District of Columbia Bar Examination (UBE)
Bar Exam Information
NOTE: Bar exam information is subject to change without notice.
Please verify with bar examiner’s office.
BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT
2021: February 23 – 24, July 27 – 28
The District of Columbia Bar Exam is a 2-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).
Day 1: Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions in the AM, and six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions 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).
District of Columbia Bar Admissions
D.C. COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS
430 E St. NW, Rm. 123
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 879-2710
Fax: (202) 879-2794
Email: coa@dcappeals.gov
Website: www.dcappeals.gov
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mt. Vernon Pl. NW
Washington, DC 20001
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
A scaled score of 75 on the MPRE is required for admission.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
Application must be filed by December 15 for the February exam and by May 3 for the July exam. Late applications may be filed within 15 days from December and May closing dates ($210 late fee).
Filing Fee: $110 plus MBE Fee: $64 plus MEE and MPT Fee: $50 plus NCBE Character Report: $355 for a recent graduate, $500 for attorneys, and $875 for foreign educated or foreign-licensed attorneys
Scoring
The MBE is weighted 50% the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%. An applicant taking both the essay portion and the MBE portion of the bar examination is required to achieve a combined scaled score of 266 to pass the examination.
Reciprocity
Acceptance of MBE or D.C. Bar Exam Score
An applicant who received an MBE scaled score of 133 or higher on a prior MBE (taken within 25 months of the present exam) may waive in the MBE score and take only the essay exam. An essay score of 133 will then be required to pass the D.C. exam.
An applicant who received a scaled essay score of 133 or higher on a prior D.C. Bar Exam (taken within 25 months of the present exam) may waive in the essay score and take only the MBE. A scaled MBE score of 133 will then be required to pass the D.C. exam.
Admission on Motion
An applicant who has been a member of another bar and in good standing for five years immediately preceding application may be admitted without exam.
An applicant may be admitted without exam if applicant received a scaled MBE score of 133 or higher on an exam upon which applicant was admitted in another jurisdiction, achieved a scaled score of 75 or better on MPRE, and has a J.D. or LL.B. from an ABA accredited law school.
Admission by UBE
An applicant may be eligible for admission without examination if the applicant has achieved a scaled score of 266 or higher in another UBE jurisdiction. The passing UBE scaled score must be achieved no more than 5 years before the filing of the application.
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
