Rhode Island Bar Exam (UBE) details
Breadcrumb

Bar exam details

A typical Rhode Island 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 on the MPRE is required for admission within five years prior to applying for admission.

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 Rhode Island Bar Exam. 

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

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

Admission on Motion

  • Rhode Island does not provide for admission on motion. Attorneys who have engaged in the active practice of law for five of the preceding ten years, and satisfy all other requirements, may apply for admission on examination under Article II, Rule 2(a), and will only be required to sit for the essay portion of the exam. A passing scaled score of 138 or higher on the essay portion is required for admission.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

  • Applicants who have obtained a passing score on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within the preceding two years may apply for admission based on that score. The passing score required is 276 for exams taken prior to February 2021, and 270 for exams taken February 2021 or later. 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