Bar Preparation

This webpage is currently undergoing revision.  Please check back for updates regularly. 

 

Navigating Admission into the Practice of Law  

 

Bar Certifications:

For current information about taking the bar exam in Maryland, please visit the Board of Law Examiners’ web site. Information on other US jurisdictions can be found here.

Generally, a bar exam tests applicants for admission on a pre-selected comprehensive array of legal subjects identified as essential to entering legal practice in a jurisdiction.  The core components of any bar exam are the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) or state essays, and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).  In most jurisdictions including Maryland, the bar exam is administered twice a year, at the end of February and July.

The exam follows two main formats, traditional and the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).  The traditional format offers the MBE, essays crafted by the testing jurisdiction, and the MPT.  Under the UBE, the exam consists of the MBE, MEE, and MPTs.  Under both formats, passage is determined by attaining a minimum cut-score.  However, under the UBE, applicants may apply for admission based on their score in as many UBE-jurisdictions as their score permits. 

Beginning in July 2026, the NextGen, a new bar examination, will be administered in a number of jurisdictions including Maryland, and will eventually replace the current UBE. 

The MBE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions administered over six hours on the second day of the exam.  Both the essays and MPT(s) are administered on the first day of the exam. The MEE consists of six 30-minute essay questions while state essays may vary in number and length of response time and cover both MBE subject matter as well as additional subjects.  The MPT is a “self-contained” written assignment in which applicants are instructed to produce a commonly written legal work-product, such as an office memorandum or client letter, within the prescribed 90-minute time limit. 

For more information on the MBE, MEE, MPT and UBE including cut-scores, please visit The National Conference of Bar Examiners web site.

For more information on the UBE and NextGen exams, and the MBE, MEE, and MPT and UBE including cut-scores, please visit The National Conference of Bar Examiners web site . 

UBE Adoption Map UBE Adoption by Jurisdiction Map 

Bar Testing in Maryland 

Admission to the Maryland bar (until July 2026) requires the following:  

1. A minimum qualifying cut-score of 266 on the UBE;
2. A minimum qualifying cut score of 85 on the MPRE;
3. Completion of the MD Law Component (online only), and
4. A Character and Fitness evaluation including a personal interview.

Maryland will accept transferred UBE scores for admission from another jurisdiction for admission until July 2031 only. 

Please check the Board’s web site for up-to-date information.

 

When do I have to register for the bar exam?

Under the Maryland Rules for Admission, anyone seeking admission to Maryland must file an application which consists of a completed Character Questionnaire, and either a Notice of Intent to Take the UBE in Maryland or a Notice of Intent to Transfer a Qualifying UBE Score.

Filing deadlines are the May 20 immediately preceding a July UBE administration, and the December 20 immediately preceding a February administration. 

Please check the Board’s web site for exact deadlines and updates.