Learn About the Bar Exam

Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)

The UBE tests the knowledge and skills that every lawyer should have in order to practice law. It is comprised of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). It is uniformly administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and scored in accordance with best practices by jurisdictions that adopt it.

The UBE is administered over two days: the MBE portion is administered on the last Wednesday of February and July each year, and the MEE and MPT portions are administered on the preceding Tuesday. The scores of the written portion (the MEE and the MPT) are scaled to the MBE. In determining an examinee’s score, the MEE is weighted 30%, the MPT 20%, and the MBE 50%.

Marino Bar Review offers both a first time bar exam taker course as well as a course designed specifically for students who have previously failed the bar exam.

Below is an explanation of each of the UBE components:

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

The MBE is a six-hour, 200 question multiple choice exam administered in all U.S. jurisdictions except for Louisiana and Puerto Rico on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July each year. The seven subject areas tested on the MBE are: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, and Torts.

Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)

The MEE is administered in participating jurisdictions on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July of each year.   It is also a component of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) and consists of six essay questions designed to test an examinee’s ability to identify legal issues, identify and apply relevant facts, and present a well-reasoned and organized analysis of the relevant legal principles. Subjects that may be tested on the MEE include: Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates, and the Uniform Commercial Code – Article 2 (Sales) and Article 9 (Secured Transactions).

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The MPT is administered in participating jurisdictions on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July of each year. The MPT is designed to test the basic skills lawyers should possess. The questions cover legal analysis, fact analysis, problem solving, resolution of ethical dilemmas, organization and management, and communications. For each question, examinees are supplied with a case file containing the relevant facts and a library containing the necessary law to complete the task.