such inquiry must be made well in advance of filing deadlines; necessity of reevaluation will not extend a filing deadline or waive any applicable fees.
PROCESSING REQUESTS FOR NTA
The Board may submit NTA forms and supporting documents to qualified, independent experts for an impartial review and recommendation. The Board and/or its qualified, independent consulting experts may require applicants to provide additional information or documentation. After considering the request of an applicant, the evidence submitted, and the recommendation, if any, of a qualified, independent expert, the Board shall determine what reasonable NTA, if any, will be granted and the applicant will be notified in writing. If an applicant’s request is denied in whole or in part, the applicant will be notified and may elect to submit additional information or documentation in support of the request.
The additional materials submitted in response to a request denied in whole or in part must be submitted within 10 business days of the applicant’s notice from the Board of the denial. All Requests for NTA will be finally resolved based on the timely submission of additional materials. NTA granted by the Board shall pertain only to the current bar examination. NTA requests for a subsequent bar examination must also be filed in accordance with these instructions.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOMMODATION REQUEST
An Administrative Accommodation is a courtesy arrangement, separate and apart from NTA for applicants with health-related needs that are provided in the standard testing room. Examples of special arrangements for a health-related need may include: access to a medical device, medication, or food during the examination; arrangements to pump breast milk during the examination; and/or other arrangements that do not require NTA for a disability under the ADA, as amended. Applicants seeking an administrative accommodation should submit an Administrative Accommodation Request Form and a letter from a qualified professional verifying the need for the administrative accommodation. Documentation may be submitted to qualified, independent experts for an impartial review and recommendation.