Passing The Florida Bar Exam is your steppingstone to a legal career in the Sunshine State. It’s a challenging, multi-day test designed to assess your competence to practice law. But with the right strategy and resources, you can conquer this exam.
More than 1.4 million legal professionals have trusted BARBRI for their bar exam preparation. Our success is built on decades of data, expertise, and a deep understanding of what it takes to pass. We don't just teach you the law; we teach you how to pass the bar.
This guide provides everything you need to know about The Florida Bar Exam, from requirements to preparation. Channel your Suits and get ready to excel!
Watch Suits Video: An aspiring lawyer who never even went to law school
Florida Bar Exam Requirements
Before you can even sit for the exam, you must meet the Florida Board of Bar Examiners’ requirements.
Education
You must have earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
International Law Graduates + Lawyers: Florida operates a relatively open policy in permitting foreign law graduates or lawyers to sit the bar exam and does not impose restrictions to admission on grounds of nationality or residence.
Learn more about U.S. bar exam eligibility and requirements for foreign law graduates, lawyers, and U.S. LL.M. students.
Student Filing
In Florida, you must file both a law student registration and a bar application for admission. Your student registration should be converted to a bar application at the beginning of 3L year. This conversion (or filing) is required to receive a ticket of admission into the bar exam. Early filing is recommended to avoid added late fees.
Application Process
The application is extensive and requires meticulous attention to detail. You must submit your application, supporting documents, and all associated fees by the established deadlines or risk delaying your eligibility to sit for the exam.
The timely filing for the February bar exam is November 15 (late filing December 15, final filing January 15), and timely filing for the July exam is May 1 (late filing June 1, final filing June 15). If dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the deadline is the next business day.
As previously stated, both a law student registration and a bar application for admission are required. Follow our checklist to learn more about converting a student registration to pursue admission to The Florida Bar.
MPRE
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination may be taken before graduating from law school. We recommend taking the exam any time during 2L year or as early in your 3L year as possible. A scaled score of 80 on the MPRE is required for admission to The Florida Bar. The score must be attained within 25 months of passing other parts of The Florida Bar Exam and must be submitted to the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
Character + Fitness
Florida places a strong emphasis on your character and fitness to practice law. You will undergo a thorough background investigation. This process examines your past conduct, including any criminal history, academic misconduct, and financial responsibilities. Full and honest disclosure is critical to meet this requirement.
Understanding the Florida Bar Exam Format + Subjects
Florida currently administers its own distinct bar examination, not the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), developed and graded by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. The Florida Bar Exam is a two-day test administered twice a year, in February and July. It consists of two components:
- Part A – The Florida-specific exam
- Part B –The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
Day 1: The Florida Portion
This section takes place on the first day and consists of three hours spent answering essay questions and three hours of 100 multiple-choice questions.
- Three Essay Questions: These essays test your knowledge of major Florida laws. Subjects can include Florida Constitutional Law, Family Law, Trusts, Torts, Contracts, and more.
- 100 Multiple-Choice Questions: These questions cover a broad range of Florida-specific procedural and substantive law, such as Florida Civil and Criminal Procedure and Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. Questions on the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration address such areas as disqualification of trial judges; public access to judicial branch records; the qualifications, restrictions, and conditions pertaining to attorneys in their representation of clients in Florida Courts; and the signature of attorneys and parties on pleadings and other papers.
Questions are also selected from the following areas:
- Articles 3 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code
- Business Entities
- Chapters 4 & 5 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar
- Contracts
- Criminal Law and Constitutional Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Family Law
- Federal Constitutional Law
- Professionalism
- Real Property
- Torts
- Trusts
- Wills and Administration of Estates
Day 2: The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
The second day is dedicated to the MBE, a standardized 200-question, multiple-choice test used by most U.S. jurisdictions. The subjects tested are:
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts and Sales
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
Note: Florida will administer the NextGen UBE with a Florida Law Component beginning with the July 2028 bar exam.
Scoring
Your final score is based on your performance on both Parts A and B of The Florida Bar Exam. A scaled score of 136 is required to pass.
You can pass the examination either by the Individual or Overall method. If you do not pass both Part A and Part B individually, but pass the “Overall” examination, meaning the average of your scores from Part A and Part B is at least 136, then you successfully complete the general bar examination. You must also pass the MPRE for acceptance to The Florida Bar.
The key isn’t just to study the vast subjects but to know what aspects and nuances of Florida law are most frequently tested and how they are tested. BARBRI’s expert lectures, practice questions, and simulated exams are specifically designed to prepare you for the breadth and depth of these topics while focusing your efforts where they matter most.
Score Portability in Florida
Because Florida is not a UBE state, a UBE score earned in another jurisdiction cannot be directly transferred to Florida for admission. Similarly, a Florida Bar Exam score is not directly portable to UBE jurisdictions.
Florida does not offer general admission by motion, also known as reciprocity, for attorneys licensed in other states. Florida typically requires all applicants to pass its specific examination. However, Florida does allow for the transfer of a passing MBE score (136 or greater) from another jurisdiction, provided it was earned within 25 months of passing Part A of the Florida General Bar Examination and the MPRE.
How Hard is The Florida Bar Exam?
The Florida Bar Exam is known for being one of the more challenging state bar exams due to the extensive amount of Florida-specific law tested in Part A. However, with disciplined and strategic preparation, it is absolutely passable.
A great study plan is structured, comprehensive, and adaptive. This is where BARBRI’s Personal Study Plan becomes one of your greatest assets. BARBRI is the only bar prep that allows you to create a customized study calendar that tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, adjusting based on your performance in real-time to target your unique areas for improvement.
How to Pass The Florida Bar Exam: Insider Tips
- Start Early: Do not underestimate the amount of material you need to master. A consistent study schedule over several months is far more effective than last-minute cramming. Most successful candidates begin their dedicated BARBRI Florida Bar Exam preparation 8-10 weeks before the exam date. BARBRI’s Premium course is available four months prior to the exam date.
- Master the MBE: Dedicate significant time to practicing with BARBRI’s multiple-choice question bank of more than 3,000 questions written by attorneys for practice and final exam prep with licensed NCBE questions.
- Simulate Exam Conditions: Use the BARBRI Simulated Exam to experience the pressure and timing of the real exam. The Pass Predictor report provided after the Simulated Exam helps you analyze your performance and provides invaluable data to guide the remainder of your study.
- Trust the Process: BARBRI provides a detailed, day-by-day study plan that you don’t have to second guess. Complete the assignments, watch the lectures, and do the practice questions. We've done the research so you can focus on learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Take The Florida Bar Without Going to Law School in Florida?
Unfortunately, you cannot take The Florida Bar Exam without going to an ABA-accredited law school in the state or having already been awarded the J.D. degree from an accredited institution. Florida typically requires all applicants to pass its specific examination.
How is the Exam Scored?
Your raw scores on the MBE and the Florida portion are converted to a scaled score. You need a final combined scaled score of 136 or higher to pass. Both sections are weighted equally.
Will Florida Adopt the NextGen Bar Exam?
Florida will administer the NextGen UBE with a Florida Law Component beginning with the July 2028 bar exam. Learn more on the NCBE website.
Can I Work Full-Time While Studying?
Most successful takers treat bar prep as a full-time job, studying 40-50 hours per week for 8-10 weeks. If your schedule requires more flexibility, BARBRI offers options to help you achieve your goals.
Still have questions? Get more answers.
An Unmatched Arsenal of Florida Bar Exam Prep Resources
BARBRI is the #1 bar prep course in the nation for a reason. We've gotten to the top by providing the most trusted, most innovative, and most personalized experience that includes:
- Unrivaled Question Bank: Access a massive bank of MBE questions. Our system shows you not just the right answer to MBE questions, but why it's the right answer.
- Essay Grading: This is a game-changer. You can submit essays for grading by our team of trained attorney-graders. You receive detailed feedback, so you learn exactly how to write a passing essay for Florida.
- Most Accurate Pass Predictor: See your rankings by subject compared to other students prepping for the bar exam. Our Pass Predictor is the most accurate because BARBRI has more students studying for the bar each year than all other bar prep programs.
- Expert-Led Short Video Lectures: Learn from the most respected legal scholars in the country. Our professors are not just experts in the law; they are experts at teaching for the bar exam because they’ve been in your shoes.
And that’s just a start. Learn more about BARBRI Bar Review and download the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest. We've compiled all the information you need to know about The Florida Bar Exam—and each U.S. state bar exam—in one convenient place.
Connect with a BARBRI bar exam expert to discuss your specific situation. We're here to help you create the right bar prep plan.
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BARBRI is the best in the industry! The lecturers and books were succinct and taught exactly what I needed to focus on. If you trust their process and do the work you will pass the Bar on the first try like I did.