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Admission to the bar in the United States
Pass a bar examination , usually administered by the state bar association or under the authority of the supreme court of the particular state . As of June 2015 , 16 jurisdictions have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination ( UBE ) . Missouri and North Dakota were the first two states to administer the UBE , doing so in February 2011 . Since then , Alabama , Alaska , Arizona , Colorado , Idaho , Kansas , Minnesota , Montana , Nebraska , New Hampshire , New York , Utah , Washington , and Wyoming have adopted and administered the UBE . According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners ( NCBE ) , which prepares the UBE , it is intended to `` test knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law '' , and `` is uniformly administered , graded , and scored by user jurisdictions and results in a portable score . '' UBE jurisdictions are allowed to additionally test candidates ' knowledge of state - specific law , through either a test or course . The UBE consists of three parts : The Multistate Bar Examination ( MBE ) , a standardized test consisting of 200 multiple - choice questions covering seven ( 7 ) key areas of law : Constitutional law , Contracts , Criminal law and Procedure , Federal Rules of Civil Procedure , Federal Rules of Evidence , Real Property and Torts . Examinees have three ( 3 ) hours to answer 100 questions in a morning session and the same for an afternoon session . The MBE is administered on the last Wednesday in February and July . The Multistate Essay Examination ( MEE ) , a uniform though not standardized test that examines a candidate 's ability to analyze legal issues and communicate them effectively in writing . The NCBE provides nine possible MEE questions for each bar exam administration ; the UBE uses six of these . This exam is administered on the last Tuesday of each February and July . Topics range from the seven MBE topics above , and include Business law ( Agency , Corporations , LLC and Partnerships ) , Commercial law ( Commercial paper , Secured Transactions and the Uniformed Commercial Code ( UCC ) ) , Conflicts of law , Estates and Probate ( Trusts and Wills ) , and Family Law . The Multistate Performance Test ( MPT ) , a `` closed - universe '' test in which each candidate is required to perform a standard lawyering task , such as a memo or brief . The candidate is provided with a case file and a `` library '' which contains all of the substantive law required to perform the task ( plus some non-relevant material ) . The MPT is administered on the last Tuesday in each February and July . The NCBE provides two MPT questions for each administration ; the UBE uses both . In states that do not use the UBE , the examination usually follows a similar format : The MBE is currently required in all jurisdictions except Louisiana and Puerto Rico . The most recent state to adopt the MBE was Washington , which began using the MBE when it adopted the UBE in July 2013 . In jurisdictions that do not use the MPRE , candidates must pass a professional responsibility ( `` ethics '' ) exam included as part of the main bar exam . Some states , such as Michigan , employ the MPRE and include ethics questions in their main exam . State - specific content is usually included in the examination , such as essays in Washington , Minnesota and Massachusetts . Some states , such as Florida , include both essays and multiple - choice questions in their state - specific sections ; Virginia uses full essays and short - answer questions in its state - specific section .
Pass a bar examination , usually administered by the state bar association or under the authority of the supreme court of the particular state . As of June 2015 , 16 jurisdictions have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination ( UBE ) . Missouri and North Dakota were the first two states to administer the UBE , doing so in February 2011 . Since then , Alabama , Alaska , Arizona , Colorado , Idaho , Kansas , Minnesota , Montana , Nebraska , New Hampshire , New York , Utah , Washington , and Wyoming have adopted and administered the UBE . According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners ( NCBE ) , which prepares the UBE , it is intended to `` test knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law '' , and `` is uniformly administered , graded , and scored by user jurisdictions and results in a portable score . '' UBE jurisdictions are allowed to additionally test candidates ' knowledge of state - specific law , through either a test or course . The UBE consists of three parts : The Multistate Bar Examination ( MBE ) , a standardized test consisting of 200 multiple - choice questions covering seven ( 7 ) key areas of law : Constitutional law , Contracts , Criminal law and Procedure , Federal Rules of Civil Procedure , Federal Rules of Evidence , Real Property and Torts . Examinees have three ( 3 ) hours to answer 100 questions in a morning session and the same for an afternoon session . The MBE is administered on the last Wednesday in February and July . The Multistate Essay Examination ( MEE ) , a uniform though not standardized test that examines a candidate 's ability to analyze legal issues and communicate them effectively in writing . The NCBE provides nine possible MEE questions for each bar exam administration ; the UBE uses six of these . This exam is administered on the last Tuesday of each February and July . Topics range from the seven MBE topics above , and include Business law ( Agency , Corporations , LLC and Partnerships ) , Commercial law ( Commercial paper , Secured Transactions and the Uniformed Commercial Code ( UCC ) ) , Conflicts of law , Estates and Probate ( Trusts and Wills ) , and Family Law . The Multistate Performance Test ( MPT ) , a `` closed - universe '' test in which each candidate is required to perform a standard lawyering task , such as a memo or brief . The candidate is provided with a case file and a `` library '' which contains all of the substantive law required to perform the task ( plus some non-relevant material ) . The MPT is administered on the last Tuesday in each February and July . The NCBE provides two MPT questions for each administration ; the UBE uses both . In states that do not use the UBE , the examination usually follows a similar format : The MBE is currently required in all jurisdictions except Louisiana and Puerto Rico . The most recent state to adopt the MBE was Washington , which began using the MBE when it adopted the UBE in July 2013 . In jurisdictions that do not use the MPRE , candidates must pass a professional responsibility ( `` ethics '' ) exam included as part of the main bar exam . Some states , such as Michigan , employ the MPRE and include ethics questions in their main exam . State - specific content is usually included in the examination , such as essays in Washington , Minnesota and Massachusetts . Some states , such as Florida , include both essays and multiple - choice questions in their state - specific sections ; Virginia uses full essays and short - answer questions in its state - specific section .