Home
Daily News
NCBE updates character report, changes questions…
Law Students
NCBE updates character report, changes questions related to mental health and substance abuse
April 22, 2026, 11:39 am CDT
The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ updates to its standard Character Report Application template used by many jurisdictions significantly changed questions related to mental health and substance abuse that previously put off many law students from receiving help. (Illustration by Sam Ward/ABA Journal)
The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ updates to its standard Character Report Application template used by many jurisdictions significantly changed questions related to mental health and substance abuse that previously put off many law students from receiving help.
After a comprehensive four-year review by the NCBE, the revision alters “a very problematic question in the screening process,” according to an April 21 blog post by Janet Stearns, a lecturer at the University of Miami School of Law and the chair of the Law School Committee of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs; and David Jaffe, an associate dean for student affairs at the American University Washington College of Law.
The 2014 Survey of Law Student Well-Being found that the fear of seeking help stemmed from its impact on bar admissions. It also reported more than half of respondents stated that they got drunk at least once in the past month; 43% reported binge drinking at least once in the previous two weeks, while 14% reported using drugs without a prescription; 42% of respondents said they thought the needed support for emotional or mental health.
That continued reluctance was confirmed in a follow-up survey finding that more than 60% of respondents thought that seeking help for substance use would be a potential threat to bar admission, while 45% thought that seeking help for mental health would be a potential threat to bar admission.
In the previous character report standard form, candidates were asked whether they have “any condition or impairment (including but not limited to substance abuse; alcohol abuse; or a mental, emotional or nervous disorder or condition) that in any way affects your ability to practice law in a competent, ethical and professional manner?” according to the blog post.
If yes, the candidate had to provide contact information for treating physicians, which made some students apprehensive about receiving support during law school.
Now, the applications preamble page encourages applicants to seek help. And in the updated version, two questions relate substance use and mental health, but they focus on potential misconduct in limited time periods before bar admission, and that aligns “with the spirit and law interpreting the Americans With Disabilities Act,” the blog post authors wrote. There is also a question related to drug and alcohol related traffic violations.
“These positive changes to character and fitness questions enable us to double down on communicating to our students that they should seek help while in law school without fear that their condition or impairment, in and of itself, will delay admission to the bar,” the blog post authors wrote.
The adjustments to the template, available on the NCBE website, follow input from judges, bar administrators, admissions boards and legal educators, according to an April 20 press release from the NCBE. Updated questions could appear on some jurisdictions’ applications as soon as this fall, according to the press release.
Each state chooses what to include on its character application and evaluates the candidate. The NCBE is not involved in individual decisions regarding fitness to practice law.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.