How Many Correct MBE Questions Do I Need To Pass?

In this post, we cover how many correct MBE questions you need to pass. Read further to see what you need to hit to give yourself the best chance to pass!

How Many Correct MBE Questions Do I Need To Pass?

What is a passing score for my state?

First, you need to determine what the pass scoring is for your state. If you are not sure what a passing score is in your state, check out this post to find out.

What is the difference between raw and scaled scores?

Your raw score is the number correct out of 190 scored questions. To get a percentage, divide your raw score by 190. Your scaled score is the number that your raw score converts to after the NCBE does its magic and adds some additional points to your score.

It is difficult to determine what MBE raw score to aim for since the National Conference of Bar Examiners stopped releasing all statistical data on the MBE raw-to-scaled score “conversion” a few years ago but we can make an educated guess.

If you are trying to determine the approximate raw score necessary to pass, check out these MBE Raw Score Versus Scaled Score—Samples from 2008 – 2013.

For example, if you aim for a raw score of 115 (so 115 questions correct out of 190), your score as a percentage is 60.52%. That is the approximate amount of questions that you need to correctly answer to receive a passing score.

Depending on the curve used, you can expect anywhere between 14 and 19 points added to your “raw” score, i.e., the total amount of questions you answered correctly.
In the past, a 118/190 (62.1% correct) score translated into a scaled score of 136-138 (+18-20 additional points)
A 120/190 (63% correct) score translated into a scaled score of 137-139 (+17-19 additional points)

Note, as of February 2017, only 175 questions are scored. However, the scale the NCBE uses should make up for the fact that less questions are scored, and if you are scoring about 60-66% correct, you may very well be in the “passing zone” depending on your state’s passage rate.

So, to answer the question “how many MBE questions do I need to answer correctly to pass,” answering 60-66% correct may get you there!

There is no set amount of correct MBE questions you “need” to pass.

In most jurisdictions (with the exception of Kentucky, South Dakota, and Palau), there is no minimum MBE score. Similarly, in most jurisdictions, including Uniform Bar Exam jurisdictions, there is no “minimum” passing MBE score. If you need a 266 to pass, you should aim to get a 133 on the written portion and a 133 on the MBE. Importantly, you don’t “need” a 133 on each portion. You could get a 116 on the MBE and still pass with a higher score of 150 on the written portion. Remember that it’s a balancing act.

Use Real MBE Questions.

Using real MBE questions will prevent you from being surprised after walking out of the MBE portion of the bar exam due to how different the real questions were in comparison to the ones invented by the bar courses. You may even find that the real MBE questions are easier for you, or more straightforward, than the invented ones. As a result, you will have a better idea of what score you can expect for the MBE.

You can purchase real MBE questions here.

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How Many Correct MBE Questions Do I Need To Pass?