How will the Massachusetts Bar Exam be different in July 2018?

How will the Massachusetts Bar Exam be different in July 2018?

Massachusetts will administer the first Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) this July!

How will this Massachusetts bar exam be different than past Massachusetts bar exams? This July, Massachusetts has officially adopted the Uniform Bar Exam!  Here, we tell you how this Massachusetts bar exam (as well as future exams!) will be different than the Massachusetts bar exam that has been administered up until this point. 

Below are some changes to the Massachusetts bar exam: 

• You will no longer have to apply Massachusetts-specific law on the essay questions. Nor will you have to know Massachusetts Civil Procedure, Massachusetts Professional Responsibility, or Commercial Paper to pass the bar exam.
• Instead of applying Massachusetts law on the essays, you will apply “general” state law (i.e., the majority law). The essay portion is worth 30% of your score. It will be composed of six questions that you have three hours to complete. These six questions test a potential of 14 subjects. You can read more about the multistate essay exam here.
• You will take two multistate performance tests (MPTs). MPTs are considered “closed universe” tasks in that they do not require you know any outside law. Rather, you will be instructed to complete a lawyerly task, such as writing a memorandum, brief, or letter.  The MPT portion will make up 20% of your score. You can read more about the MPT portion of the exam here.
• Note: You will still take the multistate bar exam (MBE), which is worth 50% of your score. The MBE portion of the exam requires you to answer 200 multiple-choice questions in six hours. You can read more about the MBE portion of the exam here.

Are there any other requirements to be licensed in Massachusetts? 

Massachusetts will require completion of the “Massachusetts Law Component” (MLC) which is a 50-question multiple-choice exam that covers the following areas of law: Access to Justice, Anti-Discrimination Law, Business Organizations, Civil Procedure, Consumer Protection, G.L. c. 93A, Criminal Law and Procedure, Domestic Relations, Estates and Wills, and Evidence.  The Board of Bar Examiners will send you a link to download outlines as well as a link to access the exam.

You will also have to pass character and fitness and the MPRE.

We have helped many Massachusetts bar exam takers pass the Massachusetts bar exam and we are looking forward to helping Uniform Bar Exam takers as well! If you are interested in our UBE options, please see below.

• Looking to Pass the Bar Exam?

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  • Free popular bar exam guides (on the MBE, MEE, how to pass the bar exam, and what to do if you failed the bar exam) written by bar exam experts!
  • A free Early Bar Prep Course for law students
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