Multistate Bar Examination

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

The MBE is a standardized test consisting of 200 multiple-choice questions covering seven key areas of law: constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, federal rules of civil procedure, federal rules of evidence, real property, and torts. The MBE formerly addressed only six topics, with civil procedure added by the NCBE in 2009 and administered starting in 2015. Examinees have three hours to answer 100 questions in a morning session and the same for an afternoon session. The MBE is administered in all U.S. states and territories, except Louisiana and Puerto Rico, which follow civil law systems very different from the legal systems in other states, and California, which in 2024 replaced the MBE with a test generated with the help of artificial intelligence to cut costs. The MBE is administered in most jurisdictions on the last Wednesday in February and July.