Aspiring lawyers now have more guidance available online as they prepare for the bar exam.

The Ohio Supreme Court has published the 12 essay questions and two multistate performance test (MPT) items – and some applicants’ actual answers – from the July 2013 Ohio Bar Examination.

Lee Ann Ward, director of the Supreme Court’s Office of Bar Admissions, stressed that the representative answers should not be considered as model answers. Rather, future test-takers should view them as above-average attempts from applicants who passed the latest exam.

“The purpose behind publishing the answers is to offer a road map to aspiring attorneys who will sit for the exam,” Ward said. “By reading some of the answers, they will get a better feel for the type of detailed responses required to achieve a passing score.”

By rule, the Ohio Board of Bar Examiners must publish the essay questions after the announcement of exam results within a “reasonable” period. Ward serves as secretary to the board.

The current publication and others from previous years are available online (choose the “Bar Examination Essay Questions” drop-down menu at the bottom of the page) or by contacting Bar Admissions at 614.387.9340 or baradmissions@sc.ohio.gov.

The MPT items included on the July 2013 exam were prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Go to www.ncbex.org for more information about ordering copies of the MPT items and corresponding point sheets.

The February 2014 bar exam will be administered February 25, 26, and 27 in Columbus at Franklin County Veterans Memorial. Of the two annual bar exams, more attorney hopefuls take the July exam than the exam in February.