Illinois Bar Exam (UBE) details
Breadcrumb

Bar exam details

A typical Illinois Bar Exam is a 2-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).

Day 1

  • Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT in the AM)
  • Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE 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)

Subjects tested

MBE

  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts/Sales
  • Criminal Law/Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Federal Civil Procedure
  • Real Property
  • Torts

MEE

  • Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Family Law
  • Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
  • Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code
  • Plus all MBE subjects

MPT

  • “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.

MPRE

  • A scaled score of 80 is required for admission to the bar. The MPRE can be taken at any time but admission to the bar is contingent on passing the MPRE.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE.

Scoring

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE.

  • MBE weighted 50%
  • MEE weighted 30%
  • MPT weighted 20%

A total scaled score of 266 is required to pass the Illinois Bar Exam.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

  • Illinois does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

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

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

  • Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 266 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within the preceding four years may apply for admission based on that score. Additional requirements apply.

BARBRI Bar Exam Digest

We compile all of the information that you need to know about the dates, format, subjects tested, deadlines, fees and more - for each U.S. state - in the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest.

Download the Digest ›

BarbriResourceCenterAdditionalResources