Iowa 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 Iowa Bar Exam is a 2-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).
Day 1: Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT in the AM) and six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE 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).
Iowa Board of Law Examiners
Office of Professional Regulation
Judicial Branch Building, Second Floor
1111 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: (515) 725-8029
Fax: (515) 725-8032
Holiday Inn Des Moines
Airport Conference Center
6111 Fleur Dr.
Des Moines, IA 50321
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 80 must be on file before the applicant is allowed to sit for the bar exam (by April 1 for the July exam and November 1 for the February exam). Scores will be accepted for three years after the date the MPRE is taken.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
Law student registration is required. For complete details contact the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.
Applications must be filed by November 1 for the February exam and by April 1 for the July exam. There will be no exceptions to the deadlines.
Bar Exam Application Fee: $550
On-Motion Application Fee: $900
UBE Transfer fee: $900
Scoring
The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE with the MBE weighted 50%, the MEE weighted 40% and the MPT weighted 10%. A total scaled score of 266 is required to pass.
Additional Information
Applicants may take exam prior to graduation if degree was received within 45 days after the first day of the exam.
Reciprocity
Acceptance of MBE Score
Iowa does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.
Admission on Motion
May be admitted on motion if applicant has engaged in active practice of law for five of seven years preceding application. For complete details contact the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.
Admission by UBE
Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 266 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within two years may apply for admission based on that score. For complete details contact the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.
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
