ALASKA BAR EXAM DISTINCTIONS — ONE-PAGE CHEAT SHEET
Condensed companion to the Alaska Bar Exam Distinctions long outline. Alaska is a UBE jurisdiction, so most tested material is national MBE/MEE doctrine; this sheet captures only Alaska's departures from the majority rules. Learn the universal outlines first, then layer these on top.
1. EXAM FORMAT
UBE jurisdiction · components are the MBE (50%), MEE (30%), and MPT (20%) · minimum passing score 270, lowered from 280 effective with the February 2023 administration · transferred UBE scores from other jurisdictions accepted subject to a validity period · no separate Alaska-law essay component is appended · essays test transferable doctrine, not the Alaska Statutes by section.
2. TORTS — THE SIGNATURE PAIRING
PURE comparative negligence — the plaintiff's recovery is reduced by her own fault percentage, but she may recover even if more than 50% at fault (a 90%-at-fault plaintiff still recovers 10%) · SEVERAL-ONLY liability — joint and several liability is ABOLISHED by statute, so each defendant is liable only for its own proportionate share of fault and the plaintiff bears the risk of an insolvent or absent co-tortfeasor; the fact-finder allocates a percentage of fault to every responsible person and the court enters several judgments accordingly · statutory caps on noneconomic damages (a fixed dollar cap, higher for severe permanent impairment or wrongful death) and on punitive damages, with part of any punitive award paid to the state treasury · dram-shop and social-host liability for serving alcohol to a drunken person or a minor in violation of the licensing statutes · because liability is several only, a solvent defendant cannot be forced to cover a judgment-proof co-defendant's share, which changes settlement strategy compared with joint-and-several states.
3. CIVIL PROCEDURE
Civil Rule 82 is the headline feature — a partial LOSER-PAYS attorney-fee-shifting rule under which the prevailing party in nearly every civil case presumptively recovers a scheduled portion of its actual attorney's fees from the loser (a sharp departure from the American Rule that each side bears its own fees) · personal-injury and most torts SOL 2 years, with a discovery rule for latent injuries and tolling for minors/incompetents · most contract and general civil actions 3 years · the Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure otherwise resemble the FRCP.
4. EVIDENCE
Alaska Rules of Evidence are modeled on the FRE with parallel numbering · relevance, hearsay and its exceptions, authentication, and most privileges track the FRE · a few state-specific privileges exist, but apply the national MBE answer.
5. MARITAL / FAMILY LAW
Common-law / equitable-distribution DEFAULT, and the equitable-distribution