Taking the Bar/Florida Bar

Most states require applicants to have completed all requirements for graduation before sitting for the Bar Examination. In Florida, for instance, if one takes the Bar Examination without having received the required degree, the score is impounded and eventually invalidated, and the test-taker may be called for an investigative hearing for violating the rules governing admission to the Bar.

Parts of the Bar

Bar exams normally consist of multiple parts. Passing each part is often required to successfully pass the exam as a whole, but some jurisdictions (like Florida) permit passing with an “overall” passing score that is the average of certain portions of the exam.

There are five main bar exam portions, though not all jurisdictions use all five: 

  • a state portion of the exam, which might be administered with the rest of the exam or could be offered separately in an open-book online exam 
  • the Multistate Bar Exam (the MBE), a 200-question multiple-choice exam 
  • the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), a 6-essay exam 
  • the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), an exam that tests your ability to analyze the law using sample cases, statutes, and legal documents such as affidavits, police reports, depositions, etc., and 
  • the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), an exam that tests knowledge of standards governing professional conduct. 

Currently, the MBE, MEE, and MPT together comprise the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). Read about each of these components at https://www.ncbex.org/exams/. 

The Florida Bar consists of Part A (the Florida, state-specific portion of the exam), Part B (the MBE), and the MPRE. All three must be passed within  25 months of each other. 

As of July 2028, there were be a different Bar Exam administered in multiple jurisdictions, including Florida and New York.  More information about the Next Gen Uniform Bar Exam is available online through the NCBE website.

Florida Bar Exam & Logistics

To learn more about the specifics of the Florida exam administration, the Florida Board of Bar Examiners provides the Florida Bar Exam Virtual Tour. The Florida Bar Examination is administered at the Tampa Convention Center.

The Florida Bar of Board Examiners' website, under FAQ, describes what you may bring into the examination room. The site also includes other test-taking information, such as details on using ExamSoft to take the examination. 

Information on Other State Bar Exams 

The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website has links to each state’s Bar Admissions Offices, Admissions Procedures and Rules, Multistate Test Dates and Information, Character and Fitness, and Bar Exam Statistics. 

Exam Accommodations information: 

Each jurisdiction provides information, guidelines and timeline for requesting accommodations for the Bar Exam.  Please make sure to check any jurisdiction for specific requirements, as well as work with the Accessibility Services to make sure all required documentation is submitted on a timely basis.   

Admission without Examination 

While all jurisdictions require a Character & Fitness/Application, there are some jurisdictions that honor the exam score received in another jurisdiction.     For the Florida Bar, individuals who previously took the MBE in another jurisdiction can often transfer that portion of the exam into Florida to avoid having to retake the MBE. To do so, you must have scored at least a scaled score of 136 on the MBE (the passing score for Florida) and transfer it within the 25-month time limit.  Any applicant that does this will still have to sit for the Florida portion (Part A) of the exam. 

For Questions 

For any questions, please contact Alexis Martinez, Associate Dean for Lawyering Excellence & Bar Success. 

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