Hawaii Bar Examination

Bar Exam Information

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

BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT

2024: February 27-28, July 30-31

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

Email: baradmissions@courts.hawaii.gov

Web: www.courts.state.hi.us/

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.

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.