Massachusetts
Bar Exam
(UBE) Details
Bar Exam Details
A typical Massachusetts 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
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts/Sales
- Criminal Law/Procedure
- Evidence
- Federal Civil Procedure
- Real Property
- Torts
- 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
- “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
- A scaled score of 85 on the MPRE is required for admission and must be achieved prior to the bar application.
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 270 or higher is required to pass the Massachusetts Bar Exam.
Reciprocity
- Massachusetts does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.
- A member in good standing of another U.S. state or territory may be admitted on motion in Massachusetts if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.
- Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 270 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within the preceding three years may apply for admission based on that score. Additional requirements apply.
Additional information
- Every person filing a Petition for Admission to the Massachusetts Bar Exam is required to pass the Massachusetts Law Component (MLC) as a condition for admission.
- The MLC is a 50-question multiple-choice exam on key distinctions and essential highlights of Massachusetts law and procedure. The exam questions are based on substantive outlines provided by the Board of Bar Examiners covering ten topic areas.
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.
Sample Schedule: Uniform Bar Exam Course Information
BARBRI Bar Review uses best-in-class learning design to help you master complex material quickly and improve retention for test day. Your course is tailored to your unique needs, and broken into three phases: Foundations, Deep Dive, and Final Review.
This overview does not list all assignments that will be available in your Personal Study Plan (PSP). Your PSP adjusts to your strengths, weaknesses, and schedule, offering a customizable calendar with recommended assignments to boost your chances of passing.
PSP access for Premium and Elite courses begins in mid-March for July exams and mid-October for February exams. Though your calendar is customizable, BARBRI’s default schedule begins at the same time Essentials courses open: Mid-May and Mid-December, respectively.
Covers multistate subjects
- “About” videos
- These short videos explain efficient and effective ways to navigate the exam and the course
- Short story-driven episodes on core concepts across each mbe subject.
- Skills workshops
- Knowledge checks and warm-up essays
Covers multistate and essay subjects
- Short-format lecture modules
- Taught by expert professors.
- Reading, practice, assessment and reinforcement through review
- Knowledge checks and practice essays additional essay and performance
- Test writing skills instruction
- Simulated Multistate Bar Exam
- Simulated Written Exam
- Crunch time with Mini Review lectures, the Conviser Mini Review book and multiple choice and essay practice
- Civil Procedure
- Torts
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Real Property
- Performance Test
- Wills
- Trusts
- Agency
- Partnership
- Corporations
- Secured Transactions
- Conflict of Laws
- Family Law