Hawaii Bar Examination
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 Hawaii Bar Exam is a 2-day exam.
Day 1: Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE); two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT); Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination, a 30-minute, 15-question-multiple-choice-exam.
Day 2: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM).
Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners
Supreme Court of Hawaii
Ali’iolani Hale, Room 103
417 S. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-2912
Phone: (808) 539-4977
Neal S. Blaisdel Center, Galleria
777 Ward Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96814
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 85 on the MPRE within two years before or within one year after the Hawaii bar exam is required for admission.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
Applications must be received by November 1st preceding the February exam and April 1st preceding the July exam. No late filing allowed.
Exam Fee: $500 You will be required to pay a fee to the National Conference of Bar Examiners when you complete and submit your NCBE HAWAII Character and Fitness Application.
Scoring
The MBE is weighted 50%. The individual remaining items, which consist of 6 MEE questions, 2 MPT tasks, and a locally developed Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination consisting of 15 multiple choice questions, are all equally weighted for a cumulative total of 50%.
A score of 134 (on a 200-point scale) is passing.
Additional Information
Hawaii Legal Ethics Exam
The Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination consists of 15 multiple-choice questions. It was developed by the Hawaii Board of Examiners and is based on the Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct (HRPC). This exam component is administered on Tuesday morning. Hawaii allots 30 minutes for this exam component.
Do not confuse the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination with the NCBE’s Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) or the mandatory Hawaii Professionalism Course conducted by the Hawaii State Bar Association.
Reciprocity
Acceptance of MBE Score
Hawaii does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.
Admission on Motion
Although admission on motion is not generally available, Hawaii allows it on specific and limited grounds.
