This page is for law graduates and lawyers planning to sit the Maine Bar Examination, or to be admitted in Maine another way. It lists the verified dates, fee, passing score and format, then links to free practice sets on eligibility, registration, format, subjects, MPRE, character and fitness, and licensing. Practice with the free ME Bar - Maine Bar practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).
Interactive ME Bar - Maine Bar Exam resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions (MBE) | 200 MBE multiple-choice questions (175 scored)[1] | ncbex.org · Oct 22, 2026 |
| Passing score | 270 UBE scaled score[2] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Exam fee | $800 ($900 + NCBE fee if admitted elsewhere 1+ year)[3] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Retake policy | Retake allowed; file an Application for Reexamination[2] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Validity | UBE scores transferable into Maine for 3 years[4] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Delivery | In person, paper/laptop, South Portland ME[2] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Score release | Within 75 days of the exam[2] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Next exam date | February 23–24, 2027[5] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Late registration deadline | No late filing after December 20, 2026[5] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
| Registration deadline | December 20, 2026, 5:00 p.m.[5] | Maine Board of Bar Examiners · Oct 23, 2026 |
According to Maine Board of Bar Examiners, “The MBE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions: 175 scored questions and 25 unscored pretest questions.”[1]
The Maine Bar Examination is how the Maine Board of Bar Examiners decides who may be licensed to practise law in the state. The February sitting runs on February 23–24, 2027, in person at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Maine Mall Road in South Portland. The exam is scored on the Uniform Bar Examination scale, and the Board has set the passing scaled score at 270. The multiple-choice portion is the MBE, which has 200 questions, of which 175 are scored.
Applications for that sitting are accepted from October 15, 2026 until 5:00 p.m. on December 20, 2026. The Board states that no late fee option exists after December 20, 2026. The fee is $800 for applicants never admitted anywhere, or admitted elsewhere for less than a year. Applicants admitted elsewhere for a year or longer pay $900 plus an NCBE fee.
Results must be uploaded within 75 days of the exam. If you do not pass, you may retake it by filing an Application for Reexamination. A UBE score earned elsewhere can be transferred into Maine if it was earned within 3 years before your application date. Admission on motion, character and fitness review and the MPRE have their own rules, so check each against the Board's current pages at mainebarexaminers.org before you file.
Prepare for the ME Bar - Maine Bar Exam exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: How many years of active legal practice in another jurisdiction are required to be eligible for admission on motion (without taking the bar exam) in Maine?
Answer: C. 3 years
Explanation:
The correct answer is 3 years. Admission on motion lets an experienced lawyer join the Maine bar without sitting the exam, and the Board asks for a substantial record of active practice in another jurisdiction before it will waive the exam. That record is 3 years.
1 year is too short. It is the sort of figure that appears in other bar rules, so it can tempt you, but it does not show enough experience for this route. 2 years is closer but still falls short of the requirement. 5 years sets the bar higher than Maine does, so a qualified applicant would be wrongly ruled out.
The rule to remember: on-motion admission replaces the exam with a minimum period of active practice, and states set that period differently. Learn Maine's number and confirm it on the Board's site before applying.
Question: Which national service does Maine use to gather character and fitness information from applicants?
Answer: B. NCBE Character Report
Explanation:
The correct answer is the NCBE Character Report. Character and fitness review checks an applicant's background, and Maine uses the NCBE's investigation service to gather that information into a report for the Board.
LSAC is wrong because it is tied to law school admissions, not to bar licensing. FinCEN is wrong because it is a federal agency that deals with financial crime, and it does not collect applicant background reports for bar examiners. ABA Character Committee is wrong because it sounds plausible but is not the national service Maine uses for this purpose.
The rule to remember: the bar examiners decide fitness, but a national investigation service usually compiles the background material. When a question asks who gathers the information, look for the bar-admissions body, not a school or financial agency.
Question: What is the minimum number of ethics CLE hours required annually in Maine?
Answer: B. 1 hour
Explanation:
The correct answer is 1 hour. Maine's continuing legal education rules set a minimum number of ethics hours each year within the overall annual requirement, and that minimum is 1 hour.
0 hours, with ethics optional, is wrong because ethics is a required part of the yearly total, not an elective. 2 hours and 3 hours are wrong because they are higher than the stated minimum. They would satisfy the rule, but the question asks for the least a lawyer must complete.
The rule to remember: read CLE questions for the word minimum and separate the ethics requirement from the overall total. Rules can be revised, so check the current Maine CLE requirements before relying on a number for your own compliance.
Begin with the official pages at mainebarexaminers.org. Write down the filing window, the fee that applies to you and the date on which your application must be in. Then use the practice sets to find where your knowledge is thin.
Read each explanation, including for questions you got right. Note every miss, check it against the official source, and retake the set after a few days. When your scores settle, run the full practice test. Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so use them to find gaps and not to predict your score.
The Maine Board of Bar Examiners lists the February sitting for February 23–24, 2027. It is administered in person at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Portland, Maine. Dates can change, so confirm them on the Board's website before you plan travel or file.
Maine sets the passing score at a UBE scaled score of 270. The Board set this in accordance with Maine Bar Admissions Rule 10(c)(3). Because the score is on the UBE scale, it is the number to aim for whether you sit the exam in Maine or transfer a score from elsewhere.
The fee is $800 for applicants never admitted in any jurisdiction, or admitted in another jurisdiction for less than a year. Applicants admitted elsewhere for a year or longer pay $900 plus an NCBE fee. Check the Board's exam information page for the current amounts before you pay.
For the February sitting, the Board receives applications from October 15, 2026 until 5:00 p.m. on December 20, 2026. It states that no late fee option exists after December 20, 2026, so a missed deadline means you cannot file for that sitting. File early and keep your confirmation.
Yes. The Board's FAQ says you must reapply by filing an Application for Reexamination. Retaking is not automatic, so you need to submit that application and meet its deadlines. Results must be uploaded within 75 days of the exam, so you will learn your outcome before planning the next attempt.
Yes, under Maine Bar Admission Rule 11B a UBE score is transferable if it was earned in a UBE administration within 3 years before the date of your application. Other requirements, such as character and fitness review, still apply. Read the Board's UBE score transfer page for the full conditions.
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