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Maryland Bar Exam Information


Get Detailed Information About The Maryland Bar Exam Including Schedules, Grading, Reciprocity, Fees, Common Questions & More.

To become a lawyer in Maryland, one must hold a degree from an accredited four-year university, make a passing score on the LSAT exam and complete an accredited law school program, and finally, complete the BAR exam with a passing score of 406 or higher.

Maryland uses the two-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which consists of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), which includes two MPT essay questions and six MEE questions. The first day of the exam is the essay portion of the test. The second day consists of a 200 question, multiple-choice Multistate Bar Examination.

The Maryland Bar Exam weighs the day one essay portion of the test equally to the MBE portion. The MPT is weighted 20% and the MEE is 30%. Test-takers must make a minimum score of 406 to pass.

The best way to prepare for the bar exam in Maryland is through studying material on the most common law subjects. For the Maryland Bar Exam specifically, the essay questions are likely to cover agency, commercial transactions, family law, and other topics (see below). The MBE questions include civil law, criminal law, and more.

Many find success through practice tests that closely resemble the content and test structure of the Maryland Bar Exam. You can find useful study material here at Test Max Prep.

The Maryland Bar Exam occurs twice a year, held at varying locations. To apply, applicants must complete the admission application and an original petition to take the bar exam in Maryland specifically. You can contact the Maryland Board of Examiners for more information about application requirements, test day expectations, and dates.

2023 Filing Deadlines & Fees

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When Is the MD Bar Exam in 2023?

July 26-27, 2022 February 21-22, 2023 July 25-26, 2023
Timely Filing: May 1, 2022 December 20, 2022 TBD

How Much Does the MD Bar Exam Cost?

Character Questionnaire fee: $350
Application fee: $400
Laptop Computer fee: $180.00

Applicants must complete both an application for admission and an original petition to take the bar exam in Maryland. Also required are a "Notice of Intent" (due May 20, 2021) and a character questionnaire (due March 1, 2021.)

What is the MD Bar Exam Schedule Like?

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The Maryland Bar Exam is a 2-day exam administered twice a year.

Day AM PM
Tue 2 Performance Tests (3 hours) 6 Essays on any subject (3 hours)
Wed 100 MBE Questions (3 hours) 100 MBE Questions (3 hours)

What Subjects Are Tested On The MD Bar Exam?

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MBE Subjects

  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law & Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Real Property
  • Torts

Essay Subjects

  • Agency
  • Commercial Transactions
  • Business Associations
  • Family Law
  • MD Civil Procedure
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law & Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Real Property
  • Torts

MD Bar Exam Grading & Scoring Process

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A passing score of 266 is required in Maryland or a 133 on the MBE's 200-point scale.

  • MBE: 50%
  • MEE: 30%
  • MPT: 20%

Maryland bar students are required to pass a conduct exam called the MPRE with a score of at least 85.

Results

Results for the February exam are typically released in late April, while results for the July exam are typically released in early November.

MD Bar Exam Reciprocity

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MBE Score Transfer

Maryland does allow for the transfer of MBE Scores from a concurrent exam only.

Admission on Motion

Maryland allows for admission on motion.

How do I Contact the MD Bar?

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Maryland Board of Law Examiners

2011-F Commerce Park Drive

Annapolis, MD 21401

www.mdcourts.gov/ble

Phone: 410-260-3640

Fax: 613-387-9349

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Common Questions About the UBE.

What is the Uniform Bar Exam?

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The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is effectively a national bar exam coordinated by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and is composed of three parts: (1) the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) , the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

The UBE is uniformly administered, graded, and scored by adopting jurisdictions and results in a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions.

What does the Uniform Bar Exam application look like?

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There is no Uniform Bar Exam application.

Applicants must register for the UBE by applying to a user jurisdiction. For example, a student taking the UBE in New York would apply to sit for the New York bar exam.

Applicants who have taken the UBE may transfer their UBE scores to seek admission in other UBE jurisdictions.

This map shows UBE jurisdictions in orange and lists the maximum age of transferred UBE scores for each jurisdiction:

UBE Jurisdictions
Maximum Age of Transferred UBE Score* Jurisdiction
2 years Missouri, North Dakota
2 years/5 years Iowa, Utah
25 months Alabama
3 years Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Virgin Islands, West Virginia, Wyoming
3 years/5 years Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont
37 months Idaho
40 months Washington
5 years Alaska, Arizona, District of Columbia

*The maximum age of transferred UBE scores in Maryland has not been determined.

Please note, however, that jurisdiction rules and policies can change, so we would strongly advise consulting the jurisdiction’s bar admission agency directly for the most current information.

What states accept the UBE?

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What States Accept the UBE

These are the UBE jurisdictions:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • District of Columbia
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan (February 2023)
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming
  • Virgin Islands

While technically not UBE jurisdictions, the following jurisdictions either administer or substantially administer the UBE:

  • Hawaii
  • Mississippi
  • South Dakota
  • Wisconsin

Are there states that are considering the UBE?

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Every year more and more states are adopting the UBE.

In February 2021, the Texas bar exam will administer its first Uniform Bar Exam.

California and Florida are the largest legal markets still administering state-specific tests. While Florida has formally considered adopting the UBE, California seems to have no interest in doing so. The California bar exam, however, recently shorten from three days to two days, a step in the right direction.

What are the Uniform Bar Exam subjects?

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Multistate Bar Exam Subjects:

  • Civil Procedure (Civ Pro)
  • Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure (Crimes)
  • Torts
  • Real Property
  • Contracts
  • Constitutional Law (Con Law)
  • Evidence

Multistate Essay Exam Subjects:

  • Business Associations : Agency and partnership, and corporations and limited liability companies.

  • Civil Procedure (Civ Pro) : Jurisdiction and venue, the law applied by federal courts, pretrial procedures, jury trials, motions, verdicts and judgments, and appealability and review.

  • Conflicts of Law : These issues are embedded in other topic areas and do not appear as standalone questions. Issues include domicile, the jurisdiction of courts, choice of law, and recognition and enforcement of other states'judgments and foreign judgments.

  • Constitutional Law (Con Law) : Nature of judicial review, separation of powers, relation of nation and states in a federal system, and individual rights.

  • Contracts : Formation of contracts, defenses to enforceability, contract content and meaning, performance, breach and discharge, remedies, and third-party rights.

  • Criminal Law and Procedure (Crimes) : Homicide, other crimes, inchoate crimes; parties, general principles, and constitutional protection of accused persons.

  • Evidence : Presentation of evidence, relevancy and reasons for excluding relevant evidence, privileges and other policy exclusions, writings, recordings, and photographs, and hearsay and circumstances of its admissibility.

  • Family Law : Getting married, being married, separation, divorce, dissolution, and annulment, child custody, rights of unmarried cohabitants, parent, child, and state, adoption, and alternatives to adoption.

  • Real Property : Ownership of real property, rights in real property, real estate contracts, mortgages/security devices, and titles.

  • Secured Transactions : Assume articles 1 and 9 of Uniform Commercial Code are adopted and in effect. General UCC principles, applicability, and definitions, validity of security agreements and rights of parties, rights of third parties, default.

  • Torts : Intentional torts, negligence, strict liability and products liability, and other torts.

  • Trusts and Decendents’ Estates : Intestate succession, wills, family protection, living wills and durable healthcare powers, and trusts and future interests.

What’s the best way to study for the UBE?

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BarMax UBE offers comprehensive prep for the Uniform Bar Exam for only $1,895.

The course comes with instant and lifetime access as well as a pass guarantee.

In addition to on-demand audio lectures by legendary law professors, BarMax UBE offers condense black-letter law outlines, flashcards, and the largest banks of real MBE, MEE and MPT questions on the market.

BarMax UBE also includes a detailed course calendar to guide you as you prep.

And while BarMax is a remote learning process, this does not mean you will be alone. You will have access to chat, email and message boards for content-related questions as well as personalized writing revisions by former bar exam graders.

What are the Uniform Bar Exam dates?

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The UBE is administered twice a year over two days, with the MBE portion given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that.

How is the UBE scored?

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The NCBE scores the MBE component of the UBE. Jurisdictions grade the MEE and MPT components.

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE and UBE total scores are calculated by the NCBE.

The MBE is weighted 50%, the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%.

UBE total scores are reported on a 400-point scale.

Jurisdictions set their own minimum passing scores for the UBE:

UBE Minimum Passing Scores
Minimum Passing UBE Score* Jurisdiction
260 Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota
266 Connecticut, District of Columbia, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Virgin Islands
270 Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
272 Idaho
273 Arizona
274 Oregon
276 Colorado, Maine
280 Alaska

What’s the Uniform Bar Exam format?

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The UBE consists of three sections: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

The format is as follows:

Tuesday AM: 6 30-minute Multistate Essay Questions

Tuesday PM: 2 90-minute Multistate Performance Tests

Wednesday AM: 100 MBE Questions (3 hours)

Wednesday PM: 100 MBE Questions (3 hours)

What’s the difference between the UBE and the MBE?

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The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination developed by NCBE and administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July of each year.

The MBE is a component of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). Jurisdictions that administer the UBE weight the MBE component 50%.