NCBE is a not-for-profit corporation that develops four licensing exams used by most U.S. jurisdictions for admission to the bar.
Multistate Bar Exam. A six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination developed by NCBE covering Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Civil Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. It is administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination.
Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. A two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice examination developed by NCBE that is administered three times per year and is designed to measure knowledge and understanding of established standards related to a lawyer’s professional conduct. It is administered by NCBE through its test contractor LSAC.
Multistate Essay Exam. An examination developed by NCBE consisting of 30-minute essay questions. Areas of law tested are Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts (including Article 2 [Sales] of the Uniform Commercial Code), Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates, and Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code. It is administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination.
Multistate Performance Test. An examination developed by NCBE consisting of 90-minute tasks requiring the application of fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation. Skills tested are factual analysis, legal analysis and reasoning, problem solving, identification and resolution of ethical dilemmas, written communication, and organization and management of a legal task. It is administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination.
The select articles listed cover important aspects of the current bar exam. These are only a few of the many articles published in The Bar Examiner, which is NCBE’s quarterly publication, and they are available at the The Bar Examiner website at www.thebarexaminer.org.
The Testing Column: Equating the MBE
September 2015 (Vol. 84, No. 2)
The Testing Column: Raw Scores on the MBE Tell You Little—and Probably Less Than You Think
March 2014 (Vol. 83, No. 1)
It’s All Relative—MEE and MPT Grading, That Is
June 2016 (Vol.85, No. 2)
Bar Exam Q&A: 13 Questions from Inquiring Minds
Fall 2018 (Vol. 87, No. 3)
The Testing Column: Q&A: NCBE Testing and Research Department Staff Members Answer Your Questions
Winter 2017-2018 (Vol. 86, No. 4)
The Testing Column: Speed (Not the Drug, and It Does Not Kill, but It Can Cause Stress)
December 2015 (Vol. 84, No. 4)
The Testing Column: Best Practices with Weighting Examination Components
February 2008 (Vol. 77, No. 1)
The Testing Column: Subscore National Percentile Ranks: The Undead
March 2017 (Vol. 86, No. 1)
The Testing Column: Equating the MBE
September 2015 (Vol. 84, No. 2)
The Testing Column: Raw Scores on the MBE Tell You Little—and Probably Less Than You Think
March 2014 (Vol. 83, No. 1)
It’s All Relative—MEE and MPT Grading, That Is
June 2016 (Vol.85, No. 2)
Bar Exam Q&A: 13 Questions from Inquiring Minds
Fall 2018 (Vol. 87, No. 3)
The Testing Column: Q&A: NCBE Testing and Research Department Staff Members Answer Your Questions
Winter 2017-2018 (Vol. 86, No. 4)
The Testing Column: Speed (Not the Drug, and It Does Not Kill, but It Can Cause Stress)
December 2015 (Vol. 84, No. 4)
The Testing Column: Best Practices with Weighting Examination Components
February 2008 (Vol. 77, No. 1)
The Testing Column: Subscore National Percentile Ranks: The Undead
March 2017 (Vol. 86, No. 1)
On April 9, 2020, NCBE published a white paper, Bar Admissions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluating Options for the Class of 2020. The white paper is intended to assist jurisdiction courts and boards of bar examiners in evaluating some of…
The Testing Task Force is pleased to publish its Phase 2 report, which details the results of the practice analysis it conducted last year. View the Testing Task Force Phase 2 Report: 2019 Practice Analysis to learn about what knowledge,…
Thousands of attorneys from around the country took the Testing Task Force’s historic practice analysis survey, which successfully concluded at the end of September. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey; the responses will help guide policy decisions…
NCBE is a not-for-profit corporation that develops licensing tests for bar admission and provides character and fitness investigation services.
