The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is a standardised test that is used to assess whether a candidate is qualified to practise law in a particular jurisdiction. It is administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and is accepted in over 30 jurisdictions in the United States, including New York, but excluding California. The UBE consists of three parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).
The MEE is a component of the UBE that tests a candidate's ability to apply legal principles to a set of fact patterns. It consists of six essay questions that cover various areas of law, including contracts, criminal law, torts, and constitutional law.
The MPT is another component of the UBE that tests a candidate's ability to perform a task that a newly licensed attorney might be expected to perform in practice. It presents the candidate with a set of materials, such as legal memoranda, client letters, or pleadings, and asks the candidate to complete a specific task, such as drafting a memorandum or advising a client.
The MBE is a standardised multiple-choice test that is used to assess a candidate's knowledge of basic legal principles. It is developed and administered by the NCBE and is used in almost every jurisdiction in the United States. It consists of 200 questions covering areas of law such as contracts, torts, property, criminal law, and constitutional law.
Together, these three components of the UBE assess a candidate's knowledge of basic legal principles, ability to apply legal principles to fact patterns, and ability to perform tasks that a newly licensed attorney might be expected to perform in practice. The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%, the MEE 30% and the MPT 20%. The scores are combined to determine if the applicant has achieved a passing score of 266.
