Overview of Illinois Bar Exam

Starting in 2019, the Illinois began administering the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).  The UBE consists of three testing components: the Multistate Performance Exam (MPT), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).

In order to pass the Illinois bar exam, you need to score a minimum of 266 out of 400 total points.

To become a licensed attorney in Illinois, in addition to passing the bar exam, you also need to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) and receive clearance on your Character and Fitness application.

The bar exam is administered twice each year on the last Tuesday and Wednesday in February and July.

Note: The UBE scores are portable to other UBE jurisdictions.  If your score meets the minimum required score in another state, you may be eligible to admissions to that state, provided you meet all the other requirements.

Bar Exam Format Heading link

Tuesday Morning

Multistate Performance Test

The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) consists of two 90-minute items. The MPT is designed to test an examinee’s ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. The MPT is not a test of substantive knowledge. Rather, it is designed to evaluate certain fundamental skills lawyers are expected to demonstrate regardless of the area of law in which the skills are applied.

Tuesday Afternoon

Multistate Essay Examination

The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) consists of six 30-minute questions. The purpose of the MEE is to test the examinee’s ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation. The primary distinction between the MEE and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is that the MEE requires the examinee to demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Multistate Essay Examination Subjects
  • Business Associations (Agency, Partnership & Corporations)
  • Civil Procedure
  • Conflicts of Law
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law & Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Family Law
  • Real Property
  • Secured Transactions
  • Torts
  • Trusts & Estates

A complete subject matter outline, including specific topics within each subject, is available online.

Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

Multistate Bar Examination

The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination.  There will be twenty-five questions of each subject and 25 questions that are experimental and do not count.  Each three-hour sessions consists of 100 questions.  The purpose of the MBE is to assess the extent to which an examinee can apply fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns.

Multistate Bar Examination Subjects
  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law & Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Real Property
  • Torts

A complete subject matter outline, including specific topics within each subject, is available online.