The bar exam: Uniform Bar Exam, NextGen and what is on the test
The bar exam is the licensing exam you pass to be admitted as a lawyer in a US jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions use the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) coordinated by NCBE: the Multistate Bar Examination (50%), the Multistate Essay Examination (30%) and two Multistate Performance Test tasks (20%), scored on a 400-point scale. Since July 2026 a growing number of jurisdictions give the NextGen UBE instead, and the legacy UBE ends after February 2028.
- Coordinated by
- NCBE (National Conference of Bar Examiners); admission is granted by each jurisdictionNCBE UBE page, checked 19 October 2026
- Legacy UBE components
- MBE 50%, MEE 30%, MPT 20%NCBE UBE page, checked 19 October 2026
- Legacy UBE score scale
- 400 points; minimum passing scores 260 to 270 depending on jurisdictionNCBE UBE pages, checked 19 October 2026
- NextGen UBE
- First given July 2026 in ten jurisdictions; scale 500 to 750NCBE NextGen UBE page, checked 19 October 2026
- Legacy UBE ends
- After the February 2028 administrationNCBE NextGen page, checked 19 October 2026
- Length
- Legacy UBE: two days. NextGen UBE: one and a half days (three 3-hour sessions)NCBE MBE, MEE, MPT and NextGen pages, checked 19 October 2026
- 2026 dates (New York example)
- February 24–25 and July 28–29, 2026New York State Board of Law Examiners, checked 19 October 2026
- 2025 pass rate, all jurisdictions
- 63% overall, 76% first-time (average across jurisdictions)NCBE 2025 statistics, checked 19 October 2026
- Also required
- MPRE in all US jurisdictions except Wisconsin and Puerto RicoNCBE MPRE page, checked 19 October 2026
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Why you can trust these Bar Exam questions
What is the bar exam?
The bar exam is the law licensing exam of a US state or territory. You apply to the bar admission agency of the jurisdiction where you want to practice, sit the exam there, and the agency decides on admission. Passing the exam is one condition; admission also involves a character and fitness review, and all but two US jurisdictions require the separate MPRE on professional responsibility.
So there is no single national law bar exam. What most jurisdictions share is the content: NCBE writes the multistate components that make up the Uniform Bar Exam, and from July 2026 the NextGen UBE. A few jurisdictions write their own exam, Louisiana being the clearest example.
Source: NCBE — Uniform Bar Examination. Checked 19 October 2026.
What is on the bar exam?
On the legacy UBE, what’s on the bar exam is three NCBE components taken over two days:
- Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): 200 multiple-choice questions, 175 scored and 25 unscored, in two three-hour sessions. Seven subjects with 25 scored questions each: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property and torts.
- Multistate Essay Examination (MEE): six 30-minute essay questions. Areas can include business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts (with UCC Article 2), criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property and torts, and the areas covered vary from exam to exam.
- Multistate Performance Test (MPT): two 90-minute tasks. You get a File of source documents and a memorandum from a supervising attorney, and you produce the requested document.
Source: NCBE — Preparing for the MBE. Checked 19 October 2026.
The Uniform Bar Exam and UBE bar exam states
The uniform bar exam combines the MBE (50%), the MEE (30%) and the MPT (20%) into one total score on a 400-point scale. That score is portable: you can transfer it to seek admission in other UBE jurisdictions, within each jurisdiction’s rules on score age and minimum score. Some UBE jurisdictions also require a jurisdiction-specific law component before admission.
NCBE’s list of uniform bar exam jurisdictions has 42 entries, from Missouri and North Dakota (first UBE in February 2011) to Wisconsin (July 2026), and includes the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Minimum passing scores on the UBE bar exam range from 260 to 270: for example 260 in Minnesota and Utah, 266 in New York, Illinois and the District of Columbia, and 270 in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Because jurisdictions are now moving to the NextGen UBE at different times, check the agency of each of the uniform bar exam states you are interested in before relying on a transferred score.
Source: NCBE — UBE jurisdictions. Checked 19 October 2026.
The NextGen bar exam
The NextGen bar exam is NCBE’s successor to the legacy UBE. It launched in July 2026 in Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Palau, the Virgin Islands and Washington. Most other jurisdictions follow between 2027 and July 2028; Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada and Puerto Rico had not adopted it when we checked.
The next-gen bar exam takes one and a half days: two three-hour sessions on day one and one on day two. It mixes standalone multiple-choice questions (about 40% of exam time), integrated question sets built on a common fact scenario, and performance tasks (about a third of exam time). It tests eight foundational subjects, with family law added from July 2028, together with lawyering skills such as legal research, legal writing, issue spotting, client counseling and negotiation. Scores run from 500 to 750 and each jurisdiction sets its own passing score.
Source: NCBE — NextGen UBE. Checked 19 October 2026.
The bar exam in 2026: dates and transition
The bar exam 2026 calendar had the usual two administrations. In New York, the February exam was held on February 24–25, 2026 and the July exam on July 28–29, 2026; the next New York dates are February 23–24 and July 27–28, 2027.
July 2026 was also the first NextGen administration. In Washington the July 2026 NextGen exam was cancelled, and NCBE reports a make-up exam on September 1–2 for affected applicants. Dates and filing deadlines differ by jurisdiction, so use your agency’s calendar.
Source: New York State Board of Law Examiners — Dates of exams. Checked 19 October 2026.
Can anyone take the bar exam?
Not without meeting the jurisdiction’s education rules. Most applicants qualify through a law degree, but the rules differ. Illinois requires a J.D. from an ABA-approved law school. Washington does not limit eligibility to ABA-approved graduates and lists law office study among its routes, with a specified number of hours at an ABA-approved school for some routes. New York also lists law office study, with additional requirements.
Foreign law graduates can sit in some jurisdictions, usually after additional education or an equivalency review. Washington and the District of Columbia, for example, list a character and fitness fee on top of the exam fee, because that review is separate from the exam.
Source: NCBE Bar Admission Guide — Washington. Checked 19 October 2026.
How many times can you take the bar exam?
It depends on the jurisdiction. According to NCBE’s Bar Admission Guide, New York, Illinois, Washington and North Carolina set no limit on attempts to earn a passing UBE score. The District of Columbia sets a limit of 4 attempts, and Louisiana allows 5 attempts without special permission.
In some jurisdictions repeaters pay a different fee, and jurisdictions set their own rules on how long a score stays valid, so read the current rules of your agency before planning a retake.
Source: NCBE Bar Admission Guide — District of Columbia. Checked 19 October 2026.
How hard is the bar exam?
How difficult is the bar exam in numbers? NCBE’s statistics give a fair picture. Averaged across all jurisdictions, 63% of all takers and 76% of first-time takers passed in 2025. The two sittings differ: 47% passed in February 2025 against 69% in July 2025.
There is no official ranking of the hardest state bar exam. Pass rates and passing scores differ: in 2025, 58% passed overall in California and 71% in the District of Columbia, and UBE minimum scores range from 260 to 270. Louisiana writes its own exam built around the Louisiana Civil Code and requires 650 of 900 weighted points.
Source: NCBE — Ten-year summary of bar passage rates 2016–2025. Checked 19 October 2026.
Four examples: WA state bar exam, DC, Illinois and Louisiana
The rules show how different the same exam can look by jurisdiction. All figures are from NCBE’s Bar Admission Guide or the agency named, checked 19 October 2026.
- WA state bar exam: Washington gave its last legacy UBE in February 2026 and moved to the NextGen UBE in July 2026, with a NextGen minimum score of 610 and no limit on attempts.
- DC bar exam: the District of Columbia keeps the legacy UBE through July 2027 (minimum 266), starts the NextGen UBE in February 2028 and limits attempts to 4.
- Illinois (IL) bar exam: legacy UBE with MBE, MEE and MPT through July 2027 (minimum 266), NextGen UBE from February 2028, ABA-approved J.D. required.
- Bar exam in Louisiana: not a UBE jurisdiction. Louisiana writes its own nine-part exam, mostly essay, over three days, and allows 5 attempts without special permission.
Source: Louisiana Committee on Bar Admissions — Bar exam. Checked 19 October 2026.
The patent bar exam is a different exam
The patent bar exam is not part of the bar exam. It is the USPTO’s examination for registration to practice in patent matters before the USPTO: 100 multiple-choice questions over two three-hour sessions, of which 90 are scored and 63 correct answers are needed to pass. Eligibility follows 37 CFR § 11.7 and includes scientific and technical qualifications.
Source: USPTO — Becoming a patent practitioner. Checked 19 October 2026.
Bar exam sample questions from NCBE
NCBE publishes free bar exam sample questions for each component: sample MBE test questions, MEE sample questions with analyses, and MPT sample items with point sheets, plus a subject matter outline for the MBE and MEE. For the NextGen UBE it offers free sample multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets and performance tasks.
These official sample questions on the bar exam components show the style and depth NCBE expects, so start with them before any other material.
Source: NCBE — Legacy bar exam study aids. Checked 19 October 2026.
Bar Exam practice questions
Certsqill’s bar exam practice questions are expert-developed practice questions for the bar exam, organized by the subjects tested on the uniform bar exam, so you can work through questions on the bar exam subject by subject.
Every question comes with an explanation for each answer option, and your results build a readiness score per exam area, so you can see whether evidence, real property or civil procedure needs more work before exam day. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
Bar Exam questions people ask
What is the bar exam?
The licensing exam for lawyers in a US jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions use NCBE’s Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE, MPT) or, since July 2026, the NextGen UBE. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
Is there a universal bar exam or a unified bar exam?
The official name is the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). It is used by most, not all, US jurisdictions, and its score can be transferred between UBE jurisdictions. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
What is in the bar exam?
On the legacy UBE: 200 MBE multiple-choice questions, six MEE essays and two MPT tasks. The NextGen UBE uses multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets and performance tasks. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
Is the bar exam hard?
In 2025, 63% of all takers and 76% of first-time takers passed, averaged across jurisdictions. Source: NCBE 2025 statistics, checked 19 October 2026.
Can anybody take the bar exam without law school?
In a few jurisdictions there is a law office study route, for example Washington and New York, with additional requirements. Illinois requires an ABA-approved J.D. Source: NCBE Bar Admission Guide, checked 19 October 2026.
How many times can you take the bar exam?
It depends on the jurisdiction: no limit in New York, Illinois and Washington, 4 attempts in the District of Columbia, 5 without special permission in Louisiana. Source: NCBE Bar Admission Guide, checked 19 October 2026.
Is there an ExamSoft bar exam?
No. ExamSoft is exam software, not an exam. For example, the New York Board requires NYLE applicants to purchase, download and register the software with Examsoft. Source: New York State Board of Law Examiners, checked 19 October 2026.
When does the NextGen bar exam replace the UBE?
NCBE offers the legacy UBE through February 2028; from July 2028 it offers only the NextGen UBE and the MPRE. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
