Nebraska Bar Exam

Nebraska Bar Examiners

Nebraska State Bar Commission of the Nebraska Supreme Court
3806 Normal Blvd.
Lincoln, NE 68506-5241
(402) 471-3091

Bar Exam Format

Nebraska has adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”), which has these parts: the MPT, the MEE, and the MBE.

Day 1

On the first day, there are two MPT tasks to do within the three hours before the lunch break, and six MEE questions to answer within the three hours afterward.

Day 2

On the second day, there are 100 MBE multiple choice questions to answer within the 3 hours before the lunch break, and another 100 to answer within the 3 hours afterward.

Reciprocity

You may obtain admission to the Nebraska bar by motion, without sitting for the Nebraska bar exam, if: 1) you have attained the applicable educational qualifications; and 2) you fulfill one of these other requirements, which generally include:

  • admission to practice law in any other United States jurisdiction or a jurisdiction where the Common Law of England is the basis of jurisprudence, and passing the requisite professional exams;
  • licensure in, and actively practicing law in, another United States jurisdiction for five of the past seven years; or
  • in another jurisdiction, receiving the UBE passing score required by Nebraska.

Subjects/Topics

The essay portion of the Nebraska bar exam 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);
  • 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 Nebraska 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

Traditionally, the Nebraska commission will grade and report on the Nebraska bar exam results approximately six or seven weeks after administering it.  The Nebraska Supreme Court provides written notice to each Nebraska bar exam taker of whether they passed or failed the exam.

Scoring/Grading

To pass the Nebraska bar exam, you must score 270.  The Nebraska State Bar Commission will weight your scaled scores on 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

The Nebraska bar exam pass rate can vary with each exam.  Of the total takers, 39% is the lowest pass rate and 88% is the highest.  Of the first-time takers, 50% is the lowest pass rate and 94% is the highest.  Of the repeat takers, 0% is the lowest pass rate and 78% is the highest.