The MPRE exam: questions, test dates, scores and passing scores by state
The MPRE has 60 questions, 50 of them scored, in two hours, and it is given three times a year: in 2026 on March 24 or 25, August 11 or 12 and November 12 or 13. Your MPRE score is a scaled score from 50 to 150, usually released within five weeks, and the passing score depends on the jurisdiction: from 75 to 86.
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How many questions are on the MPRE?
The MPRE has 60 multiple-choice questions in two hours. Only 50 count towards your score; the other 10 are unscored pretest questions that NCBE is trying out. You cannot tell them apart, so treat every question as scored and do not leave any blank.
Source: NCBE — MPRE. Checked 18 October 2026.
MPRE exam dates 2026 and beyond
NCBE gives the MPRE three times a year, and each administration spans two consecutive days, listed by NCBE as one day or the other. You schedule your appointment with Pearson. The MPRE test dates 2026 and their registration deadlines:
- March 24 or 25, 2026: registration deadline January 22, 2026
- August 11 or 12, 2026: registration deadline June 11, 2026
- November 12 or 13, 2026: registration deadline September 17, 2026
Source: NCBE — Important 2026 MPRE dates. Checked 18 October 2026.
MPRE test dates for 2027
The MPRE exam schedule continues with administrations in March, August and November 2027, which NCBE already lists with their registration deadlines. Check the NCBE MPRE page for the exact days before you plan, since a missed deadline means you cannot test in that administration.
Source: NCBE — MPRE. Checked 18 October 2026.
The MPRE scaled score
MPRE scores are reported on a scale from 50 to 150. NCBE converts your raw result into a scaled score through equating, which adjusts for small differences in difficulty between exam forms, so the same scaled score means the same level of performance on any test date.
Because of equating, NCBE says you cannot know in advance how many correct answers produce a given MPRE scaled score. Any fixed “number of questions to pass” is not an NCBE figure.
Source: NCBE — MPRE scores. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE passing scores by state
There is no national MPRE passing score. Each jurisdiction sets its own, and in 2025 they ranged from 75 to 86: eight jurisdictions required 75, one 77, one 79, twenty 80, one 82, twenty-one 85 and two 86. Wisconsin does not require the MPRE. Examples of MPRE passing scores by state:
- District of Columbia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania: 75
- South Carolina: 77
- New Hampshire: 79
- Illinois and Louisiana: 80
- Tennessee: 82
- New York, Texas, Washington: 85
- Utah: 86
Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide — Chart 6, MPRE requirements. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE score requirements by state: how long a score stays valid
The MPRE score requirements by state also cover timing. Some jurisdictions accept a passing score with no time limit, for example the District of Columbia and Illinois. Others set one: Louisiana requires 80 or higher and treats a passing score as valid for five years from the date of the exam.
If you might seek admission in more than one jurisdiction, aim above the highest minimum among them, and check each agency’s time limit before relying on an older score.
Source: Louisiana Committee on Bar Admissions — Bar exam. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE score release: when do MPRE scores come out?
NCBE typically releases MPRE scores to examinees within five weeks of the exam, on the Score Services page of your NCBE Account. For the August 2026 MPRE, NCBE published the national mean on September 23, 2026. NCBE reports your score to the jurisdiction you named when registering; further reports are ordered through MPRE Score Services.
Save your score as soon as it is released: it stays in your NCBE Account Document Center only until the next administration. After that you need an MPRE Unofficial Score Transcript.
Source: NCBE — How to get your MPRE score. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE scores, the passing rate and score percentiles
NCBE does not publish an MPRE passing rate or MPRE score percentiles. It publishes means and a distribution in 10-point bands. The national mean was 95.4 for August 2026 (18,709 examinees) and 95.6 for 2025 as a whole; 2025 scores ranged from 55 to 146. The distribution for November 2025, in percent of examinees:
- 50–59: 2.1%
- 60–69: 4.9%
- 70–79: 11.2%
- 80–89: 19.0%
- 90–99: 21.4%
- 100–109: 18.9%
- 110–119: 12.4%
- 120–129: 5.5%
- 130–139: 3.3%
- 140 and above: 1.2%
Source: NCBE — 2025 MPRE statistics. Checked 19 October 2026.
MPRE exam: questions people ask
How many questions are on the MPRE?
60 multiple-choice questions in two hours; 50 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions. Source: NCBE, checked 18 October 2026.
What is the MPRE passing score?
Each jurisdiction sets its own, from 75 to 86 on the 50–150 scale; for example 75 in the District of Columbia, 80 in Illinois, 85 in New York. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
When do MPRE scores come out?
Typically within five weeks of the exam, in your NCBE Account. Save the score before the next administration. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
Do MPRE scores by state differ?
No. NCBE reports one scaled score on the 50–150 scale; what differs by state is the passing score and how long a score stays valid. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
What are the MPRE exam dates in 2026?
March 24 or 25, August 11 or 12 and November 12 or 13, 2026. Source: NCBE, checked 18 October 2026.
What is the highest MPRE score?
The scale tops out at 150. The highest score in 2025 was 146, and the 2025 mean was 95.6. Source: NCBE 2025 statistics, checked 19 October 2026.
How many MPRE questions do I need to pass?
NCBE says this cannot be known in advance, because raw results are converted to scaled scores through equating. Source: NCBE, checked 19 October 2026.
