Michigan Officially Adopts the Uniform Bar Exam—Everything You Need to Know!

On October 13, 2021, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered that Michigan join nearly 40 other jurisdictions in adopting the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE)!

You can read the court’s official order here.

Answers to the most commonly asked questions we get are below. Please check out a recording of our free webinar as we answer even more questions about Michigan’s adoption of the UBE and discuss exactly what the UBE is!

NOTE: Please be sure to check the Michigan Board of Law Examiner’s website for the most up-to-date information on Michigan’s UBE adoption!

How is the Uniform Bar Exam different than the current Michigan Bar Exam?

The bar exam will be the same in that the multiple-choice portion (MBE portion) will remain the same.

However, instead of 15 essays testing over 24 subjects, the written portion of the exam will look like this:

There will be two Multistate Performance Tests (90-minute tasks that do not test law, but test an applicant’s ability to complete a lawyerly task, such as drafting a memo or brief)
There will be six essays (30-minutes should be allocated to each one). These will not cover the same breadth of subjects. (For example, Professional Responsibility, Commercial Paper, Workers’ Compensation, and Personal Property, among others, will not be tested!) You can see the subjects tested here.

Will there be a Michigan law component on Michigan’s new bar exam?

(Updated 7/11/22) Yes! Here is the most current information from the board: “The Michigan Law Component will require education on six general areas of law that new lawyers are most likely to encounter in their early years of practice. The course material will be provided online in six one-hour modules and successful applicants will be required to correctly answer questions both during and at the completion of each lesson.”

What score do I need to pass the bar exam?

An official score has not been announced. For reference, most states require between a 260 (at the low end) and a 280 (at the high end). New York requires a 266. You can see passing UBE scores here.

Michigan currently requires a 135 to pass the Michigan Bar Exam, so that would translate to a 270 on a UBE scale. However, this is not set yet.

Do I still have to pass the MPRE to be licensed in Michigan?

Yes! This is still a requirement. Further, the applicant must pass character and fitness.

Can I transfer a passing February 2023 Michigan Bar Exam (UBE) score to any other jurisdiction?

If you pass the February 2023 Michigan Bar Exam, it has the potential to be a “portable” score—meaning you can transfer it to another UBE jurisdiction. However, bar exam scores are not as “portable” as everyone thinks. Please be aware of these four critical rules and considerations! You should also be aware of the time frame in which you can transfer a score—it is generally between two and five years. Read more about that here.

Does JD Advising do UBE prep?

Yes! The vast majority of our students are Uniform Bar Exam students. We specialize in the Uniform Bar Exam! You can read more about our course options, tutoring, and more here.

Where can I learn more?

Please check out a recording of our free webinar as we answer even more questions about Michigan’s adoption of the UBE and discuss exactly what the UBE is!

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Michigan Officially Adopts the Uniform Bar Exam—Everything You Need to Know!