Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Bar Exam is a 2-day exam.
Mandatory Registration: On the Monday before the examination, applicants are required to attend a mandatory registration.
Day 1: The exam may include parts of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and may also include questions prepared by the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners.
Day 2: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM).
Supreme Court of Wisconsin
Board of Bar Examiners
110 E. Main Street, Suite 715
Madison, WI 53701
Phone: (608) 266-9760
Fax: (608) 266-1196
Email: bbe@wicourts.gov
Madison Marriott West
1313 John Q Hammons Dr.
Middleton, WI 53562
Subjects Tested
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts/Sales
- Criminal Law/Procedure
- Evidence
- Federal Civil Procedure
- Real Property
- Torts
- Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and Sole Proprietorships)
- Commercial Paper
- Conflict of Laws
- Family Law
- Personal Property
- Professional Responsibility
- Sales
- Taxation (Federal)
- Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
- Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code
- WI Civil Procedure
- Plus, all MBE Subjects
Multistate Performance Test “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
Not required for admission to Wisconsin bar.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
Deadlines vary slightly and are confirmed prior to publication of each bar exam application but, generally, the timely filing deadlines are early December for the February exam and early May for the July exam. Late application deadlines, with an additional fee, are early January for the February exam and early June for the July exam.
Bar Exam Application Fee: $450
On-Motion Application Fee: $850
Late Fee: $200
Scoring
The written portion is scaled to the MBE with the MBE weighted 50%. The written component of the exam may include performance on the MPT, the MEE, and/or locally developed essay questions. The composition and weight of these subcomponents may vary by exam administration. A total scaled score of 258 is required to pass.
Additional Information
Applicants may take exam prior to graduation if degree received within 60 days after exam.
Reciprocity
Acceptance of MBE Score
Applicant may transfer scaled MBE score of at least 135 if within 37 months and from a successful exam taken no more than 60 days before the J.D. was conferred.
Admission on Motion
May be admitted on motion if applicant has engaged in active practice of law for three of five years preceding application. For complete details contact the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.
Admission by Diploma Privilege
Under diploma privilege, graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School are admitted to the practice of law by complying with the terms of SCR 40.03—their school certifies their legal competence and the Board of Bar Examiners certifies their character and fitness for the practice of law.
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