Washington Bar Examination (UBE)

Bar Exam Information

NOTE: Bar exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with Washington bar examiner’s office.

BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT

2024: February 27-28, July 30-31

The Washington Bar Exam is a 2-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).

Day 1: Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE in the AM) and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT in the PM).

Day 2: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM).

Washington State Bar Association

1325 Fourth Ave., Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539

Phone: (206) 727-8209

Fax: (206) 727-8313

Email: admissions@wsba.org

Web: www.wsba.org

Subjects Tested

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

Constitutional Law
Contracts/Sales
Criminal Law/Procedure
Evidence
Federal Civil Procedure
Real Property
Torts

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)

Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies)
Conflicts of Law
Family Law
Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
Secured Transactions (Article 9 of Uniform Commercial Code)
Plus, all MBE Subjects

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

Multistate Performance Test “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam

Washington’s MPRE minimum pass score is 85. A passing score on the MPRE must be acquired no earlier than three years prior to, and no later than 40 months after, the date of the administration of the UBE in which the applicant achieves a passing score.

Scoring

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE.

MBE weighted 50%
MEE weighted 30%
MPT weighted 20%

A total scaled score of 270 or higher is required to pass the Washington Bar Exam.

Additional Requirements

Washington Law Component (WLC)

All applicants for admission as a lawyer must pass the Washington Law Component (WLC); the minimum passing score is 80% correct. The WLC is comprised of online materials and an online multiple-choice test based on areas or subjects of law that are specific to Washington State.

The Board of Bar Examiners is responsible for the content of the WLC and shall publish the Washington state-specific materials for applicants.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

Washington does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

A member in good standing of another U.S. state or territory may be admitted on motion in Washington if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for three of the five years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 270 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within the preceding 40 months may apply for admission based on that score. Additional requirements apply.

Looking For Another Jurisdiction?

Choose below for info about other jurisdictions:

More Helpful Bar Exam Topics

Need extra help passing the Uniform Bar Exam?

Individual private tutoring for the UBE

Everyone can benefit from having a personal bar exam coach. Whether you are a first-time test taker or repeating the exam, having a personal bar exam coach to walk you through the process will ensure that you do not waste valuable time and energy.

Other bar review courses offer private tutoring with a “licensed attorney”. But simply being a “licensed attorney” does not qualify someone to help you pass the bar exam. What you really need is someone with decades of experience coaching students for success on the bar exam. Marc Rossen is a bar exam expert with over 25 years of experience helping students pass the bar exam.

Marc Rossen

Supreme Bar Review Director
Experienced Bar Exam Tutor