The MBE

All U.S. jurisdictions except Louisiana and Washington use the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) as part of their state bar examinations.  The  MBE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions given over two 3-hour exam periods. Ten "pre-test" questions are included to evaluate potential new MBE questions. These pre-test questions, which are not used for scoring purposes, are scattered throughout the exam and indistinguishable from scored questions.  The 190 scored questions test the following areas of law: 

• constitutional law (31 questions)
• contracts (including Art. 2 sales) (33 questions)
• criminal law & procedure (31 questions) 
• evidence (31 questions)
• real property, including topics covered in Real Estate Finance (31 questions) 
• torts (33 questions). 

If you are taking the MBE, visit the website of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) early in your bar review process.  The NCBE provides a detailed description and subject-matter outlines for each subject tested.   (Clicking on the subject-matter links above will take you directly to the subject-matter outlines.)  The free MBE Information Booklet provides sample questions.  Over 1200 MBE questions have been released and are available for purchase.

Learn more about the MEE, MPT, and MPRE.

Last updated 2008-11-06