ME Bar ME Bar MPRE Requirements 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which body of ethics rules does the MPRE primarily test?
- Maine Rules of Professional Conduct
- Restatement of the Law Governing Lawyers
- ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Correct answer)
- Federal Rules of Evidence
Correct answer: ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct
The MPRE primarily tests the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and related case law.
Question 2: Can a Maine applicant take the MPRE before graduating from law school?
- No, the MPRE requires a law degree
- Yes, it can be taken during law school (Correct answer)
- Only in the final year of law school
- Only after the bar exam
Correct answer: Yes, it can be taken during law school
Maine applicants may take the MPRE at any point during law school, and many do so after completing a professional responsibility course.
Question 3: What happens if a Maine bar applicant's MPRE score expires before admission?
- It is automatically renewed
- The applicant must retake the MPRE (Correct answer)
- The Board grants a waiver
- The score is transferred from another state
Correct answer: The applicant must retake the MPRE
If an MPRE score expires, the applicant must retake and pass the MPRE before Maine bar admission can be granted.
Question 4: The MPRE is scored on what scale?
- 0–100
- 50–150 (Correct answer)
- 0–200
- 1–400
Correct answer: 50–150
The MPRE uses a scaled score ranging from 50 to 150, with Maine's minimum passing score of 85.
Question 5: Which of the following topics is NOT typically covered on the MPRE?
- Conflicts of interest
- Confidentiality and attorney-client privilege
- Competence and diligence
- Federal tax law (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Federal tax law
The MPRE tests professional responsibility topics such as conflicts, confidentiality, and competence — not substantive tax law.
Question 6: What is the purpose of the unscored pretest questions on the MPRE?
- To penalize poor performers
- To allow the NCBE to trial new questions for future exams (Correct answer)
- To boost borderline scores
- To replace missed questions
Correct answer: To allow the NCBE to trial new questions for future exams
The 10 unscored pretest questions on the MPRE allow the NCBE to evaluate new questions for potential use in future exam administrations.
ME Bar ME Bar MPRE Requirements 2
Which body of ethics rules does the MPRE primarily test?