Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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).
Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners
Edward W. Brooke Courthouse
24 New Chardon Street, 1st Floor
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 482-4466
Fax: (617) 542-5943
Email: info@bbe.state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/bbe
Boston
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC)
415 Summer St.
Boston, MA 02210
Springfield
Western New England University, School of Law
1215 Wilbraham Rd.
Springfield, MA 01119
Subjects Tested
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts/Sales
- Criminal Law/Procedure
- Evidence
- Federal Civil Procedure
- Real Property
- Torts
- 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 “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
A scaled score of 85 on the MPRE is required for admission and must be achieved prior to the bar application.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
Application must be filed with the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, Clerk Maura S. Doyle, John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square, Suite 1300, Boston, MA 02108, at least 75 days prior to exam. Application may be obtained at the court, downloaded off the internet, or by written request.
Exam Fee: $815 (plus a $75 technology fee if filing to use a laptop computer for the essay portion)
Admission on Motion: $1,015
Scoring
MBE and essay scores are combined to determine if a passing score of 270 was achieved.
Additional Requirements
The Massachusetts Law Component is a 50-question multiple choice exam on key distinctions and essential highlights of Massachusetts law and procedure covering the areas of law listed below. The exam questions are based on substantive outlines on each topic area provided to petitioners for bar admission upon registration for the MLC.
Topic areas tested: Access to Justice, Anti-Discrimination Law, Business Organizations, Civil Procedure, Consumer Protection, G.L. c. 93A, Criminal Law and Procedure, Domestic Relations, Estates and Wills, Evidence.
Please check the bar examiner’s website for additional information pertaining to the Massachusetts Law Component requirement.
Reciprocity
Admission on Motion
In order to be eligible for admission without taking the Massachusetts bar exam, the applicant must have been admitted in another jurisdiction for five of the last seven years and have engaged in the active practice or teaching of law since prior admission. The applicant must also meet education requirements and have achieved a scaled score of 85 on the MPRE.
Admission by UBE
Transferred UBE scores will be eligible for admission in Massachusetts if taken within 36 months. An applicant must achieve a score of 270 or higher regardless of UBE jurisdiction in order to qualify for admission and will be required to prove that they have achieved a qualifying score on the MPRE.
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Need extra help passing the Uniform Bar Exam?
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