Bar Exam Basics

From the ABA Bar Admissions Basic Overview

“In order to obtain a license to practice law, almost all law school graduates must apply for bar admission through a state board of bar examiners. Most often this board is an agency of the highest state court in the jurisdiction, but occasionally the board is connected more closely to the state’s bar association. The criteria for eligibility to take the bar examination or to otherwise qualify for bar admission are set by each state, not by the ABA or the Council for the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.”

For a quick overview of the changes to the July 2020 Bar Exam by Jurisdiction, see the NCBE.

The NCBE develops and produces commonly used licensing tests:

• the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
• the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
• the Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is a uniformly administered, graded, and scored bar examination that results in a portable score (that is, you can transfer your score to another UBE jurisdiction).

The NCBE also develops the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), which is a required component of the Character and Fitness portion for admission to the bar by most US jurisdictions.