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Wisconsin Bar Exam Information


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

The Wisconsin Bar Examination is a two day exam consisting of the Wisconsin essay portion, the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). The bar exam is offered twice yearly, once in February and once in July.

Wisconsin can administer any combination of MEE, MPT, and locally drafted essay questions.

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)
Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)

The Wisconsin Essay portion of the exam consists of locally drafted essay questions.

The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) is developed by NCBE. It is administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July of each year.

The purpose of the MEE is to test the examinee's ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation. The primary distinction between the MEE and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is that the MEE requires the examinee to demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Areas of law that may be covered on the MEE/Wisconsin essay section include the following: Agency & Partnership, Business Organizations (Corporations, Partnerships, Associations, & Sole Proprietorships), Civil Procedure (Pleading & Practice, & Jurisdiciton of the Courts), Commercial Law (including Sales, Secured Transactions, & Negotiable Instruments), Conflicts of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Family Law (Domestic Relations), Limited Liability Companies, Professional Responsiblity (Ethics & Legal Responsibilities of the Profession), Property (includes Real Estate), Taxation (Federal), Torts, & Trusts & Estates.

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) is developed by NCBE and consists of one or two 90-minute item(s) administered in the morning session of the first day of the bar exam.

The MPT is designed to examine fundamental lawyering skills such as problem solving, legal analysis and reasoning, factual analysis, communications, organization and management of a legal task, and recognizing ethical dilemmas.

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

The MBE, which is administered on Wednesday, is developed and graded by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).

This portion of the examination is an objective 6-hour examination containing 200 multiple-choice questions, which is divided into two 3-hour sessions during which 100 questions are administered.

The MBE tests 7 subjects: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts.

See our MBE Prep Course and our MBE Practice Questions for addtional MBE resources (included in all of our comprehensive bar exam review courses).

Grading

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NCBE scores the MBE component of the exam.

A passing score of 258 is required in Wisconsin.

  • MBE: 50%
  • MEE/ESSAYS: n/a
  • MPT: n/a

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 written subcomponents may vary by administration.

The MPRE is not required in Wisconsin.

Results

Results for the February exam are typically released in late-March.

Results for the July exam are typically released in late-August.

Reciprocity

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MBE Score Transfer

Wisconsin does accept MBE scores transferred from other jurisdictions; a scaled score of 135 or more if taken within 37 months of present exam and part of a successful exam.

Admission on Motion

Wisconsin does allow for admission on motion.

Application for Admission on Motion fee: $850.00

Schedule

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

Day AM PM
Tue varies varies
Wed 100 MBE Questions (3 hours) 100 MBE Questions (3 hours)

Subjects Tested

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

Essay Subjects

  • Agency & Partnership
  • Business Organizations (Corporations, Partnerships, Associations, & Sole Proprietorships)
  • Civil Procedure (Pleadings & Practice, & Jurisdiction of Courts)
  • Commercial Law (incl. Sales, Secured Transactions, & Negotiable Instruments)
  • Conflicts of Laws
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law & Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Family Law (Domestic Relations)
  • Limited Liability Companies
  • Professional Responsibility (Ethics & Legal Responsibilities of the Profession)
  • Property (incl. Real Estate)
  • Taxation (Federal)
  • Torts
  • Trusts & Estates

2023 Filing Deadlines & Fees

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July 26-27, 2022

Regular Filing: May 1, 2022
Late Filing: June 1, 2022

Regular Application fee: $450.00
Late Application fee: $850.00
Laptop Computer fee: $110.00

February 21-22, 2023

Regular Filing: Dec 1, 2022
Late Filing: Jan 1, 2023

Regular Application fee: $450.00
Late Application fee: $850.00
Laptop Computer fee: $110.00

July 25-26, 2023

TBD

Contact Information

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Mailing Address:
Board of Bar Examiners
110 East Main Street, Suite 715
P.O Box 2748
Madison, WI 53701-2748

www.wicourts.gov
info@ncble.org
Phone: 608-266-9760

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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%.