SUMMARY OF THE BAR EXAMINATION PROCESS
TYPES AND DATES OF EXAMS
— 2016 —
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) administers several different bar exams, some or all of which are utilized by nearly all states. The NCBE website has quite a bit of detail about each exam, including the state jurisdictions that utilize them. To access the NCBE website, click here Here is a quick summary of the various components and dates:
Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) – required in all states except Maryland and Wisconsin (also, Connecticut and New Jersey will accept a passed law school professional responsibility course in lieu of the MPRE); the two-hour 60 multiple choice question test is administered three times per year—in 2016 the test dates are March 19, August 13, and November 5.
Multistate Bar Examinations (MBE) – required in all states except Louisiana; the six-hour 200 multiple choice question test is administered two times per year, always the last Wednesday of February and the last Wednesday of July—in 2016, July 27.
Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) – utilized in approximately 29 states; the three-hour, six essay question test is administered two times per year, always the Tuesday before the last Wednesday of February and the Tuesday before the last Wednesday of July—in 2016, July 26.
Multistate Performance Test (MPT) – utilized in approximately 37 states; this client case simulation is a 1.5 or 3 hour test and is administered two times per year, always the Tuesday before the last Wednesday of February and the Tuesday before the last Wednesday of July—in 2016, July 26.
Uniform Bar Examinations (UBE) – utilized in approximately 20 states; this exam consists of the MBE, MEE (three hour version), and MPT and is offered on the dates listed above for those individual exams; individual states may add state-specific components.
NOTE: There is quite a bit of variation from state to state as to what the “bar exam” is. But you can expect at least the MBE (always on the last Wednesday of February and July) and an essay exam (either MEE or state-produced, and occurring either the Tuesday before or the Thursday after the MBE). More than half of the states add the MPT on the same day as the essay exam. Finally, there may be a few state-specific deviations from the two-day exam patterns described above. It is imperative that you spend time getting to know your state’s exact bar exam process, which is typically available on a state-specific admission to practice website. These websites are included at the end of the NCBE bar admissions guide described below.
ADMISSIONS PROCESS: NCBE makes available a guide to bar admissions in each state, including application (and other) requirements and deadlines, to access click here. While this is a very useful summary, make sure you consult the actual state bar or admission to practice body website for the state in which you are taking the bar exam for the most reliable and up-to-date information. Bar application deadlines can be many months prior to the exam date, and your information collection/provision process may be quite time-consuming.
Bottom line: know your specific bar application deadline and requirements, and plan to start early.
