North Carolina Bar Exam (UBE) details
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Bar exam details

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

Day 1

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

  • To be admitted, a scaled score of 80 is required on the MPRE within 24 months before, or 12 months after, sitting for the bar exam.

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 270 or higher is required to pass the North Carolina Bar Exam.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

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

Admission on Motion

  • A member in good standing of a reciprocating jurisdiction may be admitted on motion in North Carolina if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for four of the six years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

  • 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

North Carolina State-Specific Component

  • All general and transfer applicants must successfully complete the North Carolina State-Specific Component which is an online course provided by the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners.
  • It covers six subject areas of law. Each subject area is presented in a one-hour video followed by three quiz questions, all questions must be answered correctly before moving to the next subject.

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.

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