The National Conference of Bar Examiners

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has developed the following tests that are administered by participating jurisdictions:

1. The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
2. The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
3. The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
4. The Multistate Performance Test (MPT).
5. The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).

The NCBE’s website is a rich resource for information on all four tests and includes study aids that are available for purchase. 

Access the NCBE Site

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

The MPRE is a 125 minute, 60 multiple-choice question test required in all jurisdictions except Maryland,Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. A couple of jurisdictions, including New Jersey, waive the MPRE requirement if a student receives a satisfactory score in a law school professional responsibility exam. The MPRE is given in March, August, and November each year. The questions are based on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Code of Judicial Conduct.

Most students take the MPRE before they graduate from law school since you can take the MPRE in any state and have your score submitted as part of the application process for the state bar exam you are taking. However, some jurisdictions have time parameters for earning a passing score on the MPRE. You need to separately register for the MPRE.

Registration and Information

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200 multiple-choice question test administered by 48 states and the District of Columbia as part of their bar examinations. Only Louisiana and Puerto Rico do not use the MBE. The MBE is administered each year on the last Wednesday in February and July.

Seven subjects are tested on the MBE: Civil Procedure (25 questions), Constitutional Law (25 questions); Contracts, including U.C.C. Article II, Sales (25 questions); Criminal Law, including Criminal Procedure (25 questions); Evidence (25 questions); Real Property, including Future Interests (25 questions); and Torts (25 questions).

NOTE: You do not need to separately register for the MBE. Your registration for the bar exam in a jurisdiction that uses the MBE will also include your registration for the MBE.

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Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The National Conference of Bar Examiners, which creates and administers the MBE, also has created the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Currently, 41 jurisdictions administer the MPT, including Delaware, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

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Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)

The National Conference of Bar Examiners, which creates and administers the MBE, also has created the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE). Currently, a majority of jurisdictions administer the MEE, including the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

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The Uniform Bar Examination

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is comprised of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).

It is coordinated by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and uniformly administered, graded, and scored by user jurisdictions and results in a score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions.

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