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Seton Hall Law

Bar Exam Resources

A guide to resources for law students preparing to take a bar exam

Uniform Bar Exam

  • The UBE is designed to test knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law. 
  • The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is coordinated by the National Council of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and is composed of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).
  • The UBE is uniformly administered, graded, and scored by user jurisdictions and results in a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions.  
  • The UBE is administered over two days, with the MBE given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that. Jurisdictions that use the UBE may also require applicants to complete a jurisdiction-specific law component.
  • The UBE score breakdown is as follows: 
    • ​MEE = 30% of score
    • MPT = 20% 
    • MBE = 50%

 

For those taking the bar exam in July 2026 or later, please consult the NextGen Bar Exam information.

Subjects Covered on the UBE

Components of the Uniform Bar Exam

Official Information Subjects Questions
♦ Civil Procedure
♦ Constitutional Law
♦ Contracts 
– Includes UCC Art. 2
♦ Criminal Law & Procedure
♦ Evidence
♦ Real Property
♦ Torts
• 200 multiple choice
• Questions evenly distributed among the seven subjects
• Two three-hour sessions

All of the subjects above, plus:

♦ Business Associations
♦ Conflict of Laws
♦ Family Law
♦ Trusts and Estates
♦ UCC 2 (Secured Transactions)
• Six 30-minute essays
• Any combination of possible subjects
 
♦ Problem solving
♦ Legal Analysis and Reasoning
♦ Factual Analysis
♦ Communication
♦ Organization and Management of a legal task
♦ Recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas
• Two 90-minute exercises
• Tests "fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation."

Jurisdictions Adopting the UBE as of February 2024

 

  • Alabama (Adopted July 2011) - Pass Score 260        
  • New Hampshire (Adopted February 2014) - Pass Score 270  
  • Alaska (Adopted July 2014) - Pass Score 270
  • New Jersey(Adopted February 2017) - Pass Score 266
  • Arizona (Adopted July 2012) - Pass Score 270 
  • New Mexico (Adopted February 2016) - Pass Score 260
  • Arkansas (Adopted February 2020) -Pass Score 270
  • New York (Adopted July 2016) - Pass Score 266
  • Colorado (Adopted February 2012) - Pass Score 270
  • North Carolina (Adopted February 2019) - Pass Score 270
  • Connecticut (Adopted February 2017) - Pass Score 266
  • North Dakota (Adopted February 2011) - Pass Score 260
  • District of Columbia (Adopted July 2016) - Pass Score 266   
  • Ohio (Adopted July 2021) – Pass Score 270
  • Idaho (Adopted February 2012) - Pass Score 270
  • Oklahoma (Adopted July 2021) - Pass Score 264
  • Illinois (Adopted July 2019)- Pass Score 266
  • Oregon (Adopted July 2017) - Pass Score 270
  • Indiana (Adopted July 2021) - Pass Score 264
  • Pennsylvania (Adopted July 2022) - Pass Score 270
  • Iowa (Adopted February 2016) - Pass Score 266
  • Rhode Island (Adopted February 2019) – Pass Score 270
  • Kansas (Adopted February 2016) - Pass Score 266
  • South Carolina (Adopted February 2017) - Pass Score 266
  • Kentucky (Adopted February 2021) - Pass Score 266
  • Tennessee (Adopted February 2019) – Pass Score 270
  • Maine (Adopted July 2017) - Pass Score 270
  • Texas (Adopted February 2021) – Pass Score 270 
  • Maryland (Adopted July 2019) - Pass Score 266
  • Utah (Adopted February 2013) - Pass Score 260
  • Massachusetts (Adopted July 2018) - Pass Score 270
  • Vermont (Adopted July 2016) - Pass Score 270
  • Michigan (Adopted February 2023) - Pass Score 268
  • Virgin Islands (Adopted July 2017) - Pass Score 266
  • Minnesota (Adopted February 2014) - Pass Score 260
  • Washington (Adopted July 2013) - Pass Score 270
  • Missouri (Adopted February 2011) - Pass Score 260
  • West Virginia (Adopted July 2017) - Pass Score 270
  • Montana (Adopted July 2013) - Pass Score 266
  • Wyoming (Adopted February 2017) - Pass Score 270
  • Nebraska (Adopted February 2012) - Pass Score 270