The MPRE exam: format, requirements and practice questions
The MPRE (Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination) is NCBE’s two-hour exam on the rules governing lawyers’ and judges’ conduct, required for bar admission in all US jurisdictions except Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. It has 60 multiple-choice questions, 50 of them scored, is taken on computer at Pearson test centers three times a year and costs $185. Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score, from 75 to 86 on a 50 to 150 scale.
- Exam
- Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), by NCBENCBE MPRE page, checked 18 October 2026
- Questions
- 60 multiple choice: 50 scored, 10 unscored pretest questionsNCBE MPRE page, checked 18 October 2026
- Length
- 2 hoursNCBE MPRE page, checked 18 October 2026
- Delivery
- On computer at Pearson testing centersNCBE MPRE page, checked 18 October 2026
- When
- Three times a year: March, August and NovemberNCBE MPRE dates, checked 18 October 2026
- Cost
- $185 for all 2026 and 2027 administrationsNCBE MPRE registration, checked 18 October 2026
- Score scale
- 50 to 150NCBE MPRE page, checked 18 October 2026
- Passing score
- Set by each jurisdiction: 75 to 86 in 2025NCBE 2025 MPRE statistics, checked 19 October 2026
- Required in
- All US jurisdictions except Wisconsin and Puerto RicoNCBE MPRE page, checked 18 October 2026
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Why you can trust these MPRE questions
What is the MPRE exam?
The MPRE exam tests the law governing the conduct and discipline of lawyers and judges. NCBE bases it on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, together with controlling constitutional decisions and generally accepted principles from leading federal and state cases, and procedural and evidentiary rules.
What is the MPRE test for, in practice? It is a separate requirement from the bar exam itself, taken on its own dates, and a passing score is one of the conditions for admission in all but two US jurisdictions.
Source: NCBE — Preparing for the MPRE. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE exam questions and format
The MPRE has 60 multiple-choice questions in two hours. 50 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions, which look exactly like the scored ones, so answer every question. That gives you two minutes per question on average.
MPRE exam questions are fact patterns: a lawyer or judge faces a situation, and you choose the answer that the rules of professional conduct support. NCBE publishes a list of MPRE Key Words and Phrases used in its questions, which is worth reading before your first practice set.
Source: NCBE — MPRE. Checked 18 October 2026.
What the MPRE covers: the official MPRE study guide
NCBE’s subject matter outline is the closest thing to an official MPRE study guide. It lists twelve areas with the approximate share of questions in each:
- Conflicts of interest: 12–18%
- The client-lawyer relationship: 10–16%
- Litigation and other forms of advocacy: 10–16%
- Regulation of the legal profession: 6–12%
- Client confidentiality: 6–12%
- Competence, legal malpractice and other civil liability: 6–12%
- Different roles of the lawyer: 4–10%
- Communications about legal services: 4–10%
- Transactions and communications with persons other than clients: 2–8%
- Safekeeping funds and other property: 2–8%
- Judicial conduct: 2–8%
- Lawyers’ duties to the public and the legal system: 2–4%
Source: NCBE — MPRE Subject Matter Outline. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE cost and registration
The MPRE cost is $185 for every 2026 and 2027 administration, paid by debit or credit card when you schedule with Pearson. Rescheduling costs a non-refundable $25 and must happen at least 48 hours before the first day of the administration. You cannot move a registration to a later administration.
Registration has several steps: an NCBE Account, the NCBE registration, then scheduling and payment with Pearson by the registration deadline. For the November 12 or 13, 2026 MPRE, the deadline was September 17, 2026.
Source: NCBE — MPRE registration. Checked 18 October 2026.
MPRE test locations
MPRE test locations are Pearson testing centers across the country, including sites in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. NCBE notes that the MPRE is not given at every Pearson center, that center choices cannot be guaranteed and that travel may be required, so schedule early.
Source: NCBE — MPRE registration. Checked 18 October 2026.
MPRE requirements by state
All US jurisdictions except Wisconsin and Puerto Rico require the MPRE. Connecticut and New Jersey also accept a law school course on professional responsibility instead of a passing score. Each jurisdiction sets its own minimum, and many also limit how old your score may be.
- 75: for example District of Columbia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
- 77: South Carolina
- 79: New Hampshire
- 80: for example Illinois
- 82: Tennessee
- 85: for example New York, Texas, Washington
- 86: for example Utah
Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide — Chart 6, MPRE requirements. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE pass rates
NCBE does not publish MPRE pass rates, and there is no single passing score: in 2025, minimum scores ranged from 75 to 86 across jurisdictions. What NCBE does publish is the national mean, 95.6 on the 50 to 150 scale for 2025 across 60,954 examinees. Score details and the full distribution are on our MPRE exam page.
Source: NCBE — 2025 MPRE statistics. Checked 19 October 2026.
Free MPRE practice questions and the MPRE practice questions PDF
NCBE offers free MPRE prep in three parts: the MPRE sample questions (officially MPRE Sample Test Questions), a PDF with 15 questions and an answer key, the MPRE Key Words and Phrases, and the subject matter outline. The MPRE practice questions PDF has answers but no explanations, so use it to check the style rather than to learn the rules.
NCBE does not list a free MPRE course on the pages we checked, and Certsqill does not offer free MPRE questions. The 15 NCBE sample questions are also not a full MPRE sample exam; for complete exams see NCBE’s paid simulated exams below.
Source: NCBE — MPRE Sample Test Questions. Checked 19 October 2026.
NCBE MPRE practice exams
NCBE sells three Simulated MPRE exams, each with 60 retired MPRE questions and detailed answer explanations, in timed or untimed mode. They cost $50 each or $125 for all three, and they are the only NCBE MPRE practice questions with full explanations. NCBE states that only NCBE provides real retired MPRE questions, so these are the NCBE MPRE questions closest to the real exam.
Use one MPRE practice exam early to find your weak areas and save the others for the final weeks, under timed conditions, as a full MPRE practice test.
Source: NCBE — MPRE study aids. Checked 19 October 2026.
How to study for the MPRE
How to study for MPRE success starts with the outline weights: conflicts of interest, the client-lawyer relationship and litigation together make up 32% to 50% of the questions by NCBE’s ranges, so they deserve the most time. Read the rules behind each outline area in the ABA Model Rules and the Model Code of Judicial Conduct, then practise questions in that area straight away.
Your MPRE study materials can stay lean: the outline, the key words list, NCBE’s sample questions and practice exams, the Model Rules themselves and one MPRE study book or set of MPRE study aids for explanations. NCBE does not publish a recommended study time, so how long to study for MPRE depends on your starting point. A simple MPRE study plan is to study for MPRE areas in outline order, then switch to mixed timed sets of 60 questions in two hours.
Source: NCBE — MPRE Subject Matter Outline. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE prep course or self-study?
An MPRE prep course or MPRE review course gives you lectures and a schedule; self-study with NCBE’s materials gives you the most exam-like questions. Rather than searching for the best MPRE prep course in general, check any MPRE course against three points: it follows NCBE’s twelve-area outline, it explains every answer with the governing rule, and it includes enough timed practice.
Whatever MPRE prep or MPRE preparation materials you pick, finish with an MPRE review of your weakest outline areas using fresh questions, not the ones you have already seen.
Source: NCBE — MPRE study aids. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE practice questions
Certsqill’s MPRE practice questions are expert-developed and mapped to NCBE’s twelve outline areas, from conflicts of interest to judicial conduct, so your MPRE practice follows the exam’s weighting.
Every question comes with an explanation for each answer option, and your results build a readiness score per outline area, so you can see which MPRE questions still trip you up before test day. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
MPRE questions people ask
What is the MPRE exam?
NCBE’s two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam on the law governing the conduct of lawyers and judges, required for admission in all US jurisdictions except Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. Source: NCBE, checked 18 October 2026.
How much does the MPRE cost?
$185 for all 2026 and 2027 administrations; rescheduling costs $25. Source: NCBE, checked 18 October 2026.
Where are the free MPRE practice questions from NCBE?
NCBE publishes 15 MPRE sample test questions with an answer key as a free PDF, plus key words and phrases and the subject matter outline. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
Are there official MPRE practice exams?
Yes. NCBE sells three Simulated MPRE exams with 60 retired questions and explanations each, $50 each or $125 for all three. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
What are the MPRE requirements by state?
Every US jurisdiction except Wisconsin and Puerto Rico requires it; minimum scores range from 75 to 86. Connecticut and New Jersey also accept a law school professional responsibility course. Source: NCBE, checked 18 and 19 October 2026.
How to study for the MPRE?
Follow NCBE’s outline weights, read the ABA Model Rules for each area, and practise with NCBE’s sample questions and simulated exams under timed conditions.
What is the MPRE pass rate?
NCBE does not publish one, and each jurisdiction sets its own passing score. The 2025 national mean was 95.6. Source: NCBE 2025 statistics, checked 19 October 2026.
Can I take the MPRE online?
The NCBE pages we checked describe the MPRE only at Pearson testing centers, on Pearson computers. Source: NCBE, checked 18 October 2026.
