Washington Bar Exam

Washington Bar Examiners

Washington State Bar Association
1325 4th Avenue, Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539
(206) 727-8209

Bar Exam Format

The Board of Bar Examiners administers the UBE, which has the MEE, MPT, and MBE.

Day 1

On day one, you write answers to six MEE questions in the three-hour morning session and you complete two MPT tasks in the three-hour afternoon session.

Day 2

On day two, you choose the answers to 100 MBE multiple choice questions in the 3-hour morning session and you choose the answers to 100 more in the 3-hour afternoon session.

Reciprocity

If you are admitted to practice law in a United States jurisdiction, then you do not have to take the Washington bar exam if you qualify for admission by motion in Washington.  You can apply for admission by motion based in part upon your UBE score of least 270 transferred from another jurisdiction within 40 months from when you took that UBE.

Subjects/Topics

Essay questions on the Washington bar exam can examine 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 Washington 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

The board of governors notifies takers of the Washington bar exam of their results, about six weeks after the exam.  The takers receive their combined score on the MEE and MPT, their MBE score, and their UBE score.  The Washington State Bar Association website will have a list of the exam passers’ names.

Scoring/Grading

The Washington bar exam has a minimum passing score of 270.  The combined Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”) and Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) scores are scaled to, and added to, the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) score.  The scores are weighted as follows: MEE 30%, MPT 20%, and MBE 50%.

Pass Rate/Stats

From administration to administration, each Washington bar exam’s pass rates can vary.  Traditionally, the pass rates have ranged:

  • for total takers, between 85% and 58%;
  • for first-time takers, between 88% and 47%; and
  • for repeat takers, between 88% and 45%.