GENERAL INFORMATION

Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements is the annual NCBE/ABA guide to admission to state bars. Print copies are available in the law library’s reference room at call number KF302.A15 C66 (2011 is the most recent). An online version is available at the NCBE website at: http://www.ncbex.org/uploads/user_docrepos/2011_CompGuide.pdf.

National Conference of Bar Examiners is the organization that produces the multistate bar examinations. Their main web page is at http://www.ncbex.org/. Their web site contains information on the four multi-state exams (MBE, MEE, MPT, and MPRE). The site contains maps detailing which states require which multistate exams, descriptions of the exams, test dates, sample questions and suggestions for study aids. The study aids listed on the web site are also available in the law library.

Hein’s State Bar Examinations is a microfiche collection of the essay questions released by state bar examiner’s offices. The coverage of this collection is 1985 to date. The compilation does not contain every exam, for every year, for every state because obtaining permission from some states to reprint their questions is often difficult  It remains, however, the single best source for these exam questions. Hein’s State Bar Examinations is located in the Government Documents/Microform room on the library’s floor three. The microfiche can be found in cabinet 26B drawer E.

MULTISTATE BAR EXAM

The web site of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (http://www.ncbex.org) contains information on the four multistate exams (MBE, MEE, MPRE, and MPT) that they author. The four tests provided by the NCBE are:

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) — a six-hour, 200 question (of which 190 are scored) multiple-choice examination covering contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, evidence, and real property. This test is required by 48 of the 50 state bar exams and also the District of Columbia. The exam is administered by participating jurisdictions on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July of each year. Applicants should contact the jurisdiction where admission is being sought to ascertain whether the MBE is part of the jurisdiction's examination.

The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) — a three-hour, six-question (nine are offered) essay examination covering Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and Limited Liability Companies), Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates; Trusts and Future Interests), and Uniform Commercial Code (Commercial Paper (Negotiable Instruments); Secured Transactions). Some questions may include issues in more than one area of law. Jurisdictions will be able to select the specific questions they wish to administer for each examination. It is administered by participating jurisdictions on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July of each year.

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) — is a 60-question, two-hour-and-five-minute, multiple-choice examination administered three times each year. The MPRE is required for admission to the bars of all but four U.S. jurisdictions.

The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) — consists of two 90-minute skills questions covering legal analysis, fact analysis, problem solving, resolution of ethical dilemmas, organization and management of a lawyering task, and communication.

Note: Most states require only one or two of these multistate examinations. The site (http://www.ncbex.org) has information detailing which states require which multistate exams, descriptions of the exams, and suggestions for study aids.

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) — is comprised of a common set of six Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) questions, two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). It is uniformly administered, graded, and scored by user jurisdictions and results in a portable score.

The UBE is administered over two days, with the MBE given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that. The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%, the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%.

Alabama, Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, and Washington are the first five jurisdictions to adopt the UBE. Missouri and North Dakota administered the first UBE in February 2011. Alabama administered the UBE in July 2011, Idaho will administer the UBE in February 2012, and Washington will administer the UBE in July 2013.

STUDY AIDS FOR THE MULTISTATE BAR EXAMINATIONS

Books

MULTISTATE BAR EXAM (MBE) REVIEW / ASPEN PUBLISHERS.
Austin : Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
2008-2009
LOCATION = STACKS
KF303 .M85

MULTISTATE BAR EXAM (MBE) REVIEW / ASPEN PUBLISHERS.
Austin : Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
2010
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .M85.  

Frederick, MD : Aspen Publishers, c2008
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .M855.

MULTISTATE ESSAY EXAM (MEE) REVIEW.
Frederick, MD : Aspen Publishers, c2008
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .M852.

MULTISTATE PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY EXAM (MPRE) REVIEW.
Frederick, MD : Aspen Publishers, c2008
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF306 .M85.

BAR BREAKER / BY JEFF ADACHI.
San Francisco, Calif. : Survival Series Pub. Co., c1995-2003.
LOCATIONS = RESERVE & STACKS.
KF303 .A32 2003.

MULTISTATE BAR EXAM / NEIL C. BLOND.
Frederick, MD : Aspen Publishers, c2010.
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .B57 2010.

THE BAR EXAM IN A NUTSHELL / BY SUZANNE DARROW-KLEINHAUS.
St. Paul, MN : West, c2009.
LOCATIONS = RESERVE & STACKS.
KF303 .D37 2009.

MBE : BEGINNING YOUR CAMPAIGN TO PASS THE BAR EXAM / KEITH ELKIN.
New York, NY : Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, c2011.
LOCATIONS = RESERVE & STACKS.
KF303 .E428 2011.

IF I DON'T PASS THE BAR I'LL DIE : 73 WAYS TO KEEP STRESS AND WORRY FROM AFFECTING YOUR PERFORMANCE ON THE BAR EXAM / ROSEMARY LA PUMA.
New York, N.Y. : Aspen Pub., 2008.
LOCATIONS = RESERVE & STACKS.
KF303 .L37 2008. 

THE LEGAL ESSAY EXAM WRITING PRIMER / BY WENTWORTH MILLER.
[Sewickley, PA : LEEWS], c2003.
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .M55 2003.

PASS THE BAR / DENISE RIEBE, MICHAEL HUNTER SCHWARTZ.
Durham, N.C. : Carolina Academic Press, c2006.
LOCATIONS = RESERVE & STACKS.
KF303 .R54 2006.

NEW RUDMAN'S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE--MBE, MULTISTATE BAR EXAMINATION / BY MICHAEL P. RUDMAN.
Syosset, N.Y. : National Learning Corp., c2002.
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .M38 2002.

MASTERING THE MBE : TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES FOR SCORING HIGH ON THE MULTISTATE BAR EXAM / JOHN J. TALAMO.
Naperville, Ill. : Sphinx Pub., 2002.
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .T35 2002.

STRATEGIES & TACTICS FOR THE FINZ MULTISTATE METHOD / STEVEN R. FINZ
New York, N.Y. : Aspen Publishers, 2010.
LOCATION = RESERVE
KF303 .F56 2010

STRATEGIES & TACTICS FOR THE MBE : MULTISTATE BAR EXAM / KIMM WALTON AND STEVE EMANUEL.
New York : Aspen Publishers, c2003.
LOCATION = RESERVE.
KF303 .W345 2003.

Practice Exams

The National Conference of Bar Examiners has practice exams available for purchase for the MBE and the MPRE.

• MBE
• MPRE

Sample Exams

The National Conference of Bar Examiners provides sample exams for the MBE, MEE, MPT and MPRE. However, the NCBE does not recommend that the MBE and MPRE sample exams be used as study aids, due to their dated nature.

• MBE: 1992, available in pdf on the NCBE website. Not recommended for use as a study aid.
• MEE: 2001 – February 2011 available in pdf through the Law Library’s electronic course reserves.
• MPRE, compilation of questions made available in pdf on the NCBE website. Not recommended for use as a study aid.
• MPT: 2001 – February 2011 available in pdf through the Law Library’s electronic course reserves.

Web-Based Study Aids

AdaptiBar is a fee-based Internet service designed to prepare students specifically for the MBE.

CALI Exercises:  CALI is free to member schools, but you must register in order to use CALI. Call the law library at 202-319-5156 for the CALI registration code.

CALI publishes over 800 computer-based lessons in over 30 different legal subject areas. The lessons use a variety of formats and methods for teaching doctrine, analysis and critical thinking skills. CALI exercises are an excellent way to reinforce classroom instruction. The lessons help you get accustomed to taking multiple-choice examinations and provide feedback to your answers. However, CALI exercises are not designed to simulate the MBE. CALI exercises are meant to be self-paced tutorials; the MBE questions are very focused in content and designed to be answered in a time-sensitive environment.

MyBarPrep is a fee-based Internet service designed to prepare students specifically for the multi-state bar exam.

MARYLAND BAR EXAMINATION

Of the four multistate examinations, Maryland requires the MBE (the Multistate Bar Examination) and the MPT (Multistate Performance Test). The Maryland exam has a first day comprised of ten essay questions and one MPT question, and a second day comprised of the MBE.

Maryland Board of Bar Examiners

This site (http://www.courts.state.md.us/ble/) provides information on the Maryland bar examination, including application forms, admission rules, and other details.

It also contains a “Description and Tips” document on taking the essay exam and a similar document on taking the multistate exam (MBE).

Maryland Bar Examination

This site http://www.courts.state.md.us/ble/examques_ans.html contains recent Maryland essay exam questions, an analysis of the questions from the board of examiners, and representative “good” answers. Older exams (1998-2006) are available at http://www.courts.state.md.us/ble/examques_ans_archive.html.

The Maryland essay examination covers the following subjects: agency, commercial transactions, corporations, family law, Maryland civil procedure, partnerships, professional responsibility, and all of the MBE subjects.

VIRGINIA BAR EXAMINATION

Virginia requires the MBE (the Multistate Bar Examination) and the MPRE (the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination) and an essay exam. The web site for the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (http://www.vbbe.state.va.us/) contains a variety of information on its bar examination, including the Board’s Rules (http://www.vbbe.state.va.us/pdf/VBBERules.pdf).  

The Board does not publish exam questions on their web site nor do they provide model answers. However, Virginia bar exam essay questions from 1995 to date are available on the George Mason University Law Library web site: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/law/academics/bar-va.html. They provide the questions only; there are no sample answers.

The essay examination covers the following topics: agency, conflict of laws, constitutional law, contracts, corporations, creditor’s rights, criminal law and procedure, domestic relations, equity, evidence, federal practice and procedure, local government law, partnerships, personal property, professional responsibility, real property, sales, suretyship, taxation, torts, trusts, Uniform Commercial Code, Virginia pleading, practice and procedure in law and equity (including appellate practice), wills and estate administration.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA EXAMINATION

The main web site for admission to practice in DC is located here:
http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/membership/prospective_members/index.cfm

Admission to practice is regulated by Rule 46 of the DC Court of Appeals. DC requires the MBE, MPT, MPRE, and the MEE (Multistate Essay Exam). The essay examination may cover any of the following topics: administrative law, contracts, agency, Uniform Commercial Code, equity, business associations, conflicts of laws, evidence, torts, wills, trusts, administration of estates, family law, real and personal property, civil and criminal procedure, constitutional law, criminal law, legal ethics, and tax law.

 updated 10/7/11, fmb