Tennessee Bar Exam (UBE) details
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Bar exam details

A typical Tennessee 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 passing score of 82 or higher on the MPRE within two years of successfully completing the Tennessee Bar Exam must be achieved in order to be eligible 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 Tennessee Bar Exam.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

  • Tennessee 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 Tennessee if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven 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.
  • Passing UBE scores earned more than three years, but less than five years prior may qualify if the applicant has been actively engaged in the practice of law for at least three of the preceding five years. Additional requirements apply.

Admission of In-House Counsel

  • A lawyer who is admitted to the practice of law in another U.S. jurisdiction or is a foreign lawyer who is employed as a lawyer by an organization, the business of which consists of activities other than the practice of law, and who has a systematic and continuous presence in this jurisdiction, shall register as in-house counsel within 180 days of the commencement of employment as a lawyer.

Foreign Law School Graduates

  • If your education was received in a country other than the United States, you may qualify for admission by examination or transferred UBE score if you meet the requirements of eligibility.

Additional information

Tennessee Law Course (TLC)

  • Applicants seeking admission to the Tennessee Bar Exam must complete the Tennessee Law Course (TLC) prior to admission. The TLC is an online course on Tennessee-specific law that will take approximately 7.5 hours to complete.

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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