pennsylvania bar essay topics

Bar Examination Resources

• Introduction
• The Bar Exam

Bar Admission Rules

Application information, bar exam components, sample essay questions, bar exam results.

• Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners
• Other State Bar Exams
• Bar Review Courses
• Listing of All Rules and Regulations
• Bar Exam Application Info As a rule, the bar exam is always held on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of every February and July.

*** Important Notice re:  July 2020 PA Bar Exam :  In light of COVID-19, the July 2020 PA Bar Exam has been moved to September 9 and 10, 2020.  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has authorized a limited license for July 2020 PA Bar Exam applicants.  More information can be found here .

• Components and Subjects:
• Business Organizations (including corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and professional corporations)
• Employment Discrimination (limited to Title VII, ADA, and ADEA)
• Professional Responsibility
• Civil Procedure (Pennsylvania and federal)
• Evidence (Pennsylvania and federal)
• Real Property
• Criminal Law (including related Pennsylvania and federal constitutional issues and DUI)
• Conflict of Laws
• Federal Constitutional Law
• U.C.C., Art. II — Sales
• Federal Income Taxes (personal only and limited to taxable and non-taxable income, deductions, proprietorships, and capital transactions)
• Wills, Trusts and Decedents' Estates (including related fiduciary responsibilities)
• PERFORMANCE TEST: one Performance Test (PT) question, developed by the Board, may be used in lieu of a Multistate Performance Test question as a component of the essay portion of the bar examination. The Performance Test (PT) is intended to test an applicant's ability to use basic skills that a lawyer should possess to perform a task that a newly admitted attorney would be expected to perform.
• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law & Procedure
• Recent Pennsylvania Bar Exam Questions Links to the past 3 years of sample essay questions, answers, and examiners' analysis.
• Passing Standards The six answers to the essay examination and the PT (valued at 1.5 times an essay question) will be graded, totaled and scaled to the MBE. The combined essay and PT scores will be weighted at 55%, and the MBE score will be weighted at 45% of the total scaled score. The scaled scores of the PT/essay examination and MBE will then be combined to determine whether a scaled score of 272 or higher has been attained.
• Bar Exam Results Results of the February Bar Exam will be released in April, and the July Bar Exam in October.
• Pennsylvania Bar Exam Statistics All files are in PDF format.
• Pennsylvania MPRE Information
• Preparing for the MPRE The MPRE is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice examination developed by NCBE that is administered three times per year.
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• Last Updated: Jul 13, 2021 10:14 PM
• URL: https://psudickinsonlaw.libguides.com/barexamresources

• 50+ Bar Prep Tips
• 30+ MPRE Tips
• Compare Audio Law Outlines
• Compare Bar Review Prep Courses
• Complete UBE Guide
• How to Case Brief
• Jurisdiction Bar Exam Guides
• Top Civ Pro Laws
• Top Civ Pro Terms
• Top Evidence Laws
• Bar Prep Games
• Supreme Opinion Podcast

Ultimate Guide to Pennsylvania State Bar Exam

Your complete guide to Pennsylvania bar exam prep.

Pass Rates · Bar Review Courses · Format · Essay Topics · Schedule · Dates · Location · Application Fees & Deadlines · What to Bring · Scores & Grading · Results · Reciprocity · Law Schools · Groups · Other Resources

*Updated January 2024

Pennsylvania State Bar Exam | Basic Information

The Pennsylvania Bar Association was formed in 1845.

Pennsylvania is one of 40+ jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). Pennsylvania first administered the UBE in July 2022. Pennsylvania also requires the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination  (MPRE).

Pennsylvania State Bar Exam Pass Rates

July 2023 (1,373 takers).

View detailed statistics

February 2023 (537 takers)

February 2022 (336 takers), july 2021 (1,243 takers),  pennsylvania bar review courses.

Compare top Pennsylvania bar exam prep courses from Crushendo , Barbri , Themis , Kaplan , AmeriBar , and BarMax .

Last updated: 1/7/23

*Cost ignores promotions and live tutoring.

Crushendo’s written and audio outlines utilize 250+ proprietary mnemonics to help you memorize everything you need to know to pass the bar exam on your first try.

Crushendo’s complete bar prep course, the UBE Suite , costs $970 and includes 1,750+ official practice questions from the NCBE.

Crushendo offers lifetime access for all of its bar exam prep products .

Adam Balinski founded Crushendo Bar Review in 2017 ( read the founding story here ).

The Harcourt publishing company founded Barbri in 1974 when it acquired two bar review programs. Since its founding, Barbri has been owned by large firms including Thomson Reuters and Leeds Equity Partners.

Barbri products have been used by more than a million law school students . In the last 20 years Barbri has settled multiple antitrust lawsuits .

Barbri’s traditional bar prep programs cost $1,999-4,199 and some include 100+ official NCBE questions from past bar exams.

Barbri offers access to its traditional, full-time bar prep course for 8-10 weeks , but early access can be purchased.

Themis Bar Review is based in Chicago and was founded in 2008 .

Themis’s bar prep program costs $2,695 and includes 1,350+ NCBE questions.

Themis offers access to its online products for four months .

Stanley Kaplan founded Kaplan, Inc. in 1938 .

Kaplan jumped into the bar review space in 2006 when it acquired PMBR , a company that provides test prep for the MBE. In 2008 Kaplan expanded its bar review offerings.

Kaplan’s bar prep programs cost $2,199-3,999 and include 1,200+  NCBE questions.

Kaplan offers access to its online products for four months .

Alexander Nakis founded AmeriBar in 1999 . It’s headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.

AmeriBar’s bar exam prep programs cost $1,299-2,599  and include 1,400+ NCBE questions.

AmeriBar offers access to its online products for up to three years .

Michael Ghaffary and Mehran Ebadolahi founded BarMax in 2010 .

BarMax’s bar prep course costs $1,895 and includes  1,700+  NCBE questions.

BarMax offers lifetime access to its online products.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Format

What’s the format of the ube.

The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is administered twice each year in Pennsylvania (in February and July). The examination is administered over two days in four, three-hour sessions. The UBE has three parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

The MBE is a six-hour test and consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that test your understanding across seven subjects. Your MBE score comprises 50% of your overall UBE score.

Crushendo offers affordable, comprehensive written and audio outlines for MBE subjects (in addition to MEE and MPRE subjects).

Civil Procedure

Constitutional Law

Criminal Law & Procedure

The MEE consists of six 30-minute legal essays. The MEE makes up 30% of your score. Essay topics may include the following: Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Property, Secured Transactions, Torts, Trusts, Unincorporated Business Entities, Wills and Estates, etc.

Crushendo offers the most recent MEE questions and includes the point sheets that the graders used. Watch Crushendo’s free MEE tips video .

The MPT consists of two 90-minute tasks where you analyze and apply laws to specific scenarios. The MPT makes up 20% of your score. Crushendo offers the most recent MPT questions and includes the point sheets that the graders used. Watch Crushendo’s free MPT tips video .

What’s the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination?

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) tests your understanding of established standards of conduct for lawyers. The MPRE is administered three times each year (in March, August, and November). The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions and is two hours long. Check out this MPRE Tips video !

Upcoming Bar Exam Schedule, Dates, Location

• July 30–31, 2024
• February 25–26, 2025

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Application

Are you interested in taking the Pennsylvania State bar exam? Here’s some basic information on applying to take the Pennsylvania bar exam.

Other Requirements

The Pennsylvania Bar application fee for most takers is $650. There are late fees.

*Visit the Pennsylvania Bar website for more information.

If you desire to take the bar exam in February , the filing deadline is October 30 . If you file between October 30 and November 15 , you will pay a $150 late fee. If you file between November 15 and November 30 , you will pay a $300 late fee. If you file between November 30 and December 15 , you will pay a $400 late fee. December 15 is the final deadline.

If you desire to take the bar exam in July , the filing deadline is April 15 . If you file between April 15 and April 30 , you will pay a $150 late fee. If you file between April 30 and May 15 , you will pay a $300 late fee. If you file between May 15 and May 15 , you will pay a $400 late fee. May 15 is the final deadline.

In addition to passing the Pennsylvania bar exam with a score of at least 272, there are several requirements that must be met in order to be admitted as an attorney in Pennsylvania, including:

• Score 85 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) within the accepted time frame.
• Character and Fitness Review
• Graduate from an ABA-approved law school
• Get fingerprinted

Pennsylvania State Bar Admissions Office

Physical address:

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners 601 Commonwealth Ave., Suite 3600 P.O Box 62535 Harrisburg, PA 17106-2535

Phone: (717) 231-3350 Fax: (717) 231-3351 Email (technical issues only):  [email protected]

Pennsylvania Bar Exam: What to Bring

What to bring

• Your current driver’s license
• Your Bar Examination Identification & Certification Card that has your photo, NCBE number, and examinee number

What is Provided

• Tissues and cough drops
• Pens or pencils
• Feminine hygiene products

Important notes

• You need to have these items with you for each of the four testing sessions.
• Pens and pencils are provided to examinees.
• Laptop testers should not bring their laptop in a case or bag.

Prohibited items

• Any item that can connect to the internet
• Any item that can record audio or video
• Fitness trackers
• Calculators
• Food or drink
• Scratch papers
• Study materials

More information here .

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Scores and Grading

A passing score for the Pennsylvania bar is a 272 . Scores of the three tests comprising the bar are weighted as follows:

• MBE = 50% of total score
• MEE = 30% of total score
• MPT = 20% of total score

*A passing score for the MPRE in Pennsylvania is 75/150 .

Pennsylvania Bar Review Course

Crushendo’s comprehensive UBE Suite comes with everything you need to crush the Pennsylvania Bar Exam.

• MBE, MEE, and MPT Prep
• 250+ Proprietary Mnemonics
• 1,750+ Licensed NCBE Questions
• Audio Attack Outlines
• Audio Flashcards
• Lifetime Access

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Results

View lists of those who passed the Pennsylvania State bar exam, posted on the Pennsylvania State Bar Association’s website:

• February 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

When are my Pennsylvania bar exam results released?

Pennsylvania bar exam results are usually released mid-April or mid-October.

Can I see my Pennsylvania bar exam score?

If you passed the Pennsylvania bar exam, you won’t be able to see your score.

Can I appeal to have my Pennsylvania bar exam re-graded?

No, but depending on the score you get, your bar exam might be automatically re-graded. The Pennsylvania Board of Law examiners has shared that, “All applicants receiving a combined scaled score of 263-271 will be included in a re-read process and have their written answers re-read and re-graded by a different grader.”

How many times can I take the bar exam in Pennsylvania?

You can retake the Pennsylvania bar without any limit.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Reciprocity

The following states have reciprocity with Pennsylvania:

• Active practice of law for five of the last seven years
• Received Certificate of Good Standing from last state or jurisdiction
• Have not failed the Pennsylvania bar in the past

Law Schools in Pennsylvania

Here’s a list of law schools in Pennsylvania.

Thomas R. Kline School of Law (Drexel University)

• Founded:  2006
• Located:  Philadelphia, PA
• Enrollment:  about 450
• Tuition Cost: $45,500 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate: 77%
• ABA Accredited:  Yes
• Website:  drexel.edu/law

Duquesne University School of Law

• Founded: 1911
• Located:  Pittsburgh, PA
• Tuition Cost: $39,992 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate:  84%
• Website:  duq.edu/academics/schools/law

Penn State Dickinson Law

• Founded:  1834
• Located:  Carlisle, PA
• Enrollment: about 225
• Tuition Cost: $50,581 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate: 82%
• Website:  dickinsonlaw.psu.edu

Penn State Law

• Founded:  2014
• Located: University Park, PA
• Enrollment:  about 375
• Tuition Cost: $52,976 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate:  85%
• Website: pennstatelaw.psu.edu

Carey Law School (University of Pennsylvania)

• Founded:  1923
• Enrollment:  about 775
• Tuition Cost: $67,998 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate:  97%
• Website: law.upenn.edu

University of Pittsburgh School of Law

• Founded: 1895
• Enrollment:  about 400
• Tuition Cost:  $46,874 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate:  91%
• Website:  law.pitt.edu

Beasley School of Law (Temple University)

• Founded:  1895
• Enrollment:  about 750
• Tuition Cost: $41,354 View tuition breakdown
• Website: law.temple.edu

Charles Widger School of Law (Villanova University)

• Founded:  1953
• Located:  Villanova, PA
• Enrollment:  about 525
• Tuition Cost: $49,555 View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate:  87%
• Website:  villanova.edu/university/law

Widener University Commonwealth Law School

• Founded:  1821
• Located:  Harrisburg, PA
• Enrollment:  about 325
• Tuition Cost:  $1,571 per credit View tuition breakdown
• Bar Passage Rate:  68%
• Website:  commonwealthlaw.widener.edu

Helpful Groups

Here are some Facebook groups you may find helpful before, and after, passing the bar exam:

• Girl Attorney – PA (905 members)
• National Lawyers Guild Philadelphia Chapter (391 members)
• Federalist Society, Harrisburg Lawyers’ Chapter (22 members)
• National Lawyer’s Guild- Drexel Law Chapter (29 members)
• Drexel Law Review (68 members)
• Criminal Law Society, Drexel Law (67 members)
• Kline School of Law Career Strategies Office Updates (421 members)
• Kline School of Law Class of 2o22 (238 members)
• Kline School of Law Class of 2021 (250 members)
• Kline School of Law Class of 2020 (256 members)
• Drexel Law 2020 (88 members)
• OUTLaw at Drexel University Kline School of Law (63 members)
• Employment Law – Drexel (20 members)
• Duquesne University School of Law Animal Law Society (183 members)
• Duquesne Law Incoming Class Fall 2020 (30 members)
• Duquesne Law Incoming Class Fall 2019 (118 members)
• Duquesne Law Incoming Class – Fall 2017 (107 members)
• Duquesne Law Incoming Class – Fall 2016 (89 members)
• Corporate Law Society – Penn State Dickinson Law (72 members)
• Penn State Dickinson Law – Harrisburg Area Alumni (28 members)
• Penn State Dickinson School of Law LL. M. Alumni (143 members)
• Dickinson Law Class of 2020 (146 members)
• Penn State Law Benefiting THON (45 members)
• Penn State Law Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS) (75 members)
• Penn State Law Environmental Law Society (45 members)
• Penn Law WCLSA (109 members)
• Penn State Law J.D. Class of 2022 (260 members)
• Penn State Law J.D. Class of 2021 (278 members)
• Penn State Law LL. M. Class of 2020 (173 members)
• Penn State Law J.D. Class of 2020 (279 members)
• Penn State Law Entering Class of Fall 2020 (86 members)
• University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law (146 members)
• University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law (JIL) (19 members)
• Pitt Law BLSA (80 members)
• Pitt Law International Law Society (168 members)
• Pitt Law – Asian Student Law Association (31 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2023 (58 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2022 (211 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2021 (270 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2020 (281 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2019 (268 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2017 (257 members)
• Pitt Law – Class of 2016 (266 members)
• Temple Law Alumni Association (731 members)
• Temple Law and Public Policy Alumni Association (123 members)
• Temple Environmental Law Society (107 members)
• Temple Law Class of 2023/24 (26 members)
• Temple Law Class of 2022/23 (237 members)
• Temple Law Class of 2021/2022 (229 members)
• Temple Law Class of 2020/2021 (236 members)
• Temple Law Class 2019/2020 (197 members)
• Temple Law International Students 2019/2020 (44 members)
• Villanova University School of Law Friends (64 members)
• Villanova Law School Environmental and Energy Law Society (11 members)
• Villanova Jewish Law Students Association (24 members)
• Villanova OUTLaw (23 members)
• Villanova Law APALSA (18 members)
• Villanova Law School – National Lawyers Guild (36 members)
• Villanova Law School – BLSA (58 members)
• Villanova Law Class of 2023 (114 members)
• Villanova Law Class of 2022 (307 members)
• Villanova Law Class of 2021 (289 members)
• Villanova Law Class of 2020 (279 members)
• Villanova Law Class of 2019 (281 members)
• Villanova Law Class of 2018 (204 members)
• Widener Law Commonwealth 2019 Incoming Class (141 members)
• Widener Law (758 members)

Other Resources

More helpful resources and study materials to help you pass the Pennsylvania State bar exam:

• Pennsylvania Jurisdiction Information
• Pennsylvania State Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court
• National Conference of Bar Examiners
• American Bar Association
• Bar Prep Tips & Tricks YouTube Videos
• Awesome Law School “Lectures”
• Best Law School Audio Outlines
• Shop Crushendo

Bar Exam & MPRE Resource Guide

• Introduction to the Bar Exam
• DE Law School Bar Review Resources
• Library Resources
• Delaware Bar Exam
• Pennsylvania Bar Exam
• New Jersey Bar Exam
• Commercial Bar Prep Courses
• Online Resources & Apps

Structure of the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

• The first day of the examination consists of one Performance Test (PT) question and six essay questions that are prepared by the examiners and approved by the Board.
• The second day of the examination is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).

 Additional Information

The bar examination is administered twice a year, the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. The examination is administered in two locations in February and July ( Eastern and Western areas of the state).

The February bar examination results are released in mid- April, and July bar examination results are released in mid- October.

http://www.pabarexam.org/bar_exam_information/bebasics.htm

Old Exam Questions

The prior three year's bar exam questions with sample answers are available from the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners website at:

https://www.pabarexam.org/bar_exam_information/essay.htm

Subjects Tested

Essay Exam - six essay questions that consist of one or more of the following topics:

• Business Organizations (including corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and professional corporations)
• Evidence (Pennsylvania and federal)
• Federal Income Taxes (personal only and limited to taxable and non-taxable income, deductions, proprietorships and capital transactions)
• Civil Procedure (Pennsylvania and federal)
• Criminal Law (including related Pennsylvania and federal constitutional issues and DUI)
• Professional Responsibility
• U.C.C., Art. II - Sales
• Conflict of Laws
• Employment Discrimination (limited to Title VII, ADA and ADEA)
• Federal Constitutional Law
• Real Property
• Wills, Trusts and Decedents' Estates (including related fiduciary responsibilities)

Multi-State Bar Exam

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law and Procedure

Performance Test - "By Order of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania,one Performance Test (PT) question, developed by the Board, may be used in lieu of a Multistate Performance Test question as a component of the essay portion of the bar examination."

"Examples of tasks that might be required to be performed include preparing: letters to opposing counsel, opinion letters to clients, contract or will provisions, briefs, memorandum to a partner, legal memoranda, petitions, motions, and other tasks that a lawyer might be expected to perform."

Please see http://www.pabarexam.org/bar_exam_information/testsubjects.htm for further details.

Helpful Links

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiniers

Pennsylvania Jurisdiction Information

NCBE Study Aids - this will help you find study aids for the MRRE, MBE, MEE, & MPT. It also has sample test questions and answers.

MPRE is required in the state of Pennsylvania and a minimum passing score is 75.

MPRE Score Services

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• Next: New Jersey Bar Exam >>
• Last Updated: May 15, 2023 3:54 PM
• URL: https://libguides.law.widener.edu/barexam

The Smart Guide to the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

A guide to mastering the pennsylvania bar exam, pennsylvania bar exam format.

Pennsylvania is a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) jurisdiction. All UBE jurisdictions use the same 3 sections:

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

Multistate essay exam (mee), multistate performance test (mpt).

2 writing assignments

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Dates

 Feb. 2024 exam: Feb. 27-28, 2024  July 2024 exam: July 30-31, 2024

*The Pennsylvania Bar Exam takes place on the last Tuesday & Wednesday of February and July.

How to Prepare for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

(FREE Study Guides)

Part 1: Smart Guide to MBE

Part 2: Smart Guide to MEE

Part 3: Smart Guide to MPT

Click the links above for FREE study guides covering each section of the bar exam.

Contact Info

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners 601 Commonwealth Ave., Ste. 3600 P.O. Box 62535 Harrisburg, PA 17106-2535

Website:        https://www.pabarexam.org/ Phone:        (717) 231-3350 Fax:             (717) 231-3351

Frequency Charts

(FREE Charts & Statistics)

MBE Frequency Analysis

MEE Frequency Analysis

MPT Frequency Analysis

Click the links above for FREE Frequency Charts covering each section of the bar exam.

Subjects Tested on Pennsylvania Bar Exam

Mee essay subjects.

• Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, LLC’s)
• Civil Procedure
• Conflict of Laws
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law & Procedure
• Real Property
• Secured Transactions
• Trusts & Future Interests
• Wills & Estates

MBE Subjects

• Criminal Law & Procedure
• Real property

Minimum Passing Score

For Pennsylvania , the UBE minimum passing score is 272.

Jurisdiction-Specific Component

Fill Out This Form For Your PDF

Download now.

Do you hope to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania? If so, you’ll have to pass the Pennsylvania Bar Exam. Let’s take a look.

Requirements

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam has three components: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), Pennsylvania essays, and the Pennsylvania Performance Test. Pennsylvania also requires the MPRE , which is administered separately from the bar exam, and applicants must pass a character and fitness inquiry. Here we’ll focus on the components of the exam.

The MBE consists of 200 multiple choice questions drawn from seven subjects: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts. Civ pro and evidence focus on the Federal Rules, while con law tests knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. The other areas test widely accepted principles of common law.

Pennsylvania also tests state law through its essays and performance test .

The six Pennsylvania essays cover an extensive mix of federal and state topics. While the seven MBE subjects are tested, the essays add Pennsylvania content to some of the subject areas. The tested subjects are: business organizations; civil procedure (state and federal); conflict of laws; contracts; criminal law (including related state and federal constitutional issues and DUI); employment discrimination (limited to three federal statutes: Title VII, ADA and ADEA); evidence (state and federal); family law; federal constitutional law; federal income tax; professional responsibility; real property; torts; UCC Article 2 (sales); and wills, trusts and estates.

How can six essays cover all this material? Each essay features a complex fact pattern that implicates more than one subject. For example, recent essays have tested estates, federal income tax, and professional responsibility in a single essay, and torts, evidence and civil procedure in another. Because Pennsylvania tests subjects beyond routine law school requirements, you may want to plan ahead and take classes such as employment discrimination or conflict of laws if you plan to sit for the Pennsylvania bar.

Performance Test

The final component of the bar exam is a performance test. The NCBE began producing the MPT in 1997. Pennsylvania adopted it for a while, but then began producing and administering its own performance test (PA PT). Current Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules allow administration of either the MPT or the PA PT. Unless and until Pennsylvania adopts the UBE , the Pennsylvania bar examiners are likely to continue administering the PA PT, which is virtually identical to the MPT in structure and objective.

Like the MPT, the PA PT is a 90-minute exam consisting of a File, containing assorted documents relating to a client’s situation, and a Library, containing relevant legal sources, such as statutes and cases. The PA PT is set in Pennsylvania, rather than in the fictitious MPT state of Franklin, and it relies on actual Pennsylvania legal sources. Nevertheless, it is a closed universe exam that does not require prior knowledge of any particular substantive law. Accordingly, MPT strategies apply equally well to the PA PT.

The components of the Pennsylvania Bar Exam are weighted as follows: MBE 45%, Essays 44%, PT 11%.

Grading of the essays focuses on issue spotting, the quality of discussion, application of law to facts, and logical reasoning to reach a conclusion, rather than on the correctness of the conclusion. After each administration, the essay questions, proposed examiners’ analyses and tentative grading guidelines are provided to a representative at each of the nine law schools in Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia metropolitan area – schools where many, if not a majority, of graduates sit for the Pennsylvania bar. The materials are circulated to law school faculty who teach the respective subjects covered by the essays and the PT. Comments and suggestions from faculty are shared with the bar examiners and graders at their semiannual grading calibration session and considered in finalizing the examiners’ analyses and grading guidelines.

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam is given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July each year . Many examinees choose to take the Pennsylvania Bar Exam in conjunction with the New Jersey Bar Exam , which is given on the last Wednesday and Thursday of February and July. Students taking both exams must take the PA PT and essays on Tuesday, the MBE on Wednesday in Pennsylvania, and the New Jersey essays on Thursday.

The Pennsylvania bar does not have reciprocity with the neighboring states of Delaware, Maryland or New Jersey, but it does have reciprocity with New York and Ohio.

In recent years, the July pass rate has been in the vicinity of 75%, with the February pass rate considerably lower, at approximately 57%. As in many jurisdictions, the pass rate declined in 2015 . Thorough preparation is essential to passing the Pennsylvania Bar Exam.

Want more useful bar exam advice? Sign up for our free mailing list now!

Did you find this post helpful? Check out some other great articles:

• When and Where I Studied for the Bar Exam 
• I Can’t Believe I Failed the Pennsylvania Bar Exam
• Can Studying Early Help You Pass the Bar Exam
• What You Can Do Now to Prepare for the Bar Exam

Photo Credit: Galushko Sergey / Shutterstock

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About Doretta McGinnis

Doretta McGinnis is a law school tutor and bar exam tutor for the Law School Toolbox and Bar Exam Toolbox. After graduating from Harvard, she worked in academic publishing until a friend dared her to go to law school.

Doretta earned her JD at Penn Law, where she was an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and a legal writing instructor. Eager to pay off her student loans, she practiced labor and employment law at a major Philadelphia law firm, but soon left Biglaw to pursue her interest in legal education.

Doretta joined the faculty at Widener University Delaware Law School, where, over the course of nearly 20 years, she served as Associate Director of the legal writing program and taught labor law, employment discrimination, and bar exam prep. She is the co-founder of Admission Logic, LLC, an independent educational consulting practice focused on focused on college and law school admissions.

Doretta regularly blogs about law school and the bar exam.

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Pennsylvania Bar Exam Details

The Pennsylvania bar exam is 2 days and is administered twice a year on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. General details and passing standards for the Pennsylvania bar exam may be found online.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Schedule:

Day 1: 2 Performance Test (PT) questions & 6 MEE essays

Day 2: MBE, 6 hours

The essay and PT portions of the Pennsylvania bar exam are 55% of your total bar exam score and tests the following subjects:

• Business Organizations (including corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and professional corporations)
• Civil Procedure (PA and federal)
• Conflict of Laws
• Criminal Law (including related PA and federal constitutional issues and DUI)
• Employment Discrimination (limited to Title VII, ADA, and ADEA)
• Evidence (PA and federal)
• Federal Constitutional Law
• Federal Income Taxes (personal only and limited to taxable and non-taxable income, deductions, proprietorships, and capital transactions)
• Professional Responsibility
• Real Property
• UCC, Art. II - Sales
• Wills, Trusts, and Decedents' Estates (including related fiduciary responsibilities)

The MBE portion of the Pennsylvania bar exam is 45% of your total bar exam score and tests the following subjects:

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law and Procedure

Study Resources for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

Pennsylvania provides  model sample answers  online along with MBE information . 

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners

601 Commonwealth Ave., Suite 3600 P.O Box 62535 Harrisburg, PA 17106-2535

https://www.pabarexam.org/

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam takes place over 2-days and covers 14 topics

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Segment Breakdown

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam is made up of the following exam segments:

• 6 essays lasting 30 minutes each
• 1 performance tests lasting 1.5 hours
• 200 multiple choice questions, taking place the Wednesday of the exam.  Click here   for a complete study guide.

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When is the Exam Administered?

• February 23 – 24, 2016
• July 26 – 27, 2016

Topics Covered by the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam currently covers 14 topics. These topics are tested on the Essays and Performance Test portions of the exam.

• Business Organizations (including corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and professional corporations)
• Civil Procedure (Pennsylvania and federal)
• Conflict of Laws
• Criminal Law (including related Pennsylvania and federal constitutional issues and DUI) Employment Discrimination (limited to Title VII, ADA and ADEA)
• Evidence (Pennsylvania and federal)
• Federal Constitutional Law
• Federal Income Taxes (personal only and limited to taxable and non-taxable income, deductions, proprietorships and capital transactions)
• Professional Responsibility
• Real Property
• U.C.C., Art. II – Sales
• Wills, Trusts and Decedents’ Estates (including related fiduciary responsibilities)

  Source:  https://www.pabarexam.org/bar_exam_information/testsubjects.htm

Recent Bar Pass Rates and Content Trends

On average over 2,702 people take the Pennsylvania bar exam each year. The majority of people take the Bar exam in July, having just graduated from law school. Those that do not pass the July bar, will often retake in February.

The following charts show pass rates by year, and the number of students taking in both February and July.

February Bar Exam Breakdown:

On average, the February bar has a lower number of students taking (as it is made up of primarily of people who graduated during December), or people who are retaking the bar.

July Bar Exam Breakdown

How have Schools performed on the Pennsylvania bar?

To see how schools have performed in Pennsylvania, check out the school analysis tool:  https://www.barexamstats.com/tools-to-analyze-law-schools/aba-bar-pass-rate-tool/

Site Resources If you are studying for the Bar:

• Bar Exam Stats Bookstore
• A free tool to track your study progress
• Pennsylvania Performance Test and Essay Questions (With Model Answers)

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Pennsylvania Bar Exam

Written by: Nik Ventouris

Last updated: April 5, 2024

Passing the  Pennsylvania bar exam  is an essential part of being admitted into the state’s bar and beginning a successful career practicing law.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to get started, including:

• The bar exam’s eligibility criteria, content, and structure
• The steps you can take in order to give yourself the best chance of passing on your first attempt
• The additional requirements you’ll need to satisfy in order to become admitted into the state’s bar

We’ll also explore how to gain entrance to the bar via Admission on Motion.

Recommended:  Interested in getting started? We recommend Kaplan’s bar exam preparation materials, which come with a free retake guarantee, interactive and flexible learning, and lawyer-led tutoring.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Overview

In Pennsylvania, the bar exam is overseen by the Board of Law Examiners — an entity empowered by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to admit qualified individuals to the Bar. The Board is composed of experienced legal professionals appointed by the Supreme Court to ensure the integrity of the legal system is preserved.

Conducted biannually, the Pennsylvania bar exam takes place at the end of February and July. Aspiring candidates will need to submit applications to take the bar exam by October 30 for the February exam or April 15 for the July exam.

If you miss these dates, you’ll still be able to apply until December 15 for the February exam and May 30 for the July exam, but will have to pay late fees of up to $1,500 depending on how late your submission is. Any applications received after these final deadlines will not be accepted.

Keep in mind that in order to be eligible to take the Pennsylvania bar exam, you must meet the following criteria as outlined in Rule 203 of the Pennsylvania Bar Admission Rules:

• Hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university, or possess education considered equivalent by the Board
• Complete law study and receive a Juris Doctor (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from an ABA-accredited law school
• Be a member of the bar in a state that has a reciprocity agreement with Pennsylvania
• Show evidence of engaging in the legal profession for five out of the last seven years before applying — such as practicing law in a reciprocal state or full-time teaching at an accredited law school in the U.S
• Present a  certificate of good standing  from the bar in every state or jurisdiction where you have been admitted to practice law

Note:  Keep in mind that if you have previously been disbarred or suspended for disciplinary reasons from the practice of law in another jurisdiction at the time of filing an application you will not be eligible to sit for the bar exam.

Pennsylvania Exam Structure

Since 2022, the state of Pennsylvania has adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which adheres to the following structure:

• Multistate Performance Test (MPT): Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test Questions (20%)
• Multistate Essay Examination (MEE): Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (30%)
• Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): 200-question multiple-choice exam (50%)

The UBE exam is scored out of 400 points, 270 of which need to be answered correctly in order for a candidate to receive a passing mark.

In addition to the UBE, candidates will also be required to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) to be eligible for the Pennsylvania bar.

Below, we’ve broken down the content and structure of each exam-related requirement in more detail.

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The MPT is made up of two 90-minute parts, and the materials for each part contain a “File” and a “Library.”

The File consists of source documents that contain all of the facts of a specific case.

As the examinee, the assignment that you will need to complete will be described in a memorandum from a supervising attorney.

The File can also include things like transcripts of interviews, depositions, pleadings, trials, client documents, newspaper articles, police reports, and any other similar documents.

Keep in mind that irrelevant information is generally included, and facts are sometimes incomplete, ambiguous, or even conflicting.

This is meant to mirror legal practice, in which a client’s or supervising attorney’s version of events may be unreliable or entirely incomplete. In such a scenario, you will be expected to recognize when facts are inconsistent or missing in the exam and identify sources of additional facts.

The Library part contains things like cases, statutes, and regulations, some of which may also not be relevant to the task that you will be assigned. You will need to be able to extract the legal principles required to analyze the legal problem you’ll be presented with and perform the requested task.

For more information, you can have a look at the National Conference of Bar Examiners’  Instructions for Taking the MPT  document.

Free summaries of MPTs from recent bar exams are also offered (e.g.,  MPT Summaries of 2023 ).

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)

The MEE consists of six 30-minute sections that can cover a variety of legal areas, including:

• Civil Procedure
• Business Associations (e.g., Agency and Partnership, LLCs, Corporations, etc.)
• Conflict of Laws
• Constitutional Law
• Contract Law
• Criminal Law
• Trust and Estates

Keep in mind that questions can often include issues in more than one area of law. This means that it’ll be important to ensure that you have a “wide” range of understanding rather than a deep focus on one or two subjects.

Note:  For more information, have a look at the NCBE’s official  Instructions for Taking the MEE  document or check out a few official  MEE questions .

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

The MBE is made up of 200 multiple-choice questions, which are broken down into 175 scored questions and 25 unscored questions.

The exam is broken down into two three-hour sections, with one administered in the morning and one in the afternoon, both of which contain 100 questions each.

Keep in mind that there are no scheduled breaks during either one of the sections.

All 175 scored questions on the exam are distributed evenly, with 25 questions being attributed to each of the following seven topics:

• Real Property
• Criminal Law and Procedure

Each question on the MBE exam will have four potential answers. You should choose what you believe is the best answer — keep in mind that scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly, and points are  not subtracted  for answering incorrectly.

If you want to have a look at the exact format, you can have a look at the NCBE’s official  MBE Sample Test Questions  document.

Recommended Course

Interested in getting started? We recommend Kaplan’s bar exam preparation materials, which come with a free retake guarantee, interactive and flexible learning, and lawyer-led tutoring.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

The MPRE is made up of 60 multiple-choice questions (50 scored questions and 10 unscored questions) and is administered via Pearson VUE.

Like the MBE exam, each question offers four possible answers, one of which is correct.

The exam’s content is based on law that relates to the conduct and discipline of attorneys and judges and includes the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct and Model Code of Judicial Conduct, as well as important constitutional common law and generally accepted principles.

In relation to questions of professional responsibility in the context of evidentiary issues (e.g., litigation sanctions, attorney-client evidentiary privilege, etc.), the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence will apply  unless otherwise stated .

Note:  You will have two hours to complete the MPRE exam in its entirety.

For more information, we recommend having a look at the NCBE’s Official  Sample Test Questions  document. A holistic  Subject Matter Outline  is also offered.

How to Pass the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

In order to give yourself the best chance of passing the Pennsylvania UBE exam on your first attempt, it’s important to take enough time to make sure that you are adequately prepared.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam Tips

Despite the infamous difficulty of Pennsylvania’s bar exam, passing it on your first attempt is definitely possible with the right tools and preparation techniques.

Below, we’ve broken down a few key tips that should aid you in your licensing journey:

• Start Strong in Your First Year:  This is important due to the fundamental areas of law practice that the first year of law school generally covers, such as Contract Law, Tort, and Constitutional Law
• Leverage Academic Support : If your law school offers additional support services that are aimed at improving your preparation, we recommend utilizing these as much as possible. This can involve one-on-one tutoring, academic counseling, and mock exam programs
• Obtain Practical Legal Experience : If possible, we recommend gaining as much practical experience as you can during law school (i.e., through summer internships, mock trials, etc.). This is because this can go a long way in cementing your legal knowledge
• Adopt a Broad Study Approach:  When studying for the bar, you should aim for a wide-ranging understanding of various subjects rather than an in-depth study of a few. This is important due to the huge amount of content that you will need to learn and/or will be tested on

Most importantly, make sure you remain consistent so that you do not have to resort to last-minute cramming.

Research has shown that we are able to retain a higher degree of information — and more easily — when revisiting old content in comparison to when learning it for the first time. This is known as Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve.

Other Pennsylvania Bar Requirements

Apart from qualifying for and passing the Florida bar exam, there are several other requirements you will need to meet for The State Bar of Florida to sign off on your application, including:

• Passing the Character and Fitness Review
• Complying with Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements

Character and Fitness Review

In order to protect the public from unfit legal professionals, The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners conducts a thorough review of each applicant’s character and fitness to ensure they meet the ethical standards required to practice law.

This will involve filing a completed application online using this  web portal  and providing the Board with certain background information. Bear in mind that your previous colleges, employers, law schools (and any other relevant sources) may be contacted in order to verify the information you provide.

According to the Board of Law Examiners, an applicant will demonstrate sufficient character and fitness if their record justifies the trust of the various members of the legal profession (e.g., clients, courts, etc.). This sort of candidate is characterized by honesty, reliability, and trustworthiness.

In the event that your record contains any conduct or incidents that do align with these expectations, you will likely be asked to provide an explanation — though the Board still reserves the right to refuse to recommend you for admission to the Bar.

This doesn’t mean any prior misconduct on your record will automatically sink your application, as the Board will consider the following factors when judging your application:

• Your age at the time of the conduct
• How recent the conduct is
• The seriousness of the conduct
• What factors were underlying the conduct
• Your positive social contributions since then

Remember, it will be your job to prove that you possess the character and fitness necessary to successfully carry out an attorney’s duties — not the Board’s. Even your candor in the admissions process can influence the outcome of this investigation.

Note:  If you have any questions or doubts regarding this review, be sure to consult the Board using the details on their  contact information  page.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Requirements

Following a Supreme Court of Pennsylvania order in 1992, all lawyers who registered to practice in this state after this date are required to undertake 12 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) each year.

Since 2014, active lawyers have been required to spend these 12 hours as follows:

• Ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse (2 hours)
• Substantive law, practice, and procedure (10 hours)

New attorneys are exempt from these requirements for the first 12 to 24 months following their admission to the Pennsylvania bar, depending on their assigned compliance group. Once this exemption period ends, they’ll have until the end of the next compliance period to fulfill their CLE obligations.

The deadlines for meeting these requirements are based on your compliance group, which you’ll be randomly assigned according to your attorney identification number. Depending on your group, your deadline will be one of the following dates:

• April 30 — Compliance Group 1
• August 31 — Compliance Group 2
• December 31 — Compliance Group 3

If you fail to complete these CLE requirements by the deadline for your compliance group, you’ll be sent a report of non-compliance by the Board and will have 60 days to comply. You will also have to pay a $100 late fee that increases by another $100 if the CLE requirement isn’t satisfied within 90 days.

Note:  If you still haven’t met these requirements by this time, the Supreme Court will add your name to a Non-Compliant List and suspend your license until you complete your CLE hours and pay all late fees plus an additional $100.

Admission by Reciprocity

Instead of completing the Pennsylvania Bar Exam in order to be admitted to the Bar, you’re also able to apply for Admission by Reciprocity if you’re licensed to practice law in another state and meet the following requirements:

• Educational Requirements:  Applicants must have earned a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school at the time they matriculated or graduated
• Membership in a Reciprocal State:  The applicant must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a reciprocal state at the time of application
• Certificate of Good Standing:  Applicants must present a certificate of good standing from the highest court or agency with jurisdiction over admission to the bar in every state where they have been admitted
• Legal Practice:  Applicants must have devoted a major portion of their time and energy to the practice of law for five of the seven years immediately preceding the application. This can include private practice, legal services in government agencies, teaching law at an accredited institution, judicial service, corporate counsel, or legal functions in the military service
• Passing the Bar Examination in a Reciprocal State:  Proof that the applicant has either passed the bar exam in a reciprocal state or has practiced law there for five out of the last seven years

Satisfaction of Additional Requirements: Fulfillment of other requirements as outlined in Rule 203, including character and fitness evaluation.

Below, we’ve included a list of all the states that Pennsylvania shares a reciprocity agreement with:

Note:  The cost of applying for Admission by Reciprocity in Pennsylvania is $1,325.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam FAQ

Can you take the bar without going to law school in pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, it is not possible to sit for the bar examination without having completed a formal law school education. The general requirements for permission to sit for the bar examination in Pennsylvania include having an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and completing the study of law at a law school that was accredited at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated.

How long is the Pennsylvania bar exam?

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam is a two-day examination, forming part of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). On the first day, candidates are required to complete six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions in the morning and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions in the afternoon. The second day of the exam is dedicated to the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question multiple-choice test divided into two sessions of 100 questions each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

How hard is it to pass the Pennsylvania bar examination?

The Pennsylvania bar examination is challenging, not only because of the sheer amount of content it involves, but also the fact that it lasts two days. With that said, this exam is highly passable if you prepare effectively. For example, factual data from last year indicated that 71% of candidates achieved a total scaled score that passed the exam.

How much does the PA bar exam cost?

The cost for the PA bar exam encompasses more than just the examination fee. Law students must budget for the exam fee ($650 – $1,500), character and fitness evaluation fees ($325), and other  miscellaneous expenses . These costs can accumulate, representing a significant financial commitment to becoming a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Bar Exam (UBE) details

A typical pennsylvania bar exam is a 2-day uniform bar exam (ube).

Pennsylvania Bar Exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify details with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners .

Please also reference the  NCBE Covid-19 updates page  for NCBE updates and individual jurisdiction announcements.

Bar exam details

• Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions. 
• Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM)

Subjects tested

• Constitutional Law
• Contracts/Sales
• Criminal Law/Procedure
• Federal Civil Procedure
• Real Property
• Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
• Conflict of Laws
• Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
• Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code
• Plus all MBE subjects
• “Closed universe” practical question using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes, and other reference material supplied by examiners.
• A scaled score of 75 on the MPRE is required for admission.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE.

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE.

• MBE weighted 50%
• MEE weighted 30%
• MPT weighted 20%

A total scaled score of 272 or higher is required to pass the Pennsylvania Bar Exam.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of mbe score.

Pennsylvania does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

A member in good standing of a reciprocating jurisdiction may be admitted on motion in Pennsylvania if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

Barbri bar exam digest.

We compile all of the information that you need to know about the dates, format, subjects tested, deadlines, fees and more - for each U.S. state - in the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest.

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Pennsylvania Bar Exam Lean Sheets

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The Most Efficient Way to Review for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam

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Tools to Maximize Your Pennsylvania Bar Review

1. Lean Sheets Attack Outlines

Lean Sheets streamline the most important and frequently tested material into  just 2-3 pages for each subject. These uniquely condensed Bar Exam outlines also include helpful mnemonics for memorization, as well as charts and diagrams to help visualize key concepts.

By focusing on what you NEED to know for the bar exam, Lean Sheets allow you to spend more time writing essays and practicing MBE questions, and less time reviewing the black letter law. Without question, Lean Sheets are the most efficient way to review for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam.

NOTE: Lean Sheets do not include Pennsylvania distinctions, but rather the general law for the subjects listed below.

MBE Subjects

Civil Procedure Constitutional Law Contracts Criminal Law & Procedure Evidence Real Property Torts

Essay Subjects

Agency & Partnership Business Associations Conflict of Laws Family Law Secured Transactions Wills & Estates Trusts

BONUS MATERIAL!

You will also receive the following charts and diagrams:

- Con Law Charts - Evidence Charts - Real Prop. Estates Diagram

Secured Trans.

Lean Sheets include:

• Attack Outlines for all MBE subjects
• Attack Outlines for all MEE subjects
• Evidence Charts
• Con Law Charts
• Real Property Estates Diagram

2. Lean Sheets Flashcards 

In response to high demand, Lean Sheets has created its own Flashcards for all MBE and Multistate Essay subjects. Our 951 Flashcards cover all of the subjects tested, and provide the essential black-letter law in an efficient and easily digestible format.

MBE Flashcards

Civil Procedure Constitutional Law Contracts Crim Law & Crim Pro Evidence Real Property Torts

Essay Flashcards

Business Associations Agency & Partnerships Conflict of Laws Family Law Secured Transactions Wills & Estates Trusts

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Admission to the Bar - Preparation and Resources: Pennsylvania

• Reciprocity
• District of Columbia
• Pennsylvania
• Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)
• Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
• Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
• Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)
• Sample Bar Questions and Answers
• 2020 Covid-19 Changes

Contact Information

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners 5070A Ritter Road, Suite 300 Mechanicsburg, PA   17055 (717) 795-7270 www.pabarexam.org

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam

• Pennsylvania Bar Exam Information

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam is administered on the last Wednesday of July and February, and the Tuesdays immediately before.  The July exam is offered in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, while the February exam is only offered in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  The Tuesday session consists of a Performance Test (PT) question and six Pennsylvania-specific essay questions developed by the Board.  In the Board's discretion, it may develop its own Performance Test question for a particular test, or it may use the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) question.  The Wednesday session is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).

The commonwealth-specific essays test one or more of the following subjects:

• Business Organizations (including Corporations, Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies, and Professional Corporations)
• Civil Procedure (Pennsylvania and Federal)
• Conflict of Laws
• Criminal Law (including related Pennsylvania and federal constitutional issues and DUI)
• Employment Discrimination (limited to Title VII, ADA, and ADEA)
• Evidence (Pennsylvania and Federal)
• Federal Constitutional Law
• Federal Income Taxes (personal only and limited to taxable and non-taxable income, deductions, proprietorships, and capital transactions)
• Professional Responsibility
• Real Property
• U.C.C., Art. 2 (Sales)
• Wills, Trusts, and Decedents' Estates (including related fiduciary responsibilities)

For more information on the Pennsylvania Bar Exam, check the links at Bar Exam Information

Admission to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners is the admissions screening body for the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Unrestricted admission to the Bar can be had under a number of procedures:

• By Examination
•    Graduates of Accredited and Unaccredited Programs
•    Foreign Attorneys
• On Motion (Reciprocity)--domestic attorneys

There are also a number of methods by which an applicant can obtain a restricted admission to the Bar of the Commonwealth:

• Admission as Limited In-House Counsel
• Admission as Foreign Legal Consultant
• Attorneys in Defender or Legal Services Program
• Legal Intern Certification
• Limited Admission of Military Attorneys

Admission by Examination for graduates of accredited and unaccredited programs requires:

• receipt of an undergraduate degree
• graduation from an ABA-approved law school (as of the time of graduation), or a non-approved law school provided the applicant is a member of the bar of a reciprocal jurisdiction in good standing and practicing five of the last seven years there.
• completion of the bar application
• payment of $625 ($650 as of 8/1/17) fee for timely bar application and character & fitness review (higher fees for increasing levels of lateness)
• passage of the character & fitness review
• a scaled score of 75 or more on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
• a scaled score of 272 on the combined essay, Professional Test (PT), and Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) portions of the bar exam

Foreign attorneys are subject to the requirements above, plus:

• member in good standing of the bar of another country or state
• practicing in that other country or state for 5 of the last 8 years
• completion of 24 credit hours at an ABA-approved law school in bar subjects in lieu of the educational requirements above

Admission on Motion can be applied for by domestic attorneys. The applicant must come from a reciprocal jurisdiction (see tab in this LibGuide) and be a member of the bar in good standing of that state and practicing for five of the prior seven years, as well as meeting the normal educational and character/fitness requirements of the process for Admission by Examination.  The fee for admission on motion is $1,250 ($1,325 as of 8/1/17).

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners web page

Bar Admission Rules

• Pennsylvania Bar Admission Rules

Character and Fitness

The Pennsylvania Board of Bar Examiners conducts its character and fitness investigations in-house.  Matters causing concern over an applicant's fitness to practice law in the Commonwealth may result in the convening of a hearing.  There is a general duty of candor and supplementation, as is usual for bar applications.

An overview of the character and fitness process can be found at Character and Fitness - Overview , reproduced below.

Character and Fitness - Overview

As part of the process of seeking a certificate for admission to the bar from the Board of Law Examiners, applicants must complete an application and provide background information for the purpose of enabling the board staff to conduct a character and fitness investigation and determination.

The Board staff reviews the applications and may use other means of investigation to determine the fitness and qualifications of the applicant. For bar exam applications , the board staff begins a preliminary investigation of the application before the bar examination. However, the full investigation and determination of character and fitness is made only after the successful completion of the bar examination. For other applicant types, the board staff begins the investigation upon acceptance of the online application. The character and fitness determination process can take anywhere from three weeks to more than one year depending on the nature of the investigation, the issues involved, response to requests for additional information, cooperation from outside sources, etc.

• Pennsylvania Character and Fitness FAQ's
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Pennsylvania Bar Exam: A Basic Guide

There are three different cities in which you can take the Pennsylvania Bar Exam in. However, there is only one way to pass this exam, to study. To effectively prepare to take the Pennsylvania Bar Exam you will need to know how to qualify for the exam, what will be on the exam, and where you should get the most up-to-date study materials. This article will tackle all of these issues and it should help Pennsylvania Bar Candidates get a head start in their preparation for this professional exam.

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam you only need to meet a few requirements. The first qualification is that the candidate has a law degree from an ABA approved law school. The second qualification is that the candidate be of good moral character. To meet this requirement you will need to undergo a criminal and financial background check. The final qualification is that the candidate takes the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, and passes it with a score of at least 75 points.

REGISTERING FOR THE EXAM

To register to sit for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam you will need to download, print out, complete, and submit an application package. These can be found on the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners’ website.

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners 5070 A Ritter Road, Suite 300 Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055 (717) 795-7270 Local Telephone Number http://www.pabarexam.org

THE EXAM’S FORMAT

The Pennsylvania Bar Exam will be given over a two day period in the towns of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh during the last week of February, and in the towns of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg during the last week of July. On the first day of the Pennsylvania Bar Exam you will take two different tests. You will take an essay exam, which consists of six essay questions, and you will take the Multistate Performance Test. On the second day of the exam you will take the Multistate Bar Exam, which is made up of 200 multiple choice questions that cover general legal issues. To pass this examination you will need an essay, MPT, MBE composite score of at least 272 points.

WHAT TO STUDY

To prepare for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam Essay you should review the following topics:

1. Business Organizations 2. Employment Discrimination as outlined in Title VII, ADA, and ADEA 3. Professional Responsibilities 4. Federal and Pennsylvania Civil Procedure 5. Federal and Pennsylvania Criminal Procedure 6. Real Property 7. Criminal Law 8. Family Law 9. Torts 10. Wills, Trusts, and Estates 11. Conflicts of Laws 12. Federal and Pennsylvania Constitutional Law 13. Contracts 14. Federal Income Taxes (Personal Only) 15. Uniform Commercial Code (Article II – Sales only)

For a study materials please check out the following links:

1. Pennsylvania Legal Code located at http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/067/chapter83/chap83toc.html 2. Uniform Commercial Code located at http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/ucc.table.html 3. You can request sample MEE essay questions by writing to: National Conference of Bar Examiners, 402 West Wilson Street, Madison, WI 53703-3614 4. You can download past Pennsylvania essay questions and answer sets and other study materials from http://www.pabarexam.org/Bar_Examination/Review_Material/Exam_Review_Material.htm

To study for the Multistate Performance Test study the following skills:

1. Problem Solving 2. Legal Analysis and Reasoning 3. Factual Analysis 4. Communication 5. Organization and Management of a Legal Task 6. Recognizing and Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

To prepare for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam you will also need to study for the Multistate Bar Exam. This exam will be made up of 200 multiple choice questions that cover the following topics as they are generally applied throughout the United States of America:

1. Constitutional Law 2. Contracts and Sales 3. Criminal Law and Procedures 4. Evidence 5. Real Property 6. Torts

If you would like a study guide for this section you can visit the NCBE website at http://www.ncbex.org/.

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Which subjects are tested on the Uniform Bar Exam?

This Uniform Bar Exam frequency chart has been updated with the July 2023 exam. Please click on the image to make it larger and open it in a new tab!   If your state offers the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), you may wonder which subjects are tested on the Uniform Bar Exam. To be the most efficient when you study, you will want to study the subjects that are the most highly tested. Below we reveal the highly tested subjects on both the multiple-choice portion and essay portion of the Uniform Bar Exam. (You can also click on the picture to make it larger!)

See a July 2023 recap of our one-sheets here .

The Uniform Bar Exam is composed of the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Performance Tests (MPT) do not cover a specific area of law; they test lawyerly skills), and an essay portion. Below are the subjects tested on the MBE and the essay portion of the Uniform Bar Exam:

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

For the Multistate Bar Exam portion, you will have 200 multiple-choice questions to answer over a period of six hours. The MBE covers the following seven subjects (which are equally tested):

• Contracts and Sales (25 multiple-choice questions)
• Constitutional Law (25 multiple-choice questions)
• Criminal Law and Procedure (25 multiple-choice questions)
• Civil Procedure (25 multiple-choice questions)
• Evidence (25 multiple-choice questions)
• Real Property (25 multiple-choice questions)
• Torts (25 multiple-choice questions)

Because all seven subjects are tested equally (and they also all appear in some capacity on the essay portion of the Uniform Bar Exam, as discussed below) it is very important to know these subjects well!

[If you are wondering why the number of questions does not add up to 200, it is because as of the February 2017 exam, only 175 are scored. The other 25 are “test questions”]

Subjects tested on the Essay Portion of the Uniform Bar Exam—Multistate Essay Exam

For the essay portion, you will have six questions to answer in three hours (30 minutes/question). the Uniform Bar Exam tests the same subjects that the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) tests. (The MEE is a six-question exam used by Uniform Bar Exam states as well as other states that do not offer the Uniform Bar Exam.)

The National Conference of Bar Examiners lists the following subjects as potential areas of law:

• Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and Limited Liability Companies),
• Civil Procedure,
• Conflict of Laws,
• Constitutional Law,
• Criminal Law and Procedure,
• Family Law,
• Real Property,
• Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates; Trusts and Future Interests), and
• Uniform Commercial Code (Secured Transactions).

As you can see from the chart above, the single most highly tested subject on the essay portion of the Uniform Bar Exam is Civil Procedure. We’ve also divided up the subjects so you can see the most highly-tested to least-tested subjects.

[Note: the data below comes from the February 2011 bar exam to the last administered bar exam.]

Tier One: Highly Tested Subjects on the Uniform Bar Exam  (In Order of Most-to-Least Tested)

• Civil Procedure (20 full essays plus 1 combined with another subject)
• Agency and Partnership (12 full essays plus 5 combined with another subject)
• Contracts (15 full essays)
• Secured Transactions (14 full essays)
• Real Property (13 full essays)
• Corporations and LLCs (10 full essays plus 5 combined with another subject)
• Evidence (10 full essays plus 3 combined with another subject)
• Trusts and Future Interests (10 full essays plus 3 combined with another subject)
• Decedents’ Estates (Wills) (9 full essays plus 4 combined with another subject)
• Constitutional Law (8 full essays plus 2 combined with another subject)
• Torts (8 full essays plus 3 combined with another subject)
• Family Law (9 full essays)

Tier Two: Lesser-Tested Subjects on the Uniform Bar Exam (In Order of Most-to-Least Tested)

• Criminal Procedure (7 full essays plus 2 combined with another subject)
• Criminal Law (6 full essays plus 1 combined with another subject)
• Conflict of Laws (This is usually combined with Decedents’ Estates, Family Law, Civil Procedure, or Corporations/LLCs. It is not tested on its own.) (0 full essays, 6 essays combined with another subject)

A few additional notes

• Sometimes the National Conference of Bar Examiner’s (NCBE) labels a subject “Criminal Law and Procedure” when really it is just one or the other being tested. We listed the true amount of times those subjects were tested above.
• We started collecting data from 2011 on because that is when the first Uniform Bar Exam was administered.

Feel free to download the UBE chart (or email us at [email protected] if you are having difficulty downloading it!) If you repost it somewhere on the internet, we would appreciate a link to this site :) Thank you!

Lastly, just like all subjects are not treated equally, neither are all topics!

The NCBE tends to test certain topics within each subject more than other topics. If you are looking for a free overview of highly tested MEE topics, please review our free MEE Guide !

For a more detailed overview of the highly tested topics on the MEE, check out our MEE One-Sheets . These give you an overview of the highly-tested areas of the MEE in one sheet, front and back. We sell them in our online store.

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