The UBE (Uniform Bar Exam) is becoming increasingly popular around the country. (It’s used in these jurisdictions at the moment.) If you have questions about the overall format of the UBE, or want advice on mastering each section, read on.
- We are happy to offer UBE tutoring — including for the MEE (Multi-State Essay Exam) and MPT (Multi-State Performance Test) individually. Find out more about UBE tutoring here.
- We also offer UBE-specific courses including the Writing of the Week (WOW) workshop and the UBE Self-Study Program. And if you need MEE and/or MPT practice problems, check out the UBE Brainy Bar Bank! Find out more about all the UBE options here.
Enjoy!
UBE Basics
- What is the Uniform Bar Exam? The Uniform Bar Exam – or UBE – has been in the news quite a bit recently with respect to bar exam requirements and whether it will replace existing state exams. Wondering about the UBE? In this post we discuss all things UBE and what the UBE means for you.
- Three Reasons You Should Support the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) has been sweeping across the country in recent years, and with the addition of New York, it now seems poised to become the dominant exam. This is a good thing for law students. Read three reasons why in this post.
- Deciding Whether to Take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or the California Bar Exam If you’re deciding whether to take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or the California Bar Exam, then you’ve come to the right place. Read our advice on what you should be considering!
- Everything You Need to Know About the UBE In this post, we’ll explain what the UBE is and how portable it is.
- NextGen Bar Exam 2026: Your Complete Guide to the Biggest Legal Education Change in 25 Years In this post, we break down everything you need to know about the NextGen Bar Exam and how to prepare for this game-changing test.
Multi-State Essays (MEE)
- Three Things to Do to Raise Your Writing Scores Are you one of the many students who are struggling with the writing portion of the bar exam? Then you should try our three-step process to improve those writing scores!
- How to Approach a Uniform Bar Exam Subject Essay (MEE) It's absolutely critical to have a method for writing a subject essay on the UBE because thirty minutes per question will goes by really quickly! Your goal should be to plug in each part of IRAC as quickly and efficiently as possible, and we can show you how.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Lean Sheets Bar Exam Outlines Many bar studiers are overwhelmed with the amount of information they need to study for the bar exam. This is why Lean Sheets were developed — to help those of you studying for the bar exam pare down the information to what you need to know. Read our review of this helpful tool!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Themis Bar Review Still haven't decided on a bar review course? In this post we review Themis Bar Review, a commercial bar review course that you can take entirely online.
- How to Use NCBE Information to Prepare for the Bar Exam If you’re planning to take the UBE, your best benchmarks are the materials provided by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).
- Bar Exam Toolbox Episode 23: Tackling An MEE Corporations Question Lee discusses a corporations MEE question and walks you through how to plan an answer. This is the first in our series of podcasts about how to approach each section of the UBE.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 27: Tackling an MEE Question: Wills and Trusts We are discussing a Wills and Trusts MEE question. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach each section of the UBE.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 33: Tackling an MEE Civil Procedure Question We’re walking through a Civil Procedure MEE question. This is one of our series of podcasts on how to approach each section of the UBE.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 41: Tackling an MEE Family Law and Conflicts of Law Essay Question We’re walking through a UBE family law and conflicts of law essay question. This is one of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 65: Tackling an MEE Real Property Essay Question We are walking through a UBE Real Property essay question. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 66: Tackling an MEE Agency and Torts Essay Question We are walking through a UBE Agency and Torts essay question from the February 2015 bar exam. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 71: Tackling an MEE Contracts Essay Question We are walking through a UBE Contracts essay question from the July 2018 bar exam. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 76: Tackling an MEE Con Law Essay Question We are walking through a UBE constitutional law essay question from the July 2018 bar exam. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 79: Tackling an MEE Criminal Law/Procedure and Evidence Essay We are walking through a UBE Criminal Law/Procedure and Evidence essay question from the July 2016 bar exam. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 84: Tackling an MEE Partnerships Essay We are walking through a UBE Agency and Partnerships essay question from the February 2018 bar exam. This is part of our series of podcasts on how to approach Multistate Essay Examination questions.
- Back to Basics: 4 Simple Writing Reminders for the MEE Consider this short list of writing reminders to improve the clarity and precision of your writing when communicating your answers to your grader.
Multi-State Performance Test (MPT)
- The Key to the Performance Test: Find Your Approach What's the key to success on the bar exam performance test? Having your approach dialed in beforehand, so you can work efficiently and effectively.
- The Performance Test: Why You Should Be Studying Now As many 3Ls look forward to the bar exam, it's common to feel a bit overwhelmed. Students start to wonder, “What should I be doing right now?” Our answer is simple: start learning about the performance test!
- Three Things to Do to Raise Your Performance Test Scores The performance test is the favorite part of the bar exam for many, given that you don’t need to have any law memorized. But some people still hate and fear the performance test. If you're one of these people, here are three things you can do to raise those scores!
- Get Ready for the MPT! The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) is a component of the bar exam in 38 U.S. states plus D.C. That means you’re extremely likely to face a performance test when you sit for the bar! Read this post to learn everything you need to know about the MPT and how to study for it.
- How Your Legal Writing Class Prepares You for the MPT We've written previously about the link between Legal Research and Writing (LRW) and other law school classes. Now we'll explain how your LRW class has already prepared you for the MPT.
- Last Minute Tips for the MPT If you’re taking the bar exam in any of the states that require the MPT, hopefully you've already been preparing for this component of the exam. Here are some last minute tips to help get you to the finish line!
- Everything You Need to Know About the MPT for Practicing Lawyers The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) is the best approximate of what lawyers actually do. Lawyers write memos, briefs, client letters and other documents; we don’t memorize rules and answer multiple-choice questions. So what happens when practicing lawyers, rather than recent law school grads, take the MPT?
- Tips on How to Read the MPT Library and Save Time For many examinees, the most difficult aspect of the MPT is time pressure. It’s challenging to confront a set of legal sources, extract the relevant rules, apply them to a complex fact pattern, and produce a professional caliber work product, all within 90 minutes. We discuss how to optimize efficiency.
- How to Use MPT Points Sheets and Sample Answers to Prepare for the Bar Exam Practice exams are a crucial component of successful bar prep. While a bar review course may provide feedback on a limited number of practice essays and performance tests, you should do more and assess your own work. We’ve previously discussed how to do this using MEE Analyses. Here, we’ll explore how to use MPT Point Sheets and sample answers. The key is to distinguish form from substance. A Point Sheet will not be in the form required for your answer, but it will contain the required substance. A sample answer should be in the required form, but it may not be complete in terms of substance. Let’s take a closer look.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 9: Mastering the Performance Test (w/Doretta McGinnis) Today we’re talking with Doretta McGinnis, a legal writing expert and one of our fabulous bar exam tutors here at the Bar Exam Toolbox, about the Multistate Performance Test, or the MPT.
- How to Utilize the Task Memo on Any Multistate Performance Test One of the best—and easiest—ways to simplify your experience with the MPT is to properly review the task memo. The task memo appears at the outset of any MPT, and tells you exactly what you’ll be focusing on for the next 90 minutes. Below are key tips on reviewing and using the task memo to increase your MPT scores.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 54: Last-Minute Tips For the Performance Test We are sharing some last-minute tips to help you squeeze out as many points as you can from the performance test portion of the bar exam.
- How to Ace the Performance Test with Bar Exam Toolbox The multistate performance test (“MPT”) on the bar exam often flummoxes bar applicants. We're looking at some of our tools that can be used to help with MPT study.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 62: February 2018 MPT - Going Through the File and Library This episode is part of our series on how to approach questions on the UBE. Today, we are walking through the file and library on the February 2018 Multistate Performance Test. Next time, we’ll discuss drafting an answer to this performance test.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 63: February 2018 MPT - Drafting the Answer In this second part of a two-part episode, we are going through drafting an answer for the February 2018 Multistate Performance Test. We recommend listening to last week’s episode first, where we reviewed the file and the library.
- Write Your MPT - Faster! One of the most difficult parts of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) is the time crunch examinees face. We're talking about how to manage your time on it!
- How to Plan for MPT Success One study tip I heard over and over again was: “do not neglect studying for the MPT.” But as I began deep diving into each of my bar subjects, I did not prioritize the MPT section. More specifically, I did not know how to study for this particular part of the exam. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will feel differently.
- Handling the Bar Exam Performance Test This month, we’re talking about the performance test. Even if you’re a solid writer, it’s important to take the PT seriously, as there are a number of pitfalls that can befall any bar taker.
MBE Study Strategies
- Bar Study Tips: Preparing for the MBE We’re excited to have MBE expert Sean Silverman answer some questions about preparing for the bar exam. Sean is an attorney, a lecturer for a New York based bar review company, and a bar exam tutor.
- To Defeat an Enemy, You Must Become Him Have you ever wondered why bar exam experts do what they do? In this post we talk to expert Alfred M. Zappala about preparing for the bar exam and more. You may recognize his name from his book, The Multistate Digest!
- MBE Trouble? Tips for Studying Again If you recently found out that you didn’t pass the bar exam, we're sorry to hear that. But as you get ready to study again, we want you to make the best preparation plans possible. To help, MBE expert Sean Silverman shares some tips on how to study to raise your MBE scores.
- How NOT to be an MBE Victim - Advice from Dr. Mary Campbell Gallagher For Part II of our three part interview with Dr. Mary Campbell Gallagher, the founder and president of BarWrite® and BarWrite Press, we discuss how not to be brought down by the MBE and much more.
- There is JUST TOO MUCH MBE Law to Learn! Are you feeling crunched for time to study all the MBE subjects? What if there was a way to tailor your study approach to the most heavily tested areas of the law? Well, there is!
- Top 5 Study Tips for Conquering the MBE Did you get disappointing MBE scores on the bar exam? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. In this post we welcome Sean Silverman, an MBE expert, who shares his top 5 study tips for conquering the MBE!
- A Slightly Counterintuitive Way to Study for the MBE As you get closer to the bar exam, studying efficiently becomes ever more important. Here’s a tip for improving your MBE scores — force yourself to focus primarily on the material you don’t know.
- Yikes! I Need to Improve My MBE Scores If you got disappointing bar results over the past few weeks, you're likely going through the important process of determining what went wrong. For some of you, that might be the MBE. If so, we have some resources that will help you develop a study plan to improve your MBE scores.
- Are You Ready for Civil Procedure on the MBE? If you're sitting for the bar exam after February 2015, you want to make sure that you're ready for the new Civil Procedure questions. In this post we go over everything you need to study for this new material!
- Can Taking a Break Save Your MBE Score? As we get closer to the bar exam, many bar takers are setting aside time to take three hour MBE practice exams. Taking these practice tests is a crucial part of bar exam prep for many reasons, including a not so obvious one: they will help you discover if fatigue is an issue for you.
- 3 Simple Ways To Improve Your MBE Score If you’re enrolled in a bar review course or if you’re studying on your own, by this point you may have already completed a simulated or mock MBE exam. You may have already received the score for this exam and depending on what that score is, you’re probably freaking out and already plotting a career change. Well, if you’re currently experiencing this fear, we're here to tell you, STOP WORRYING!
- 5 Reasons To Be a Confident Out-Of-State Applicant For the Bar Exam If the jurisdiction you want to take the bar exam in has state-specific sections, many questions will nag at you – Can I learn the state-specific subjects? How much different is that state’s law? Can I compete with in-state applicants? We have some tips for out of state applicants for the bar!
- An Approach to Answering MBE Questions We describe one approach to answering MBE questions.
- Fighting Through MBE Prep Struggles: 5 Questions to Ask When Nothing is Working When it comes to the MBE, most anyone will tell you that practice is the key. But what do you do when your scores plateau or even start getting worse during your bar prep? It is fair for the alarm bells to ring when your MBE practice begins going poorly all of the sudden. Here are five questions to ask when you feel like nothing is working.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 7: A Conversation with Sean Silverman - MBE Expert Today Lee talks with guest Sean Silverman, an MBE expert, who tutors for the MBE, the Florida bar exam, and the UBE.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 18: Strategies for Mastering the MBE We’re discussing our top tips for mastering the MBE portion of the bar exam. If you’re taking the exam in nearly any jurisdiction you’ll have to take the MBE so don’t miss this episode!
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 21: How to Analyze Real MBE Questions (w/Sean Silverman) - Part 1 Today, Lee walks through some past MBE questions with guest Sean Silverman, an MBE expert.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 22: How to Analyze Real MBE Questions (w/Sean Silverman) - Part 2 Today is the second episode in our two-part series analyzing real MBE questions. Lee and guest Sean Silverman, an MBE expert, walk through several MBE questions and give their take on how best to approach them.
- How Do I Survive the Bar Exam With MBE Scores at a Historic Low? With MBE scores at all time lows, we're talking about how to not end up on the wrong side of the MBE scoring.
- How to Analyze Real MBE Questions We're offering some advice on how to face real MBE questions.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Episode 45: Why Are MBE Scores Dropping? And What to Do About It As a Bar Taker We’re focusing on strategies and tactics to help you beat the trend of declining MBE scores, seen in recent data released by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
- Tackling MBE Hearsay Questions Hearsay questions make up a large portion of the Evidence MBE questions you’ll be confronted with on exam day. Learn how to tackle these questions, and you could see a critical boost in your MBE score. Below are tips on how to approach hearsay questions.
- Approaching Criminal Law Questions on the MBE The Multistate Bar Exam can be a nightmare for bar exam takers, especially with the myriad topics covered on the MBE. Fortunately, you can quickly improve your MBE score by following a solid approach to answering Criminal Law questions on the MBE.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 50: What We Discovered About the MBE From Explaining Lots of Questions We talked about what we learned about the MBE while creating the Practice of the Week (POW) MBE Workshop, and spending lots of time with the questions.
- How to Approach Constitutional Law MBE Questions Constitutional Law questions can be tricky for bar exam takers because of the deep analysis involved in reaching the correct answer. We're looking at the best way to study for these questions on the MBE.
- Tackling Torts MBE Questions In this post, we’ll talk about how you can approach Torts MBE questions to boost your score.
- How to Approach Criminal Procedure Questions on the MBE Even though Criminal Procedure is a broad topic, you can still adopt an overarching approach to answer these questions. This article provides tips on how to develop that overarching approach and how to tackle those tricky search and seizure questions.
- Tackling Real Property MBE Questions Real Property questions on the MBE make up 25 of the 175 scored questions you’ll encounter on exam day. We're looking at your overarching approach for Real Property MBE questions, as well as some advice on how to stay collected through the more dreaded Real Property topics (ahem, the Rule Against Perpetuities).
- How to Learn from Your MBE Mistakes There are tactics you can employ to tackle the feared MBE questions regardless of where you are in your bar studies. We discuss those tactics in detail here.
- Tips for MBE Practice Questions While it can sometimes feel like there is no way to prepare for the curveballs on the MBE, there actually is a lot in your control to increase your chances of success.
- Tips for Taking the MBE from Someone Who Struggles with Multiple Choice We're offering some advice for studying for and taking the MBE - especially if you've struggled in the past with multiple choice exams!
- Handling the MBE This month, we are focusing on a part of the exam that creates quite a bit of anxiety for most bar takers – the MBE or multiple-choice section of the bar exam.
MBE Prep Tools
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: The Multistate Digest In this post we talk about a very valuable study guide for the MBE portion of the bar exam: The Multistate Digest. It may just help you ace this difficult section!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Can Listening to Songs Help You Study for the MBE? Can you imagine all you need to know for the MBE set to music? That's exactly what the new tool Study Songs has done, and all in a cool app! Read our review of this cool approach to studying.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: AdaptiBar MBE Substantive Lectures We've reviewed AdaptiBar before and feel it's an excellent tool for those wanting some additional MBE help. In this post we review their substantive law lectures on the MBE subjects by Jonathan Grossman, MBE expert, bar exam tutor, and professor from Florida.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Critical Pass Flashcards Students either love or hate the MBE. Thankfully, there are several review tools dedicated to this section of the test. In this post we review "Critical Pass: Unlock the MBE" flashcards.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Our Review of the Critical Pass App If the MBE has become your least favorite part of the bar exam, don't worry. There are many review tools for this part of the test, including the iPhone/Android app called Critical Pass. It’s a great way to supplement your preparation for the MBE!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: AdaptiBar Struggling with the MBE? AdaptiBar might help. Check out our review of this useful tool (including a special discount code for our loyal readers).
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Lean Sheets Bar Exam Outlines Many bar studiers are overwhelmed with the amount of information they need to study for the bar exam. This is why Lean Sheets were developed — to help those of you studying for the bar exam pare down the information to what you need to know. Read our review of this helpful tool!
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Sketchy Law Looking for a fun new tool to help your bar studying? Sketchy Law is an online bar study tool that uses drawings, word association, and pictures, as well as audio lectures, to teach you substantive law.
- Learning from MBE Practice Questions Since MBE-style multiple-choice questions are so unique, working through a lot of practice questions is a great way to familiarize yourself with the style of question and to see how they typically test certain legal concepts. We explain how to best work on this.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 43: Talking About AdaptiBar With Guest Maggy Mahalick We’re chatting with special guest Maggy Mahalick, Corporate Counsel and Content Manager for AdaptiBar, about how this tool can help you prepare for the MBE.
- Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 73: How to Learn the Law Needed for the MBE We’re strategizing about how to resolve problems you’re having while studying for the MBE, specifically when you’re struggling with the law.
- Using AdaptiBar to Prepare for the MBE on the Bar Exam AdaptiBar is an online application that can help you prepare for the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Examination (or “MBE”) portion of the bar exam. In addition, rather than static sets of practice, MBE questions from a workbook, AdaptiBar uses a proprietary, adaptive algorithm to tailor sets of online practice questions to each user’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
Want help on the UBE? Learn more about UBE tutoring and our UBE courses and tools.
