MBE Bar Exam 2023

mbe bar exam

The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) is a standardized test created and sold by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. It is used by jurisdictions to assess applicants’ eligibility for admission.

The MBE includes 200 questions divided into two sets of 100 each. These questions cover civil procedure, conflict of laws, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, family law, real property, and trusts and estates.

Free MBE Practice Test Online

MBE Meaning

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice exam developed by NCBE and administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar exam in February and July of each year. Each jurisdiction determines its own policy with regard to the relative significance of MBE scores and other measures of competence to practice law.

The MBE is divided into morning and afternoon testing sessions of three hours each with 100 questions per session. Of these, 190 are scored and the rest are unscored pretest questions. The question numbering is the same for both the scored and the pretest sections, so it is important to answer all questions.

The MBE is a critical test of your ability to identify legal issues in a hypothetical factual situation, separate material that is relevant from that which is not, and present a reasoned analysis of these issues. However, it is also a very difficult test to pass because of the wide variation in the difficulty of the exam from state to state. This difference is due to the equating process, which adjusts the examinee’s score based on how difficult or easy the current exam was in comparison to previous exams.

MBE CPAs

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is the multiple choice portion of the Uniform Bar Exam, and it accounts for approximately half of your score. It covers seven subjects: Constitutional Law, Contract Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, Tort Law, and Federal Civil Procedure. Each question on the MBE test focuses on one of these subjects, but not every subject is tested equally.

The MBE section is administered in six hours and consists of 200 multiple choice questions. The MBE is also the most difficult part of the bar exam, and it requires significant study to pass. The best way to prepare for the MBE is to practice with real bar exam questions. The most complete collection of real bar exam questions is available on BarPrepHero Premium.

Most jurisdictions require a passing score on the MBE, Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Some states have additional state-specific requirements. For example, California has a separate Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. The MPRE requires you to understand California’s Rules of Professional Conduct, relevant sections of the state Business and Professions Code, and leading court decisions.

MBE Subjects

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six hour, 200 question multiple-choice test administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners to 54 US jurisdictions. It consists of questions from a variety of subjects including contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, evidence, and real property. The MBE is worth anywhere from 40-50% of the total bar exam score, and it is the most important portion of the UBE in many states.

In addition to the MBE, applicants will also take a written portion of the bar exam called the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and a performance test known as the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). The MPRE is not included in all UBE exams.

It is important to understand the seven subjects that are tested on the MBE in order to pass it. This will help you focus your study time on the most common areas of test difficulty. For example, Contracts is frequently reported as one of the most difficult MBE subjects because the fact patterns are lengthy and require a lot of technical knowledge.

Critical Pass MBE Flashcards

Critical Pass provides MBE and MEE Essay flashcards that are streamlined, smartly organized and detailed. These cards help you break down the key black letter law into its most important concepts. They also feature color coding, cross-references and dedicated note space. They are a great way to memorize the law and understand it. The MEE Essay section of the bar exam requires you to demonstrate that you can apply your knowledge of the law to a factual situation. This is a skill that you will need to master no matter which area of law you practice.

The MBE subjects tested on the Multistate Bar Examination include Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts. These subjects make up 40-50 percent of your overall score on the bar exam. Creating an effective study plan that includes these subjects is essential to your success on the exam. The MEE Essay and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) are each worth 30 percent of your score. The MEE Essay questions are drawn from the seven MBE subjects, but the MPT questions are unique and based on local law.

MBE Degree

In order to become a licensed attorney in the United States, you must pass a state bar exam. The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is one component of the bar exam and assesses a lawyer’s ability to analyze and reason through legal problems. The MBE is a standardized multiple-choice exam that covers a variety of subjects, including contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and family and trusts. The relative importance of an MBE score varies among jurisdictions. In addition to the MBE, most states require candidates to take a state-specific essay or multiple choice portion of the bar exam.

The MBE is often regarded as the easiest part of the bar exam. However, it requires both broad knowledge of the relevant laws and the stamina to keep thinking critically for six hours. If you want to pass the MBE, you need to practice daily. Quimbee’s comprehensive bar review program includes real MBE questions licensed from the NCBE and detailed answer explanations. Additionally, our bar review course features beautifully designed video lessons, comprehensive outlines, and succinct Quicklines.

multistate bar exam

MBE Practice Questions

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a standardized test administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners in jurisdictions that have adopted it. It consists of 200 multiple-choice questions, covering six subjects: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, and Real Property. The MBE is divided into two testing periods: morning and afternoon, each lasting three hours.

Practicing MBE-style questions is one of the best ways to prepare for the bar exam. It helps you familiarize yourself with the format of the exam and see how different legal concepts are tested in each question. It also helps you learn the law better by forcing you to think critically about each answer choice and its underlying rationale.

Thoroughly reviewing the answers to your practice MBE questions is a great way to improve your performance. For example, if you consistently miss questions that cover specific rules, it may be helpful to review those underlying rules more thoroughly. Moreover, the explanations that come with the practice questions can teach you legal concepts in a different way than your outlines.

MBE Scaled Score Chart

The Multistate Bar Examination is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice test. It covers a variety of subjects, including contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, evidence, and real property. The exam is administered in both morning and afternoon sessions, with 100 questions each session. The number of correctly answered questions is converted to a scaled score by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Applicants receive their raw scores and MBE scaled score reports through the Applicant Portal.

A pass on the MBE is worth 200 points in UBE jurisdictions, but 40-50% of the score in non-UBE jurisdictions comes from the essay portion of the exam. Many students are afraid to devote too much time to the essay section, but it is actually more important to study the MBE.

A good MBE prep course will review a critical portion of legal doctrine in each of the seven subjects currently tested on the MBE. It will also include detailed in-class analysis of actual MBE questions. This approach will help students develop the strategies they need to succeed on the exam.

How Many MBE Questions to Pass

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200 question multiple-choice test divided into two three-hour sessions. It covers seven subjects, including contracts, constitutional law, torts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, and real property. It also contains 25 questions that are experimental and do not count toward your score.

The MBE is a difficult exam because it requires a high level of stamina and a deep knowledge of legal rules. Unlike most multiple-choice exams, the MBE questions do not clearly identify a wrong answer, and the answers are often ambiguous.

In general, it is thought that to pass the UBE, you need to correctly answer about 130 to 135 questions. However, this is just an estimate because the MBE is graded on a curve. Moreover, some states have lower minimum MBE scores than others, and the MBE is only half of the UBE. The other half is the Multistate Performance Test and the Multistate Essay Examination. Nevertheless, you should focus on improving your MBE score as much as possible. The higher your MBE score, the better your overall bar exam score will be.

Multistate Bar Exam Questions and Answers

     The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice exam that was created by NCBE and given on the final Wednesdays in February and July by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination. The MBE’s objective is to evaluate the extent to which a test taker can analyze presented fact patterns using basic legal principles and legal reasoning.

     Except for Louisiana and Puerto Rico, which have civil law systems considerably distinct from those in other states, the MBE is administered throughout all the states and territories of the United States.

     Maryland has established itself as a leader in promoting MBE contracting possibilities as a result of the State’s progressive MBE laws, regulations, and solid administrative support. The sole state to gather information on payments made to MBEs in uniform reporting. Maryland administers the two-day Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is made up of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), which consists of two MPT essay questions and six MEE questions.

For exams in February and July, results are made public in early April and early September, respectively.

     The District of Columbia is a UBE jurisdiction. The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) activities make up the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is coordinated by NCBE (MBE). It is consistently administered, assessed, and scored by participating jurisdictions, yielding a portable score that may be shared throughout UBE jurisdictions. In addition to passing the UBE, jurisdictions that use it may also demand that applicants finish a component of education particular to that jurisdiction or pass a test on that country’s legal system. No such rules apply in the District of Columbia.

  • The National Conference of Bar Examiners created and delivers the Multistate Bar Exam, or “MBE,” a multiple-choice test (NCBE).
  • There are 200 multiple-choice questions in it. On the final Wednesday of every February and July, it is given twice a year.
  • Each test taker has six hours to finish the 200 questions. There are two sections of the test, each with 100 questions.
  • Examinees have three hours to respond to the 100 questions that are presented to them in the morning.
  • Examinees get three hours to complete the additional 100 questions, which are given in the afternoon.
  • Out of the 200 multiple-choice questions, only 175 are scored. Twenty-five of the questions are ungraded “test” questions.

     An estimated scaled score for the MBE’s performance is given, and it can vary from 40 (poor) to 200. (high). On the basis of equating, a statistical technique frequently employed on standardized tests, NCBE determines MBE scaled scores. In order to account for variations in difficulty between the present exam and previous exams, raw marks on the current exam are adjusted statistically. Equating allows scaled scores to be compared between test administrations because each scaled score will always represent the same level of skill or performance. Equating makes sure that nobody is unfairly rewarded or punished for taking a test that is more or less difficult. It is impossible to know ahead of time how many questions an examinee must correctly answer in order to receive a given scaled score because the adjustment of scores during equating is examination-specific (i.e., based on the difficulty of the current examination as compared to previous examinations).

     On the MBE, there are four different viable answers for each question. As has already established, the MBE differs from the majority of other multiple-choice tests you’ve taken. Every possible solution is a trap, therefore you shouldn’t count on being able to eliminate answers right away. Both a thorough understanding of the pertinent legal principles and the capacity to retain critical thinking throughout the six-hour test are necessary to pass the MBE.


Generally speaking, you should begin your studies at least nine weeks before the bar exam.  The following are some of the best study strategies for the MBE: 

  1. Remember the law. The MBE doesn’t give you points for general knowledge. It is a test of logical, thorough memory. You must invest the time required to commit precise definitions to memory. 
  2. Develop your skills through practicing. Your endurance will be put to the test almost as much as your legal knowledge will be in the MBE. Working through 200 MBE questions is no joke; Take full-length practice MBEs as part of your bar exam preparation because of this. You must increase your endurance and get physically and mentally ready for the task at hand.
  3. Print a copy of the MBE Subject Matter Outline provided by the NCBE. Each potential subject that could be assessed on the MBE is listed in this outline. Use the outline during your bar preparation course and mark items off as you become familiar with them. 
  4. Get rid of the social networking apps on your phone. The bar exam is the most significant test of your life, thus this advice could appear extreme to some. Additionally, you don’t want to take it again. You want to avoid any distractions when you’re studying for the bar test for a few months.
  5. Take pauses. In general, while studying, try to take a break at least once an hour. If you spend the entire day studying, you’ll soon become exhausted. To give your brain the break it needs without pulling you off task, keep the majority of your breaks brief—only a minute or two.

     Candidates must pass both the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and the California Bar Examination in order to practice law in California (MPRE).

     Yes, you can access online courses that provide updated Multistate Bar Exam Practice Exams by enrolling and taking the MBE free trial practice test.

You will have six hours to complete 200 multiple-choice questions on the Multistate Bar Exam segment. The following seven topics are covered by the MBE and are equally tested with 25 multiple-choice questions each:

  1. Criminal Law and Procedure
  2. Constitutional Law
  3. Contracts and Sales
  4. Civil Procedure
  5. Torts
  6. Real Property
  7. Evidence

     The standardized testing procedure utilized on the MBE is known as Scantron. On the MBE, students mark their answer choices on Scantron sheets, which are scannable response sheets.

     A statistical method was devised by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) to guarantee that a scaled score on one examination is identical to a score on any other examination. Aim for a scaled score between 140 and 145. (which is the average score). It is advised to achieve a scaled score of 150 or better.