Minnesota Bar Exam

Minnesota Bar Examiners

Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners
180 East 5th Street, Suite 950
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 297-1857

Bar Exam Format

The Minnesota law examiners give the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”).

Day 1

On the first day, there are: 1) two MPT tasks to do during the three-hour morning session; and 2) six MEE questions to answer during the three-hour afternoon session.

Day 2

On the second day, there is: 1) the first set of 100 MBE multiple choice questions to answer during the 3-hour morning session; and 2) the second set of 100 MBE multiple choice questions to answer during the 3-hour afternoon session.

Reciprocity

Basically, attorneys having a first law degree from an American Bar Association-approved law school and who fulfill the requirements for admission to the Minnesota bar may have admission on motion based on criteria including:

  • the number of years they practiced law in another jurisdiction; or
  • their score of at least 145 on the MBE within the prior 24 months that resulted in their admission to another bar; or
  • their score of at least 260 on the UBE in another jurisdiction within the prior 36 months.

Subjects/Topics

The subjects tested on Minnesota bar exam include:

  • 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);
  • Decedents’ Estates;
  • Evidence Law;
  • Family Law;
  • Federal Civil Procedure;
  • Limited Liability Companies;
  • Partnerships;
  • Real Property;
  • Torts; and
  • Trusts and Future Interests.

Bar Exam Dates

The Minnesota 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

Normally, a July Minnesota bar exam has 10-week grading/reporting period.  A February Minnesota bar exam has six-week grading/reporting period.  The Minnesota law examiners will mail the Minnesota bar exam results.

Scoring/Grading

An applicant must score 260 on a 400-point scale, or 130 on a 200-point scale, to pass the Minnesota bar exam.  The Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners weights the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) at 20%, the Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”) at 30%, and the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) at 50%.

Pass Rate/Stats

Typically, between 67% and 91% total takers pass the Minnesota bar exam.  Of the exam’s first-time takers, between 79% and 94% of them pass it.  As for the repeat takers, between 27% and 57% pass it.