Tennessee Bar Examination (UBE)

Bar Exam Information

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

BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT

2024: February 27-28, July 30-31

The Tennessee 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).

Tennessee Board of Law Examiners

511 Union Street, Suite 525
Nashville, TN 37219

Phone: (615) 741-3234

Fax: (615) 741-5867

Email: BLE.Administrator@tncourts.gov

Web: www.tnble.org/

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 passing score of 82 or higher on the MPRE within 2 years of successfully completing the Tennessee bar examination must be achieved in order to be eligible for admission.

Scoring

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%, the MEE 30% and the MPT 20%. The scores are combined to determine if the applicant has achieved a passing score of 270.

Additional Requirements

Tennessee Law Course (TLC)

Applicants seeking admission to the Tennessee Bar Exam must complete the Tennessee Law Course (TLC) prior to admission. The TLC is an online course on Tennessee-specific law that will take approximately 7.5 hours to complete.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

Tennessee does not accept MBE scores transferred from previous Tennessee exams or from exams taken in another jurisdiction, whether or not concurrent. All applicants must sit for the entire examination.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 270 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within the preceding three years may apply for admission based on that score.

Passing UBE scores earned more than three years, but less than five years prior may qualify if the applicant has been actively engaged in the practice of law for at least three of the preceding five years. Additional requirements apply.

Admission on Motion

A member in good standing of another U.S. state or territory may be admitted on motion in Tennessee if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.

Admission of In-House Counsel

A lawyer who is admitted to the practice of law in another U.S. jurisdiction or is a foreign lawyer who is employed as a lawyer by an organization, the business of which consists of activities other than the practice of law, and who has a systematic and continuous presence in this jurisdiction, shall register as in-house counsel within 180 days of the commencement of employment as a lawyer.

Foreign Law School Graduates

If your education was received in a country other than the United States, you may qualify for admission by examination or transferred UBE score if you meet the requirements of eligibility.

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