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NCBE (National Conference of Bar Examiners)

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) — the current (legacy) bar exam multiple-choice component

The 200-question multiple-choice day of the bar exam — Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts.

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Questions200 multiple-choice: 175 scored (25 per subject) + 25 unscored pretest
Time6 hours — two 3-hour sessions of 100 questions each
SubjectsCivil Procedure · Constitutional Law · Contracts · Criminal Law & Procedure · Evidence · Real Property · Torts
Federal lawFRCP and Title 28 for Civil Procedure; Federal Rules of Evidence for Evidence; UCC Articles 1 and 2 assumed in force for Contracts
ScoringEquated scaled score of about 40–200; on the legacy UBE the MBE is 50% of a 400-point total
PassingSet per jurisdiction on the total bar score — UBE minimums are mostly 260–270
TransitionNextGen began July 2026; the legacy MBE ends after the February 2028 bar exam

About the exam

This page prepares you for the current MBE — the multiple-choice half of the legacy Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) and of most non-UBE state bar exams. It is 200 questions over two 3-hour sessions: 175 scored, 25 unscored pretest items, and 25 scored questions in each of seven subjects. Civil Procedure is tested under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Title 28, and Evidence under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Contracts assumes UCC Articles 1 and 2 are in effect. Everything else is answered by generally accepted fundamental legal principles unless the question says otherwise.

NextGen is coming, and this page is not NextGen prep. NCBE's NextGen bar exam debuted in July 2026 in ten jurisdictions — Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the Virgin Islands. More jurisdictions switch in July 2027, February 2028 and July 2028. NCBE says the legacy MBE, MEE and MPT will not be offered after the February 2028 bar exam. NextGen uses integrated question sets and performance tasks, and its subjects are Civil Procedure, Contract Law, Evidence, Torts, Business Associations, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Real Property, with Family Law added from July 2028. If your jurisdiction has already switched, check NCBE's NextGen materials. Our MBE practice still builds the doctrine, but it is not in NextGen's format.

Every item here is an original fact pattern written to NCBE's MBE subject matter outline. None are NCBE released questions or recalled exam items.

How we track your progress

Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:

  1. Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
  2. Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
  3. DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
  4. ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
  5. Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.

The exam blueprint

NCBE MBE Subject Matter Outline (effective November 16, 2020) — 7 subjects, 25 scored questions each; covers the legacy MBE, offered through the February 2028 bar exam — 175 items modeled on the MBE's scored questions — 25 in each of the 7 subjects, at the real 1.8-minute pace — for the legacy exam offered through February 2028. Tap a domain to see its topics.

1 Civil Procedure 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Subject-matter jurisdiction: federal question, diversity, supplementalPersonal jurisdiction, service and venue; transfer and forum non conveniensErie doctrine and the law applied by federal courtsPleadings, amendments and Rule 11Joinder of parties and claims, class actions, interventionDiscovery scope, sanctions and disclosurePretrial motions: 12(b), summary judgment, judgment as a matter of lawJury trial right, verdicts and post-trial motionsClaim and issue preclusion; appealability and the final-judgment rule

50 practice questions in this domain so far

2 Constitutional Law 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Justiciability: standing, ripeness, mootness, political questionsCongressional powers: commerce, taxing and spending, Section 5Executive powers and separation of powersFederalism: preemption, dormant commerce clause, Tenth Amendment, intergovernmental immunityState actionDue process: procedural and substantive, fundamental rightsEqual protection: classifications and levels of scrutinyFirst Amendment speech: content-based vs content-neutral, forums, unprotected speechReligion clauses, takings and the contracts clause

50 practice questions in this domain so far

3 Contracts 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Offer, acceptance and the mailbox rule; UCC 2-207 battle of the formsConsideration, promissory estoppel and modificationStatute of frauds and the parol evidence ruleDefenses: mistake, misrepresentation, duress, unconscionability, capacityConditions, performance and material vs minor breachUCC Article 2: perfect tender, cure, risk of loss, warrantiesAnticipatory repudiation and adequate assurancesImpossibility, impracticability and frustrationRemedies and third-party rights: expectation damages, Hadley foreseeability, beneficiaries, assignment and delegation

50 practice questions in this domain so far

4 Criminal Law and Procedure 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Homicide: murder, felony murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughterOther crimes: theft offenses, burglary, arson, assault and batteryInchoate crimes: attempt, conspiracy, solicitation; accomplice liabilityMens rea, actus reus and causationDefenses: self-defense, insanity, intoxication, duress, mistakeFourth Amendment: searches, warrants, exceptions, exclusionary ruleFifth Amendment: Miranda, interrogation, double jeopardySixth Amendment: right to counsel, confrontation, jury trialDue process: identifications and guilty pleas

50 practice questions in this domain so far

5 Evidence 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Relevance and Rule 403 balancingCharacter evidence and other acts (Rules 404–405)Sexual-misconduct rules and policy exclusions (Rules 407–412)Impeachment and rehabilitation of witnessesLay and expert opinion (Rules 701–703)Hearsay definition and non-hearsay statements (Rule 801)Hearsay exceptions (Rules 803, 804, 807) and Confrontation Clause limitsPrivileges and authenticationBest evidence rule and judicial notice

50 practice questions in this domain so far

6 Real Property 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Present estates and future interests; Rule Against PerpetuitiesConcurrent ownership: joint tenancy, tenancy in common, severanceLandlord and tenant: tenancies, duties, assignment vs subleaseEasements, covenants and equitable servitudesAdverse possession and zoning basicsReal estate contracts: marketable title, equitable conversion, remediesMortgages: types, priorities, foreclosure, transfersTitles: deeds, delivery, recording acts (race, notice, race-notice), title assurance

50 practice questions in this domain so far

7 Torts 25 of 175 scored (NCBE) of the exam
Intentional torts to persons and property, and privilegesNegligence: duty and special duty rulesBreach: standard of care, negligence per se, res ipsa loquiturActual and proximate cause; multiple defendantsDamages and defenses: pure comparative fault, assumption of riskStrict liability: animals and abnormally dangerous activitiesProducts liability: manufacturing, design and warning defectsDefamation, privacy torts and misrepresentationNuisance and economic torts

50 practice questions in this domain so far

What you get when you access this exam

Free with your QuizMe account.

Original fact patterns aligned to the official outline

Every question is tagged to one of the 7 areas and its topics — Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts.

Exam-critical hints

Reveal the rule that unlocks the question — the element, the exception, the trigger word in the call. Every answer comes with a full rationale for the right choice and for each wrong one.

Adaptive testing

Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted by how much each counts on the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.

Timed practice exams

Full-length exams at the real pace — 175 scored-length questions at the MBE's 1.8-minute pace, or a full 100-question session in 3 hours — with a live pacing indicator and a full review.

Flashcards, case simulations and guides

100 flashcards for elements, majority rules, FRE and FRCP numbers, UCC Article 2 defaults and constitutional tests, 6 case simulations where a lawsuit, a land deal or a criminal case unfold step by step, and 4 illustrated guides to hearsay, the recording acts, personal jurisdiction and the levels of scrutiny you explore hotspot by hotspot.

Progress for every blueprint area

Each area moves from Not started to Getting started, Developing, Proficient and Exam ready — so you know exactly what to study next.

Test at home or at a center

You don't register for the MBE on its own. You apply to your jurisdiction's bar admission agency for its bar exam in February or July, and the MBE is given as part of it. Find out first whether your jurisdiction still gives the legacy exam or has switched to NextGen.

On bar exam day

  • Two 3-hour sessions of 100 questions each, morning and afternoon.
  • Your jurisdiction runs the site and sets the ID, laptop and security rules.
  • Answer every question — the 25 pretest items look exactly like scored ones, and there's no guessing penalty.
  • Your MBE scaled score combines with your essay and performance-test scores under your jurisdiction's rules.

Before you apply

  • Check NCBE's NextGen list: ten jurisdictions switched in July 2026, and more switch in July 2027, February 2028 and July 2028.
  • The legacy MBE won't be offered after the February 2028 bar exam, so plan any retake before then if your jurisdiction is staying on it.
  • Most jurisdictions also require the MPRE, a separate exam.
  • Check whether you can transfer an MBE or UBE score in, and how long your jurisdiction accepts one.

Exam-day game plan

How to walk in ready — and how to pace 175 questions in 5 h 15 min (the scored-question count at the real MBE pace).

Pacing checkpoints

Hit these and you finish with time to revisit your flagged questions. Our timed practice exams run at this same pace.

44questions1:19
88questions2:38
131questions3:56
175questions5:15

The week before

  • Take one full 100-question session in 3 hours 3–5 days out, then rest.
  • Spend your last sessions on whichever of the seven subjects is still below Proficient — they all count the same.
  • Rehearse the default rules: FRE, FRCP and Title 28, UCC Article 2 for goods, pure comparative fault and joint-and-several liability in Torts.
  • Work the rules you mix up side by side: 803 vs 804 exceptions, the three recording acts, and the levels of scrutiny.

Exam morning

  • Eat a real breakfast; it's a six-hour testing day.
  • Know your jurisdiction's admission ticket, ID and item rules before you leave.
  • Use the restroom right before each session.

During the exam

  • Aim for about 50 questions at the 90-minute mark of each session.
  • Read the call of the question first — 'most likely', 'best argument' and 'strongest defense' change what you're looking for.
  • Apply the federal rule for Evidence and Civil Procedure, never a state variant you learned in class.
  • Mark and move — never let one question cost you three.

Keep your head

  • A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the stem.
  • Your score is equated to past exams, so a hard session doesn't mean you did badly.
  • Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the facts.

After the MBE

  • The MBE is part of admission, not a credential to renew; once admitted, your state sets your CLE requirements.
  • On the legacy UBE your MBE score is 50% of the 400-point total, alongside the MEE (30%) and MPT (20%).
  • Transfer an MBE or UBE score to another jurisdiction through NCBE Score Services — each jurisdiction decides how old a score it will accept.
  • Check which jurisdictions take NextGen and legacy scores during the 2026–2028 transition before you rely on a transfer.

Official sources and further reading

Ready to start?

350 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.

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MBE, MEE, MPT, UBE and NextGen are trademarks of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by NCBE or any bar admission agency. Our practice items are original fact patterns, not NCBE released questions or recalled exam items. This page targets the current (legacy) MBE, not the NextGen bar exam. Exam details are summarized from NCBE's published MBE pages, subject matter outline and NextGen materials. Jurisdictions set eligibility, passing scores and their NextGen switch dates, and these change — always confirm with NCBE and your bar admission agency.