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The Smart Guide to the Iowa Bar Exam
A Guide to Mastering the Iowa Bar Exam
Iowa Bar Exam Format
Iowa is a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) jurisdiction. All UBE jurisdictions use the same 3 sections:
Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)
200 multiple choice
Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)
6 essays
Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
2 writing assignments
Iowa Bar Exam Dates
July 2026 exam: July 28-29, 2026
Feb. 2027 exam: Feb. 23-24, 2027
*The Iowa Bar Exam takes place on the last Tuesday & Wednesday of February and July.
How to Prepare for
the Iowa Bar Exam
(FREE Study Guides)
Click the links above for FREE study guides covering each section of the bar exam.
Contact Info
Iowa Board of Law Examiners
Office of Professional Regulation
Iowa Judicial Branch Building
1111 East Court Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50319
Website: https://www.iowacourts.gov/
Phone: (515) 348-4670
Fax: (515) 348-4698
Frequency Charts
(FREE Charts & Statistics)
Click the links above for FREE Frequency Charts covering each section of the bar exam.
Subjects Tested on Iowa Bar Exam
MEE Essay Subjects
- Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, LLC’s)
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
Note: Starting with the July 2026 exam, the following subjects are no longer tested on the MEE: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Secured Transactions, Trusts & Future Interests, and Wills & Estates.
MBE Subjects
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Evidence
- Real property
- Torts
Minimum Passing Score
For Iowa, the UBE minimum passing score is 266.
Jurisdiction-Specific Component
NO