Students should think about where they want to practice law, and familiarize themselves with the subjects tested on the bar examination of that state.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners maintains a comprehensive list of bar admission requirements, including character and fitness.
Although it is often not possible or practical to take classes in law school in every subject tested on the bar examination, it is advantageous to have taken a course in law school for most of the topics that are covered on the bar exam.
Students should also consider their overall test-taking ability, as well as their class standing, when deciding whether to take classes on bar-tested subjects. Students who feel their overall test-taking ability and skills are weak will likely want to take all possible steps to prepare for the bar exam, including taking law school classes on most bar exam subjects.
Class standing is also correlated with likelihood of passing the bar exam. Analysis of past bar exam performance of Gonzaga Law School graduates demonstrates that students whose class standing is below the 50th percentile benefit the most from taking courses on bar-tested subjects.
We highly recommend that all students take a commercial bar review course prior to taking the bar.
Students that are in the Accelerated J.D. program complete their degree in May of their second calendar year, which provides the opportunity to sit for the bar exam in July.
Typical Bar Exam Coverage
Students should check with the bar association of the state in which they plan to practice law and ascertain what subjects are tested on that state’s exam as early as possible, in order to plan their course selection accordingly. The “BarBri Digest” collects information about each state’s exam.
The MBE
The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice exam. As of 2013, every state except for Louisiana uses the MBE as part of its bar examination. The subjects tested on the MBE and the corresponding law school courses are:
- Constitutional Law – Constitutional Law I and II
- Contracts, including UCC 2 – Contracts & Sales
- Criminal Law & Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property – Property & Real Estate Transactions
- Torts – Torts & Advanced Torts
- Civil Procedure – Civil Procedure
All states also have an essay portion of their bar exam. The subjects tested in that portion vary significantly from state to state. Many states, including Washington, use the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE). The MEE essays are on the MBE subjects, as well as:
- Business Associations
- Conflict of Laws (only issues embedded in other essays; no stand-alone Conflicts questions)
- Family Law
- Trusts and Estates
- UCC 9 (our Secured Transactions course)
In states that write their own essays, additional subjects may be tested (for example, community property in the states with community property laws).
Since the MBE subjects make up well over half of the typical bar exam, we think it is especially important to have a good foundation in those subjects.
The MPT
Many states, including Washington, also use the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The MPT consists of a “case file” (some facts, maybe an excerpt from a client interview, and some law, typically one short case and one short statute) and a task (for example, write an office memo on a specific issue, draft a complaint, or write a demand letter).
The MPRE
All states test professional responsibility, often by using the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), as does Washington.
Students should check the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website for updated information on the MBE, MEE, MPT, and MPRE, including sample questions and subject matter outlines
Washington Bar Exam
Washington has adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) as its licensing examinations.
The exams are multi-state tests developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners; most states use all or some parts of them in their bar examinations.
The UBE has three parts, including multiple-choice, essay, and performance exam formats, and is administered over a two-day period. It consists of the:
- Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
- Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
- Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%, the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%.
The MEE consists of six 30-minute essay questions which must be completed in three hours.
The MPT consists of two 90-minute lawyering tasks described earlier.
The MPRE is administered by a separate test administration company, LSAC, and is offered three times a year. It is a half-day multiple-choice examination, and tests the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the Law of Lawyering.
For more information about the UBE, including practice questions and study guides, check the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website.
In addition to the UBE and MPRE, Washington has a Washington Law Component (WLC), which is an open-book, multiple choice, online exam on Washington law.
Federal Indian Law and specific Washington-state legal topics such as community property and state constitutional law will be part of this state-specific educational component and test.
The bar examiners provide online content outlines (available at www.wsba.org) to help you prepare for the state-specific exam. You will not need to do anything to prepare for it while you’re in law school.
The topics covered on the UBE, and the corresponding Gonzaga Law School courses, are listed below:
MBE
- Constitutional Law – Constitutional Law I & II
- Contracts, including UCC 2 – Contracts & Sales
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property – Property & Real Estate Transactions
- Torts – Torts & Advanced Torts
- Civil Procedure – Civil Procedure
MEE
The MEE essays are on the MBE subjects, as well as:
- Business Associations
- Conflict of Laws (only issues embedded in other essays; no stand-alone Conflicts questions)
- Trusts and Estates
- UCC 9 (our Secured Transactions course)
The MPRE
All states test professional responsibility, often by using the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), as does Washington.
Students should check the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website for updated information on the MBE, MEE, MPT, and MPRE, including sample questions and subject matter outlines.
Students should also check www.wsba.org for information specific to the Washington State Bar Exam.