The Smart Guide to the MBE
A Guide to Mastering the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)
Format & Overview of the MBE
What You’ll Learn:
- Format of the MBE – number of questions; scored vs. unscored questions
- MBE Test Day Sessions – time and how many questions per session
- How Much Time to Spend Per MBE Question
- The 7 Subjects Tested on the MBE
MBE Format
*The unscored questions are indistinguishable and distributed evenly, so you must answer ALL 200 questions.
MBE Test Day
The number MBE questions per session depends on if your jurisdiction is administering the exam remotely or in-person.
In-person bar exam jurisdictions use two 3-hour sessions with 100 MBE questions per session.
| In-Person Exam Jurisdictions | ||
| MBE Test Day – Two 3-hour Sessions | ||
| MBE Session # 1 | 3 Hours | 100 Questions |
| MBE Session # 2 | 3 Hours | 100 Questions |
Remote bar exam jurisdictions use four 90-minute sessions with 50 MBE questions per session.
| Remote Exam Jurisdictions | ||
| MBE Test Day – Four 90-minute Sessions | ||
| MBE Session # 1 | 1.5 Hours | 50 Questions |
| MBE Session # 2 | 1.5 Hours | 50 Questions |
| MBE Session # 3 | 1.5 Hours | 50 Questions |
| MBE Session # 4 | 1.5 Hours | 50 Questions |
Timing & Pace
To finish all MBE questions within each session, you have 1.8 minutes (1 minute 48 seconds) per question.
Subjects Tested on the MBE
Seven (7) Subjects are Tested on the MBE, with 25 scored questions from each subject area:
- Civil Procedure¹
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
*Note, the additional 25 unscored pretest questions may be from any of the seven subject areas.
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¹Civil Procedure was added to the MBE in February 2015.
