Maine Bar Exam

Maine Bar Examiners

Maine Board of Bar Examiners
P.O. Box 140
Augusta, ME 04332-0140
(207) 623-2464

Bar Exam Format

The Maine bar exam consists of the written parts on Tuesday and the multiple choice part on Wednesday.

Day 1

The first day consists of the six MEE questions and the two MPT items.  In the morning, there is one-three hour session in which to answer the essay questions.  A lunch break divides the morning and afternoon testing.  In the afternoon, there is one three-hour session consisting of the two, ninety-minute MPT items.

Day 2

The second day consists of the MBE’s 100 questions to answer within the 3-hour morning session before the lunch break, and 100 more to answer within the 3-hour session afterward.  On average, you have 1.8 minutes to choose each answer.

Reciprocity

Maine has UBE reciprocity for otherwise qualified applicants who earn the minimum UBE score of 276 required by Maine within the prior 3 years and not before July, 2014.

If lawyers from other jurisdictions fulfill certain requirements, then they may have reciprocal admission to the Maine Bar by motion.  For lawyers admitted in other jurisdictions, one such requirement is that they have primarily and actively practiced law for at least three of the past five years.

Subjects/Topics

Essay questions on the Maine Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”) may cover any, but not necessarily all, of these subjects:

  • Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, and Limited Liability Companies);
  • Civil Procedure;
  • Conflict of Laws (will not be the primary subject of an essay question);
  • Constitutional Law;
  • Contracts (including Sales (UCC Article 2));
  • Criminal Law and Procedure;
  • Decedent’s Estates (i.e., Wills);
  • Evidence;
  • Family Law;
  • Real Property;
  • Torts;
  • Secured Transactions (UCC Article 9); and
  • Trusts and Future Interests.

Bar Exam Dates

The Maine 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

Typically, the board of bar examiners grades the Maine bar exam and reports the exam scores approximately 8 to 10 weeks after giving the exam. The board of bar examiners will mail the exam results to the exam takers within 75 days of the exam. On the same day, the board of bar examiners will post the results on its website.

Scoring/Grading

To pass the Maine UBE, you must attain the score of 276.  The Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) counts for 50% of the score.  The written components count for 50% of the score: 1) 30% for the 6 Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”) questions; and 2) 20% for the 2 Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) items.

Pass Rate/Stats

The traditional Maine bar exam pass rates commonly range from 55% to 92% for total takers, 65% to 95% for the first-time takers, and 20% to 99% for the repeat takers.