What Is the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam?

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, or MPRE, is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice test on legal ethics that nearly every U.S. jurisdiction requires before admitting a new lawyer to the bar. Scores are reported on a 50-to-150 scale, and the passing mark is set by each jurisdiction somewhere between 75 and 86. Only Wisconsin and Puerto Rico skip the requirement entirely.¹

Format and Timing

You get two hours to answer 60 multiple-choice questions. Only 50 count toward your score. The other 10 are unscored pretest items that the National Conference of Bar Examiners uses for future test development, and they look identical to the scored questions, so there’s no way to spot and skip them.¹

Every item uses a “best answer” format. You read a short scenario involving a lawyer’s conduct and pick the response that best reflects the applicable ethical rule. The gap between the correct choice and the runner-up is often narrow, so knowing the general principle isn’t enough. You need to see how the rules interact when the facts get messy.

What the Exam Covers

Questions come from the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct. NCBE publishes a subject matter outline with approximate weights for each topic:²

Conflicts of interest: 12–18%
Client-lawyer relationship: 10–16%
Litigation and advocacy: 10–16%
Client confidentiality: 6–12%
Competence and legal malpractice: 6–12%
Regulation of the legal profession: 6–12%
Different roles of the lawyer: 4–10%
Communications about legal services: 4–10%
Transactions and communications with non-clients: 2–8%
Safekeeping funds and property: 2–8%
Judicial conduct: 2–8%
Duties to the public and legal system: 2–4%

Conflicts of interest alone can produce nearly one in five questions. Combined with the client-lawyer relationship material, those two areas may account for well over a third of the exam.

2026 Dates and Registration

The exam is offered three times a year at Pearson VUE testing centers. The 2026 administrations are:³

March 24 or 25, 2026, with a registration deadline of January 22, 2026
August 11 or 12, 2026, with a registration deadline of June 11, 2026
November 12 or 13, 2026, with a registration deadline of September 17, 2026

Registration for all three opened on December 16, 2025. Not every testing center offers both days of a given administration, so scheduling early improves your chances at a preferred location and time.

To register, create an NCBE Account. That generates a unique NCBE Number, which becomes your permanent identifier for exam scores and bar admission records.⁴ During registration you designate the jurisdiction that will receive your score and provide your legal education history.⁵

Once NCBE processes your registration, Pearson VUE sends an Authorization to Test email. You then log in to Pearson VUE to pick a specific testing center, date, and time. The fee for all 2026 administrations is $185. There is no late registration. Miss the deadline for a given administration and you cannot test that window.⁵

Rescheduling and Cancellations

You can reschedule to a different time or center within the same administration for $25. You cannot move your registration to a later administration. Rescheduling and cancellation requests must be submitted at least 48 hours before the first day of the administration. Cancel inside that window and you forfeit the fee; cancel before it and you receive a partial refund.⁵

Test Day Requirements

Bring two original, unexpired forms of identification. Your first and last name must match exactly across both IDs and your registration.⁶

Primary ID: government-issued with your name, a recent photo, and a signature. A driver’s license, passport, military ID, or permanent resident card will qualify. If the ID was issued outside the United States, it must be an international travel passport printed in roman characters.
Secondary ID: must include your name and either a signature or a photo. A school ID, credit card, or library card works.

Before you enter the testing room, staff collect a digital photograph and digital signature. Personal belongings go into a locker, and the test runs on a proctored workstation. If you arrive without acceptable ID, you will not be allowed to test, and the fee is not refunded.

Passing Scores by Jurisdiction

Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score on the 50-to-150 scale.⁷ The lowest threshold is 75, used in jurisdictions including Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The highest is 86, required by California and Utah. The most common cutoff is 85, used by roughly half the states, including New York, Texas, and Colorado. Florida, Illinois, and Kansas sit at 80.

The spread matters if you might practice in more than one state. A score of 80 passes you in many jurisdictions but falls short in the 85 states. Check the requirement for your target jurisdiction before you sit, and aim higher if there’s any chance you’ll transfer your score later.

A few jurisdictions handle things differently. Wisconsin does not require the MPRE at all, relying on diploma privilege for graduates of its in-state law schools. Puerto Rico also does not require it.⁸ Connecticut and New Jersey accept completion of a law school professional responsibility course as a substitute.

Score Release, Validity, and Transfers

Scores usually post to your NCBE Account within five weeks of the test date.⁷ Your registration includes one jurisdiction score report. To send your score to another jurisdiction later, request an additional report through Score Services in your NCBE Account for $30. You choose whether to send your most recent score, your highest score, or a score from a specific administration. Reports go directly to the jurisdiction, not to you, and are ordinarily processed the next business day after payment.⁹

How long a score stays valid depends on the jurisdiction. California and the District of Columbia accept scores indefinitely. Others set time limits, commonly in the range of four to five years from the test date. If you pass the exam early in law school but delay your bar application, confirm your score has not expired where you plan to apply.

Retaking the Exam

NCBE does not cap the number of times you can retake the MPRE.¹⁰ Because the exam runs three times a year, someone who falls short in March can register for August. Your jurisdiction may have its own retake rules, so verify any local restrictions. Each attempt requires a new $185 registration and a fresh scheduling appointment through Pearson VUE.⁵

Testing Accommodations

If you have a disability, you can request accommodations such as extended time or a separate testing room. You must apply for and receive an accommodation determination before you register and schedule a test appointment. Accommodations cannot be added to an existing registration.¹¹

NCBE publishes recommended submission dates for accommodation requests ahead of each administration. For 2026, those dates are November 20, 2025 for the March exam, April 23, 2026 for August, and July 30, 2026 for November.³ Under the ADA, documentation that a testing entity requests must be reasonable and narrowly tailored to the accommodation sought, so depending on your disability you may only need one or two supporting documents.¹² NCBE provides category-specific medical documentation guidelines, including for ADHD, learning disabilities, and physical or chronic health conditions.

1
National Conference of Bar Examiners. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Subject Matter Outline
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. 2026 MPRE Dates and Deadlines
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NCBE Account Information
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. Registering for the MPRE
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Test Day Policies
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Scores
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. Which Jurisdictions Require the MPRE
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Score Services
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. About the MPRE
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Test Accommodations
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ADA.gov. ADA Requirements Testing Accommodations