There is no general "American" bar examination. Each state, along with Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and some other US territories and possessions, has its own bar examination and licensing requirements, and these differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Generally speaking (but there are exceptions depending on jurisdiction), you must 1) graduate from a law school--usually an ABA-approved law school; 2) pass a character and fitness examination that includes criminal and financial background checks; 3) earn a passing grade (which varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction) on the Model Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE); and 4) earn a passing grade on the jurisdiction's bar examination. Some states have reciprocity, allowing you to become licensed in both states if you pass the bar examination of either. Once you are admitted to practice in one jurisdiction, you may also be able to take a more limited "attorney's examination" rather than a full bar examination to be admitted in another jurisdiction or, if you have practiced law long enough, be admitted to practice "on motion" in the new jurisdiction without taking any examination.
