What is the format of the Uniform Bar Exam?

What is the format of the Uniform Bar Exam?

What is the format of the Uniform Bar Exam? If you are preparing to take the Uniform Bar Exam, you may wonder what the format of the Uniform Bar Exam is like. Here, we tell you what the format of the Uniform Bar Exam is, as well as how it is graded and what to expect on bar exam day!

What is the format of the Uniform Bar Exam?

The Uniform Bar Exam is a two-day exam. The first day is the essay portion and the second day is the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) portion. Below, we tell you how it is scored, then we break down the essay portion and the MBE portion.

Scoring of the Uniform bar exam:

The Uniform Bar Exam is scored on a 400-point scale. The MBE is scored out of 200 points and the written portion is scored out of 200 points. Then, your scores on each are added together. There is no minimum passing score on either portion of the exam. The percentage that each portion of the exam is worth is broken down as follows:

• Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) – 30%
• Multistate Performance Test (MPT) – 20%
• Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) – 50%

States set their own passing scores on the Uniform Bar Exam. Passing scores range from 260 to 280. If you are wondering what a passing score is in your jurisdiction, check out our post here on passing Uniform Bar Exam scores by state.

The Multistate Essay Exam (MEE):

• The MEE portion of the exam tests majority law. (The Uniform Bar Exam is a national test so state-specific law is not applied.)
• There are 6 essay questions to answer.
• You will have three hours to answer essay questions.
• You should allocate about 30 minutes per question in order to finish the exam on time.
• There are 14 potential essay subjects that are tested (see this Multistate Essay Exam frequency chart)
• Each jurisdiction grades on their own “scale.” Many use a 1-6 point scale (where a score of 4.0 – 4.2 is considered passing, depending on the jurisdiction’s overall passing score—listed in the post above). New York uses a 20-80 scale (with a score of 50 being passing).

The Multistate Performance Test (MPT):

• The MPT is administered on the same day as the MEE portion of the exam.
• The MPT is a “closed universe” test where you are not expected to know any outside law. You are expected to respond to a lawyerly task (e.g., draft an objective memorandum, persuasive brief, demand letter, opinion letter) using the facts and law that the examiners provide.
• There are two MPT questions to answer in three hours.
• You should allocate 90 minutes to each question in order to finish the exam on time.
• Each jurisdiction grades on their own “scale.” Many use a 1-6 point scale (where a score of 4.0 – 4.2 is considered passing, depending on the jurisdiction’s overall passing score—listed in the post above). New York uses a 20-80 scale (with a score of 50 being passing).

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE):

• The MBE is a national test, which is also written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
• 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 on the MBE. Each question is worth one point.
• 175 questions are scored. 25 questions are test questions that are unscored.
• 7 subjects are tested (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts & Sales, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Torts, Real Property). Each is worth one-seventh of your score. 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.

We hope this blog post gives you some insight into the format of the Uniform Bar Exam. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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