Wisconsin Bar Exam details
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Bar exam details

A typical Wisconsin Bar Exam is a 2-day exam.

Day 1

  • May include parts of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
  • May also include questions prepared by the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners

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

Wisconsin Essays

  • Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Sole Proprietorships)
  • Commercial Paper
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Family Law
  • Personal Property
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Sales
  • Taxation (Federal)
  • Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
  • Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code
  • Wisconsin Civil Procedure
  • Plus all MBE subjects

MPT

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

MPRE

  • Not required for admission to Wisconsin bar.

Scoring

The written portion is scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%. The written component of the exam may include performance on the MPT, the MEE, and/or locally developed essay questions. The composition and weight of these subcomponents may vary by exam administration.

A total scaled score of 258 is required to pass the Wisconsin Bar Exam.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

  • Applicant may transfer scaled MBE score of at least 135 if within 37 months and from a successful exam taken no more than 60 days before the J.D. was conferred.

Admission on Motion

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

Additional information

Additional Information

  • Applicants may take the exam prior to graduation if degree was received within 60 days after the exam.

Admission by Diploma Privilege

  • Under diploma privilege, graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School are admitted to the practice of law by complying with the terms of SCR 40.03 – their school certifies their legal competence and the Board of Bar Examiners certifies their character and fitness for the practice of law. Additional requirements may apply.

BARBRI Bar Exam Digest

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