Licensing Exams

A two-hour multiple-choice exam usually offered three times a year; it can be taken any time after your first year of law school. – Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)

Dates and Deadlines

The MPRE will be administered three times per year at established Pearson Vue test centers across the country.  You must complete the NCBE portion of the registration process, schedule your test appointment with Pearson VUE, and pay the test fee by 11:59 p.m. central time on the registration deadline. Absolutely no new registrations will be accepted after the deadline

Registration Fee

The registration fee is $150.

How to Register

Steps to register:

1. Create an NCBE account
2. Log into your NCBE Account, selection MPRE registration, and follow the instructions.
3. Receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson Vue. (make sure emails from PeasronVUEconfirmation@pearson.com does not go into SPAM or Junk Mail)
4. Selection an appointment to test with Pearson VUE and pay the test fee to them.
5. Receive a Confirmation of Person VUE Exam Appointment email and a Confirmation of Payment e-mail from Pearson VUE.

Note: You must schedule the appointment and pay the fee by the registration deadline or you will not be able to take the MPRE during that test administration.

Prior to taking the MPRE

Many students opt to take the MPRE in November or March of their third year of law school. They may also opt to take an Ethics course in the same semester in which they are taking the MPRE. You should plan to devote approximately 25 hours to preparing for the MPRE.

Accommodations

If you need to request a testing accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please carefully review MPRE Test Accommodations for the relevant requirements and procedures.  You must apply for MPRE test accommodations prior to registering for the MPRE.

New York State Jurisdiction

In New York, you can take the MPRE either before or after the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), however, a passing the MPRE score is only valid for four years. New York requires a score of 85 on the MPRE. Scores are scaled and range from 50 to 150, with an average of approximately 100. A raw score of approximately 32 correct out of 50 converts to a scaled score of 85.

From the New York State Bar Examiner’s Bar Exam Handbook, p. 11 (emphasis added):

An applicant may take the MPRE before or after taking the UBE but an MPRE score is valid for only four years from the date the applicant sat for the MPRE.

Other Jurisdictions

Since the requirements for accepting an MPRE score vary from one jurisdiction to another, check with the board(s) of bar examiners in each jurisdiction to which you intend to apply before completing the MPRE application. Examination results will be forwarded to one jurisdiction of your choice and will be kept on file at the office of the National Conference of Bar Examiners in Iowa City, Iowa. For more information about reports to additional jurisdictions, visit the General MPRE website.

A two-hour online multiple-choice exam usually given four times a year. It focuses on NY distinctions and NY Practice. You must complete a 17-hour online course, the NY Law Course (NYLC), a month before registering for the exam. It can be taken within one year of taking and passing the Uniform Bar Exam. New York Law Exam (NYLE)

This is known as THE bar exam. It is given the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. It is a 2-day exam including essay questions, multistate performance questions, and multiple-choice questions. Applications to take the bar examination must be filed from November 1st to November 30th for the February examination and from April 1st to April 30th for the July examination. Uniform Bar Exam (UBE)

Uniform Bar Examination Information Guide for New York Applicants

Download the New York State Bar Exam Information Guide

Uniform Bar Exam Format

Day 1 morning – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  (3 hours)
2 Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions – suggested 90 minutes each

Day 1 afternoon –  2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  (3 hours)
6 Multistate Essay exam (MEE) essays – suggested 30 minutes each

Passing score is 266 for New York.

The grading breakdown is 50% for the MBE, 30% for the MEE, and 20% for the MPT.

Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)

The MBE is given the Tuesday preceding the MBE in February and July.  The examination consists of six essays which are thirty (30) minutes each.  The subjects that may be tested include the following: Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and Limited Liability Companies), Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates; Trusts and Future Interests), and Uniform Commercial Code (Secured Transactions).

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

The MBE is given the last Wednesday of February and July.  The states have their portion of the examination on the Tuesday before or the Thursday after or sometimes both (California).  The MBE is a 200 question multiple choice examination covering the following topics: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts.  Beginning with the February 2015 bar examination, Civil Procedure will also be tested.

Learn more about the MBE and access an online practice examination