Kentucky Bar Exam

Kentucky Bar Examiners

Kentucky Office of Bar Admissions
1510 Newtown Pike, Suite 156
Lexington, KY 40511-1255
(859) 246-2381

Bar Exam Format

The Kentucky bar exam has its essay parts on Tuesday and the multiple choice part on Wednesday.

Day 1

On the first day, there are six Kentucky essay questions to answer during the three-hour morning session and six Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”) questions to answer during the three-hour afternoon session. Starting with the July, 2019, Kentucky bar exam, the examiners could include one or two Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) item(s).

Day 2

On the second day, there are 100 MBE questions to answer during the 3-hour morning session and 100 more to answer during the 3-hour afternoon session.

Reciprocity

Under certain circumstances, a lawyer can obtain admission to practice law in Kentucky without having to sit for the Kentucky bar exam.  The lawyer must fulfill all of the requirements for such admission, which include practicing law for at least five of the past seven years in a state having reciprocity with Kentucky.

Subjects/Topics

The Kentucky bar exam essay questions may test these subjects:

  • Agency;
  • Article 9 of the U.C.C. – Secured Transactions;
  • Conflict of Laws;
  • Constitutional Law;
  • Contracts (including Article 2 of the U.C.C. – Sales);
  • Corporations;
  • Criminal Law (including Criminal Procedure);
  • Estates (Wills and/or Trusts (and Future Interests));
  • Evidence Law;
  • Family Law;
  • Federal Civil Procedure;
  • Limited Liability Companies;
  • Partnerships;
  • Property (Real and Personal); and
  • Torts.

Bar Exam Dates

The Kentucky bar exam is held in February and July. The exam is usually on the last Wednesday and prior Tuesday of each month.

2024

  • February 27-28, 2024
  • July 30-31, 2024

Exam Results

Generally, the Kentucky Office of Bar Admissions grades the Kentucky bar exam and reports the scores approximately nine weeks after administering the exam.  The office of bar admissions provides notification of the exam results and posts a list of passers on its website.

Scoring/Grading

An examinee must pass separately both the essay and MBE parts of the Kentucky bar exam.  On the essay part, a general average of 75% is a passing score.  On the MBE part, a scaled score of 132 is a passing score.

Pass Rate/Stats

Commonly, the Kentucky bar exam pass rates range from 68% to 82% for total takers, 76% to 93% for the first-time takers, and 27% to 71% for the repeat takers.