Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

Over het examen

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is a two-hour multiple-choice test of the rules that govern how lawyers and judges must behave. It is written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and is separate from the bar exam itself.

Almost every US jurisdiction requires a passing MPRE score before it admits someone to practise law. NCBE lists Wisconsin and Puerto Rico as the exceptions, and Connecticut and New Jersey accept a law-school course in professional responsibility instead. Passing does not admit you anywhere: it is one requirement among several.

What surprises candidates is that there is no single pass mark. NCBE reports a scaled score from 50 to 150, and each jurisdiction decides what counts as a pass: in 2025 that ranged from 75 (for example New Jersey and Pennsylvania) to 86 (California and Utah).

Wie het moet afleggen

Law students and graduates seeking admission in a jurisdiction that requires the MPRE. NCBE lists no prerequisite for registering, but each jurisdiction sets its own rules on the score it needs, when the exam must be taken and how long a score stays usable, so check with the bar admission authority where you plan to apply. Wisconsin and Puerto Rico do not use the MPRE.

Wat er gevraagd wordt

Regulation of the legal profession 6–12%

How courts and other bodies regulate lawyers: admission, discipline, unauthorised practice, practice across state lines and the duties of supervising lawyers.

The client-lawyer relationship 10–16%

Forming, scoping and ending a representation, and the duties a lawyer owes a client along the way.

Client confidentiality 6–12%

What a lawyer must keep confidential and when disclosure is allowed or required.

Conflicts of interest 12–18%

Conflicts with current, former and prospective clients, conflicts imputed across a firm, payment by third parties, and lawyers moving in or out of government service. This is the most heavily weighted area.

Competence, legal malpractice and other civil liability 6–12%

The standard of competence expected and a lawyer's civil liability, including to clients for malpractice.

Litigation and other forms of advocacy 10–16%

Duties when acting as an advocate, including candour towards the court.

Transactions and communications with persons other than clients 2–8%

Dealing honestly with third parties, including people who have no lawyer.

Different roles of the lawyer 4–10%

The rules when a lawyer acts as an adviser or in other roles.

Safekeeping funds and other property 2–8%

Holding and handling money and property that belong to clients.

Communications about legal services 4–10%

Advertising and direct solicitation of prospective clients.

Lawyers' duties to the public and the legal system 2–4%

Public service obligations, including law reform work that touches client interests.

Judicial conduct 2–8%

The standards for judges, including the rules on one-sided (ex parte) communications.

Vorm van het examen

• 60 multiple-choice questions with four options each: 50 scored and 10 unscored pretest questions that look the same as the rest.
• Two hours of testing; plan on two and a half to three hours at the centre in total.
• Taken on computer at Pearson VUE test centres; NCBE's pages describe no remote option.
• No marks are deducted for wrong answers.
• Scores are scaled from 50 to 150, and each jurisdiction sets its own passing score.
• Questions are based on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct and controlling constitutional decisions; the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and of Evidence apply to procedural points unless a question says otherwise.
• There are no scheduled breaks, and the clock keeps running during any break you take. You get an erasable note board and marker; no paper, pens, phones or watches are allowed.
• Test accommodations must be applied for, and decided by NCBE, before you register.

Hoe u zich inschrijft

1. Create an NCBE account. If you need accommodations, apply first and wait for NCBE's decision; NCBE recommends a submission date for each administration.
2. Log in, choose MPRE registration and request an authorisation to test. Pearson usually emails it within 24 hours.
3. Within 48 hours of that email, and before the registration deadline, book a seat with Pearson and pay USD 185. Not every Pearson centre offers the MPRE, so you may have to travel.
4. To change your time or centre within the same administration, act at least 48 hours before the first test day and pay USD 25; cancelling by the same cut-off gets a partial refund. A registration cannot be moved to a later administration.
5. Arrive 30 minutes early with two original, unexpired IDs, the first government-issued with your photo and signature (candidates from outside the US need a passport printed in roman characters). Arriving more than 15 minutes late may stop you testing.
6. Scores are usually released within five weeks, to you and to the jurisdiction you named when registering; other jurisdictions need a score report ordered through NCBE.
7. If you do not reach your jurisdiction's score, register for a later administration. NCBE's pages give no retake limit or waiting period.

Kosten en data

Fee

USD 185 (about EUR 170) for 2026 and 2027 administrations (bron 2)

When

Three times a year: 23–24 March 2027 (register by 21 January), 18–19 August 2027 (by 17 June), 4–5 November 2027 (by 21 September) (bron 2)

Results

Usually within five weeks of the exam (bron 3)

Passing score

Set by each jurisdiction; from 75 to 86 in 2025 (bron 7)

Rescheduling fee

USD 25 (about EUR 23), same administration only, at least 48 hours ahead (bron 2)

Kosten en data veranderen: elk gegeven staat hier zoals de bron het op 29 oktober 2026 vermeldde. Kijk het daar na voor u zich inschrijft.

Veelgestelde vragen

How many questions are on the MPRE?

60 multiple-choice questions in two hours. 50 are scored and 10 are pretest questions that do not count, and you cannot tell them apart, so answer them all.

What is a passing score on the MPRE?

It depends on where you are seeking admission. In 2025 jurisdictions required between 75 and 86 on the 50–150 scale: most asked for 80 or 85, and California and Utah asked for 86.

Can I take the MPRE online?

No. NCBE's current pages describe the MPRE only on computer at Pearson VUE test centres, which are in the US and its territories. Not every Pearson centre offers it.

When is the MPRE offered?

Three times a year, in March, August and November, with registration closing about two months before each one. The next administrations are in March, August and November 2027.

How long is an MPRE score valid?

NCBE does not set a limit; each jurisdiction decides how old a score it will accept. Check the bar admission authority where you plan to apply.

When do I get my MPRE score?

Usually within five weeks. It appears in your NCBE account and is sent to the jurisdiction you named at registration; for any other jurisdiction you order a score report.

What happens if I fail the MPRE?

You register again for a later administration and pay the fee again. NCBE's pages do not set a limit on attempts or a waiting period.

Bronnen

1. MPRE — National Conference of Bar Examiners
2. Registering for the MPRE — NCBE
3. MPRE Scores — NCBE
4. MPRE Test Day Policies — NCBE
5. MPRE Prep — NCBE
6. MPRE Subject Matter Outline — NCBE
7. 2025 MPRE statistics — The Bar Examiner (NCBE)

Nagekeken aan de hand van deze bronnen op 29 oktober 2026.