The Multistate Bar Examination is a 200-question, multiple-choice test developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners that measures whether applicants can identify and apply foundational legal principles across seven core subjects. Forty-one jurisdictions use it as part of the Uniform Bar Examination, and several more fold MBE scores into their own bar exams. Louisiana is the only state that does not administer it at all. One caveat up front: NCBE is phasing the MBE out starting in July 2026, and some jurisdictions will stop giving it that summer.
How the Exam Is Structured
The MBE is a six-hour, paper-based exam split into two three-hour sessions of 100 questions each, with a break between the morning and afternoon blocks. Jurisdictions administer it on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July every year. The July 2026 administration falls on July 29.
Every question gives four answer choices, and the candidate picks the single best one. That works out to roughly one minute and 48 seconds per question, though no one times individual items. The real challenge is sustaining focus across 100 consecutive questions in each session. Candidates fill in machine-readable bubble sheets with No. 2 pencils, and proctors enforce strict timing and security.
Of the 200 questions, only 175 are scored. The other 25 are unscored pretest items mixed in throughout, which NCBE uses to evaluate future questions. Pretests look identical to scored questions, so every item deserves equal effort.
The Seven Subjects Tested
The MBE draws from seven legal disciplines, with 25 scored questions per subject. That equal distribution surprises some test-takers who expect heavier weighting on something like Contracts or Constitutional Law. Neglecting any one area can meaningfully drag down a total score.
- Civil Procedure: Federal court litigation rules, including jurisdiction, venue, joinder, discovery, and the standards for summary judgment under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
- Constitutional Law: Separation of powers, federal-state relations, individual rights under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, congressional authority, and the scope of judicial review.
- Contracts: Formation, performance, and breach under both common law and UCC Article 2, including offer, acceptance, consideration, defenses like the Statute of Frauds, and remedies such as expectation damages and specific performance.
- Criminal Law and Procedure: Definitions of crimes alongside constitutional protections during investigations and trial, including Fourth Amendment search-and-seizure rules, Fifth Amendment self-incrimination protections, and Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
- Evidence: Rules governing what testimony, documents, and physical items can be admitted at trial, with heavy emphasis on hearsay exceptions and character evidence.
- Real Property: Ownership interests, easements, landlord-tenant relationships, and the transfer of title.
- Torts: Negligence, strict liability, and intentional torts, focusing on duty, breach, causation, and damages.
How Scoring Works
Your raw score is the number of correct answers out of 175 scored questions. There is no penalty for guessing, so leaving an item blank is always worse than picking your best option.
NCBE converts the raw score into a scaled score through a statistical process called equating, which adjusts for difficulty differences between administrations. The result makes February and July scores directly comparable, regardless of which version was harder. The national mean for the February 2026 administration was 131.2.
What Counts as a Passing Score
There is no single national passing score. Each jurisdiction sets its own bar, and the mechanics depend on whether the jurisdiction uses the Uniform Bar Examination.
In UBE jurisdictions, the MBE accounts for 50 percent of the total weighted score. The Multistate Essay Examination contributes 30 percent, and the Multistate Performance Test contributes 20 percent. Minimum passing UBE totals range from 260 to 270. States like Alabama, Minnesota, and Missouri require a 260 at the lower end. Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, and roughly 20 others require a 270.
Because the MBE is half the UBE total, a rough rule of thumb is that an MBE scaled score in the low-to-mid 130s is competitive in most jurisdictions. Scoring below the national mean leaves the essays and performance test carrying more weight.
Non-UBE jurisdictions that use MBE scores apply their own formulas, and a handful set explicit MBE minimums. Check your jurisdiction’s specific rules well before test day.
Score Transfers Between Jurisdictions
One practical advantage of the UBE is score portability. A UBE total earned in one jurisdiction can be transferred to another UBE jurisdiction without retaking the exam. NCBE charges $30 per transfer and processes requests the next business day after payment, though no transfer happens until the testing jurisdiction has released results.
Transferred scores do not last forever. Validity periods vary by jurisdiction and typically range from two to five years. NCBE will only process transfers for MBE scores that are seven years old or less, which sets an outer boundary.
Some non-UBE jurisdictions also accept transferred MBE scores, with their own minimums and validity windows. Taking the UBE in a jurisdiction with a lower passing score produces a portable number that can later be moved to a stricter jurisdiction, provided the stricter minimum is met.
The NextGen Bar Exam Is Replacing the MBE
Starting in July 2026, NCBE is rolling out the NextGen UBE, a redesigned exam that will eventually replace the legacy Uniform Bar Examination, including the MBE, the Multistate Essay Examination, and the Multistate Performance Test.
Ten jurisdictions administer the NextGen UBE for the first time in July 2026: Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Palau, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington. Thirteen more follow in July 2027, three more in February 2028, and the remaining UBE jurisdictions switch by July 2028. After July 2028, the legacy UBE will be permanently retired.
Several things change in the new exam:
- Length and format: The NextGen UBE runs one and a half days (two three-hour sessions on day one, one three-hour session on day two). It combines multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks rather than the current mix of stand-alone multiple choice, essays, and a performance test.
- Digital delivery: Candidates test on their own laptops using a secure testing browser, replacing paper booklets and bubble sheets.
- Expanded subjects: The NextGen adds business associations and tests foundational lawyering skills like legal research, legal writing, client counseling, and negotiation. Family law and trusts and estates appear on every NextGen exam starting in July 2026 and become fully integrated foundational subjects by July 2028.
- New scoring scale: NextGen UBE scores are reported on a 500-to-750 scale. Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score within that range.
During the transition from July 2026 through February 2028, each jurisdiction picks either the legacy UBE or the NextGen UBE, not both. If your jurisdiction is switching in July 2026, you will not take the traditional MBE at all. Check NCBE’s jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction adoption timeline before you plan a test date.