Iowa Bar Exam (UBE) Details

• Constitutional Law
• Contracts/Sales
• Criminal Law/Procedure
• Evidence
• Federal Civil Procedure
• Real Property
• Torts

• Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
• Plus all MBE subjects

*While not tested on the MEE, Family Law and Wills & Trusts can be tested during the MPT portion of the bar exam.

• “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.

• Iowa does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

• A member in good standing of another U.S. state or territory may be admitted on motion in Iowa if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.

• Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 266 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction prior to July 2026 may apply for admission based on that score.
• Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 260 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction beginning in July 2026 may apply for admission based on that score.
• Passing UBE scores earned more than two years, but less than five years prior may qualify if the applicant has been actively engaged in the practice of law for at least two of the three years immediately preceding the application. Additional requirements apply.

• A scaled score of 80 must be on file before the applicant is allowed to sit for the bar exam (by April 1 for the July exam and November 1 for the February exam). Scores will be accepted for three years after the date the MPRE is taken.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE.

• Applicants may take exam prior to graduation if a degree from an ABA accredited law school will be received within 45 days after the first day of the exam.