Michigan Bar Exam Subjects—A List of What is Tested

Michigan Bar Exam Subjects 

NOTE: Michigan is now administering the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) as of the February 2023 exam. This post will no longer be updated. Please go here for a UBE frequency chart.

If you are taking the Michigan Bar Exam, you may wonder what subjects will appear on the exam.

There are two parts to the Michigan Bar Exam—the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and the essay portion of the bar exam. The MBE tests seven subjects. The essay portion tests a potential of 24 Michigan Bar Exam subjects. Here, we tell you the subjects tested on each portion of the exam and we also give you a brief overview of each portion of the Michigan Bar Exam.

Michigan Bar Exam Subjects 

The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

Which subjects are tested on the MBE?

Seven subjects are tested on the MBE:

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts & Sales
• Criminal Law & Procedure
• Evidence
• Torts
• Real Property

A brief overview of the MBE:

• The MBE is a national test so majority law is applied.
• The MBE consists of six hours of multiple-choice (three hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon).
• There are 200 questions in total. Each question is worth one point.
• 175 questions are scored. 25 questions are test questions.
• There are 25 scored questions on each subject.
• The MBE is scaled according to an undisclosed formula. However, if you score about 65%, your score is likely considered passing.

The Essay Day

Which Michigan bar exam subjects are tested on the Michigan essay portion?

24 Michigan Bar Exam subjects are tested on the essay portion. They are:

• Agency
• Conflict of Laws
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Corporations
• Creditors’ Rights
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Domestic Relations (Family Law)
• Equity
• Evidence
• Commercial Paper/Negotiable Instruments
• No-Fault
• Partnership
• Personal Property
• Professional Responsibility
• Real Property
• Sales
• Secured Transactions
• State & Federal Practice (Civil Procedure)
• Torts
• Trusts
• Wills
• Workers’ Compensation

A few tips when examining the list of Michigan Bar Exam subjects:

• Some subjects (like Creditors Rights/garnishments) are not covered by some commercial courses. They are fair game for the essay portion and have been tested recently!
• Some subjects (like Professional Responsibility) the Board has indicated that it was not going to test anymore. They have told this to law schools. It is still worth it to be familiar with this area of law as the Michigan rule has not changed.
• Please note some subjects are virtually always tested (e.g., Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure). Others are virtually never tested (e.g., Commercial Paper/Negotiable Instruments). While you should be familiar with all subjects, you should not treat all equally when you study for the bar exam!

A brief overview of the essay portion:

• The essay portion of the exam tests Michigan law. You will be expected to apply Michigan law unless told otherwise.
• There are 15 essay questions to answer (nine in the morning portion, six in the afternoon portion).
• You will have three hours to answer the essay questions in the morning and two hours to answer the essay questions in the afternoon.
• You should allocate about 20 minutes per question in order to finish the exam on time.
• 10 points are allocated for each question. A score of a 7 is considered passing.
• The Michigan essay portion is scaled according to an undisclosed formula. However, traditionally, if you received an average score of a 7 on each essay, you will receive a score of 140 to 150 on the essay portion. (A 135 is considered a passing score).

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