NY BAR Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the NY BAR exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 NY BAR Exam Format at a Glance
📚 NY BAR Topics to Study (22)
✍️ Sample NY BAR Questions & Answers
1. Under common law contract doctrine, which of the following is NOT a valid method of contract acceptance?
A rejection terminates the power of acceptance; once rejected, the offeree cannot revive the original offer by later purporting to accept it—the original offer is dead.
2. Which court has general jurisdiction over civil matters in New York State?
In New York State, the New York Supreme Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. This means it has the authority to hear a wide range of civil cases, including those involving significant monetary disputes, matrimonial actions, and equity cases, unlike courts with limited jurisdiction.
3. O conveys Greenacre 'to A so long as the land is used for agricultural purposes.' What type of future interest does O retain?
A grant 'to A so long as...' creates a fee simple determinable in A, and the grantor retains a possibility of reverter that vests automatically upon the occurrence of the stated condition.
4. Under Terry v. Ohio, a police officer may stop and briefly detain a person based on:
Terry stops are justified by reasonable articulable suspicion—specific, objective facts that criminal activity may be afoot, which is a lower standard than probable cause.
5. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, requires just compensation when:
A taking requiring just compensation occurs when the government physically invades property or a regulation denies the owner all economically beneficial use.
6. What is the standard of proof required in civil cases in New York?
In civil cases in New York, the standard of proof required is the preponderance of the evidence. This means that the party with the burden of proof must demonstrate that their version of the facts is more likely true than not, or that there is a greater than 50% chance that their claims are accurate.