ND Bar Practice Test

The North Dakota Bar Exam is taken by law graduates who want to be admitted to practice in North Dakota. This page collects our free practice sets by subject area, shows worked explanations for sample questions, and summarizes the fees, deadlines and passing scores published by the North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners.

ND Bar Exam at a Glance

What the ND Bar is and how it works

According to North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners, “An applicant for admission to the North Dakota Bar must be 18 years of age and have received a Juris Doctor or equivalent degree from a law school approved, or provisionally approved, for accreditation by the American Bar Association.”^[5]

The North Dakota Bar Exam is the licensing test for lawyers seeking admission in the state. It is run by the North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners and given in Bismarck on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. Listed dates are Feb 23-24, 2027, Jul 27-28, 2027 and Feb 22-23, 2028.

The legacy UBE format, used through February 2027, runs over two days with four 3-hour sessions, 12 hours in total. The minimum passing UBE score is 260. The NextGen UBE minimum is 610, and the MPRE minimum is 85.

To apply, you must be 18 or older and hold a Juris Doctor or equivalent degree from an ABA-approved or provisionally approved law school. Applications are due Oct 1 for the February exam and Mar 15 for the July exam. The exam fee is $200, with an extra $400 for applicants without a prior North Dakota law student registration. The NCBE character and fitness fee is separate.

Retakes cost $200 plus the character and fitness fee. Candidates are limited to 6 attempts, and a supplemental application applies if you retake within 3 years. A transferred UBE score is accepted for 2 years, or 5 years if you are in active practice.

Rules and dates can change, so confirm everything with the Board before you apply. Our practice questions are written by us with AI tools and are not real exam questions.

Worked examples: how to reason through ND Bar questions

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.

Example 1

Question: Under the North Dakota Constitution, what body has the sole power of impeachment?

1. The state House of Representatives or Legislature
2. The Governor
3. The Supreme Court
4. The Attorney General

Answer: A. The state House of Representatives or Legislature

Explanation:

The state House of Representatives, or Legislature, is correct. Impeachment is a legislative power, and North Dakota follows the usual state pattern of giving the lawmaking body the power to bring charges against officials.

The Governor is wrong because the Governor is an executive officer who may be the target of impeachment, not the body that brings it. The Supreme Court is wrong because courts decide cases and do not start impeachment. The Attorney General is wrong because that office enforces the law and does not hold this power.

Rule to remember: impeachment is a political process that belongs to the legislative branch, while the executive and judicial branches are not the accusing body. When a question asks who holds a check on other branches, match the power to the branch it belongs to.

Example 2

Question: How are amendments to the North Dakota Constitution proposed and ratified?

1. Through legislative proposal or citizen initiative, followed by popular vote
2. Only by the Governor
3. Through federal authorization
4. By the state Supreme Court

Answer: A. Through legislative proposal or citizen initiative, followed by popular vote

Explanation:

Legislative proposal or citizen initiative, followed by a popular vote, is correct. North Dakota lets both the legislature and the people put amendments forward, and voters make the final decision at the ballot box.

Only by the Governor is wrong because the Governor has no sole power to amend the constitution. Through federal authorization is wrong because a state constitution is amended under state procedures, not by federal permission. By the state Supreme Court is wrong because courts interpret the constitution and do not rewrite it.

Rule to remember: a state constitution changes through the process the constitution itself sets out, usually a proposal followed by approval of the voters. Watch for answer choices that hand the power to a single official or to another level of government.

Example 3

Question: What does the North Dakota Commerce Clause analysis consider?

1. Whether state law unduly burdens or discriminates against interstate commerce
2. Whether the law is popular with voters
3. Whether the Governor approved the regulation
4. Whether federal funding is involved

Answer: A. Whether state law unduly burdens or discriminates against interstate commerce

Explanation:

Whether state law unduly burdens or discriminates against interstate commerce is correct. This is the core of dormant Commerce Clause analysis, which limits what states may do even when Congress has not acted.

Whether the law is popular with voters is wrong because popularity has no bearing on constitutional validity. Whether the Governor approved the regulation is wrong because executive approval does not cure a constitutional defect. Whether federal funding is involved is wrong because funding is not the test for this doctrine.

Rule to remember: start by asking whether the law discriminates against out-of-state commerce, and if it does not, ask whether it places an undue burden on interstate commerce. Political support and who signed the law do not decide the question.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official material. Read the Board's application page and the exam FAQs so you know the format, the deadlines and the score you need. Check whether your sitting uses the legacy UBE or NextGen, since the passing score differs.

Next, take a short practice test to find your weak areas. Then work through the subject sets one at a time, such as Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law and Torts and Evidence. For each missed question, write down the rule in your own words before you read the explanation again.

Give extra time to Essay and Performance Subjects, because written answers need practice that multiple-choice drills cannot give. Add Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Specific Law for the material that is particular to the state.

In the final weeks, practise in long, timed sittings that match the real session lengths, and return to the questions you missed. Treat our questions as practice for recall and reasoning, not as a preview of real exam items.

Sources & last verified

1. North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners — time limit (official source). “Tuesday morning – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon – 2 MPT questions” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
2. ncbex.org — passing score, retake fee, retake policy (official source). “Minimum passing UBE score 260” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
3. North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners — exam fee (official source). “The Exam Fee is $200.” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
4. North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners — validity (official source). “Two years from the date of the examination in the jurisdiction where the examination was written, if the applicant has not been actively engaged in…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
5. North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners — eligibility, registration deadline (official source). “An applicant for admission to the North Dakota Bar must be 18 years of age and have received a Juris Doctor or equivalent degree from…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
6. North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners — next exam date (official source). “The Bar Exam is administered in Bismarck, ND on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February* and July. Specific dates are as follows: July 29-30,…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.