What is the NCBE?
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is an organization that works with other institutions to develop, maintain, and apply reasonable and uniform standards of education and character for eligibility for admission to the practice of law. The NCBE mission is “to promote fairness, integrity, and best practices in admission to the legal profession for the benefit and protection of the public.” (Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion, 2022) They are dedicated work to eliminating any aspects of the bar examinations that could contribute to performance disparities among different groups. The NCBE provides the MPRE, UBE, MBE, MEE, and MPT.
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination is a two-hour-long examination that consists of 60 multiple-choice questions. The purpose of this examination is to measure the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of established standards related to the professional conduct of lawyers. This examination is administered three times a year and candidates are advised to check with the bar admissions agency in their jurisdiction to seek admission before registering.
Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)
The Uniform Bar Examination is composed of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). This examination is designed to test the knowledge and skill that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law. It is administered, graded, and scored in accordance with the best practices by the jurisdiction that adopts it.
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
The Multistate Bar Examination is a six-hour, 200 multiple-choice examination that covers Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Civil procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. The MBE is designed to assess the extent to which the candidate can apply the fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns. It is important to note that each jurisdiction determines its own policy with regard to the relative weight given to the MBE and other scores.
Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
The Multistate Essay Examination is a collection of thirty-minute essay questions. The purpose of this exam is to test the ability to identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation, separate material which is relevant from that which is not, present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition, and demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation. The candidates are tested over areas of law such as Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates, and Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.
Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
The Multistate Performance Test consists of two 90-minute questions covering legal analysis, fact analysis, problem-solving, resolution of ethical dilemmas, organization and management of a lawyering task, and communication. The MPT is designed to evaluate certain fundamental skills lawyers are expected to demonstrate regardless of the area of law in which the skills are applied. This examination evaluates the ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish.
In order to obtain a practice law, all law school graduates must apply for bar admission through a state board of bar examiners. Visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website to learn more about the NCBE exams.
Check out the following blog for the most popular studying tips you can use for your studying.
Reference
Diversity, fairness, and inclusion. (2022). NCBE. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbex.org/about/diversity-fairness-and-inclusion/
Multistate professional responsibility examination. (2022). NCBE. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/
Uniform bar examination. (2022). NCBE. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbex.org/exams/ube/
Multistate bar examination. (2022). NCBE. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mbe/
Multistate essay examination. (2022). NCBE. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mee/
Multistate performance test. (2022). NCBE. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpt/