Congratulations! You have successfully graduated from law school. Gained deep knowledge about the legal profession. But still, there is one more hurdle that you need to overcome to become a lawyer and start practicing. It is the bar exam.
If you want to start practicing law, prepare for the bar exam, and get a good score. This test is designed to assess law students’ knowledge and skills. Bar exam ensures that individuals are prepared for a rigorous journey. But now the question is what is in the bar exam? Is the bar exam difficult? Let’s explore more about this further in the blog.
What is the Bar Examination?
If you are wondering what is the bar exam is, here’s the simple answer. A bar exam is a final exam/test towards becoming a licensed attorney in the US. Every state in the US has a bar association that conducts exams. Passing this exam is compulsory for practicing law in that specific jurisdiction.
The bar exam covers a wide range of legal subjects, including constitutional law, business associations, property, torts, civil procedure, evidence, family law, criminal law, and secured transactions.
What Does the Bar Exam Consist of?
The bar exam consists of three major components. This test is for aspiring lawyers to test their analytical skills and practical abilities.
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
This part of the bar exam focuses on essay format. It consists of certain hypothetical legal scenarios. Essay writing is a very common test that all bar associations conduct. Each essay scenario is different. The test can either focus on only one type of law practice area or it can be multiple legal practices, which are often referred to as “crossovers.”
This exam tests your abilities such as
- Applying relevant legal principles
- Identify legal issues
- Analyze the facts of the case
- Construct a logical and persuasive argument
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
MBE is a multiple-choice question test. The test covers almost 200 questions from seven different legal subjects:
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts and Sales
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Civil Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
Lastly, we have the MPT. It is a test that checks your skills when it comes to practical legal problems. This test covers real-world tasks that you might encounter as a lawyer. This can include:
- Drafting a legal brief
- Negotiating a settlement
- Writing a client letter
- Applying legal principles to a specific fact pattern
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
Although MPRE is a separate exam that UBE has. However, aspiring lawyers in the US should take this exam. It is required in most of the jurisdictions except in Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. MPRE acts as a requisite or prerequisite for the bar exam.
How Hard is the Bar Exam?
Now that you know what a bar exam is for a lawyer and what are its components, let’s quickly look at its difficulty level.
Honestly, bar exams are hard. There is no “shortcut” or “easy” way to pass the bar exam. You will have to put in effort, give your best to pass your bar exam.
While the bar exam has the reputation of being difficult. It is crucial to keep in mind that it is a pass/fail, minimum competency exam. You will require a strong mindset and preparation to pass the bar exam. You don’t have to master anyone’s practice area; simply understand well enough about different law practice areas to be on the passing side of the bar exam curve.
The bar exam is a big deal. It’s tough, it’s long, and it covers a lot of ground. Knowing what to expect can make a huge difference in how you prepare. This guide will break down the bar exam, give you tips for studying effectively, and help you feel confident going into test day. Whether you’re a first-time taker or have been studying for months, we’ve got you covered. Understanding how hard is the bar exam is crucial for success.
What is the Uniform Bar Exam?
If you are thinking about what is MPRE test, and why you should care about it. The simple answer to that is, it is a standardized licensing exam for aspiring lawyers in the US. It is taken into consideration in many states only because it streamlines the process of examination in comparison to the traditional bar exam format that varies by state.
The Multistate Performance Test (MPT): The first exam of the UBE is MPT. It is an open-book test, in which students are given all the necessary information and material that they need to produce a result similar to lawyer work, such as a case brief or memo. The test is conducted to test your lawyering skills in an environment that is very close to the real legal world.
This exam is conducted on Day 1 of your bar exam. Students usually get 2 MPT tasks that they are required to complete over a 3-hour session. They will be getting 90 minutes to complete each task.
The Multistate Essay Exam (MEE): The next test that is part of the bar exam is MEE. It tests the ability of students in identifying legal issues, presenting a reasoned argument & analysis, separating relevant and irrelevant facts, understating legal principle through the essay questions. MEE takes place on the afternoon of Day 1. Appearing students will be required to complete 6 essay questions. For each question, the student will be given 30 minutes of time.
The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE): MBE is another crucial part of the UBE exam. It consists of multiple-choice questions that test the knowledge of Constitutional Law, Contracts/Sales, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure and Real Property.
This test takes place on the Day 2 of your bar exam. Students will be given 200 multiple-choice questions that you will answer in a 6-hour-long session. It is divided into two parts. You will be required to complete 100 questions within 3 hours in the morning. For the remaining 100 questions in the afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few steps that you will have to take to pass the bar exam:
- Graduate from any law school that is approved by ABA.
- Meet all the entry requirements, such as character and fitness.
- Apply for the bar exam in the state of your choice.
- Prepare for the bar exam (either by taking prep courses or by independent study).
- Sit for the bar exam that consists of three main tests: MBE, MEE, and MPT.
- Pass the exam according to your state’s passing score.
Most of the states offer 2-4 attempts for the bar exam. But almost 35 states that include New York, California, and Florida don’t have any limits on the number of attempts for the bar exam.
The pass rate for bar exams can vary depending on state and can also fluctuate on a yearly basis. But usually the pass rate ranges from 70% to 80%.
A Bar association is a professional legal organization that regulates the functioning of lawyers and law firms within a particular jurisdiction; it can include any state or territory.
The answer to this is very subjective. There are many factors that can affect the difficulty of the exam. However, the states with higher passing rates are usually considered as easy. Some of the states with easy bar exams include Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia, and more.
Similar to the above question, even the hardest bar exam depends on various factors and it can also be subjective. The few states with the hardest bar exam include California, Alaska, Maine, Idaho, and more.