Hawaii Bar Exam details

A typical Hawaii Bar Exam is a 2-day exam

Hawaii Bar Exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with the Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners.

Please also reference the NCBE Covid-19 updates page for NCBE updates and individual jurisdiction announcements.

Day 1

  • Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE)
  • Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT)
  • Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination (30-minute, 15-question multiple-choice exam)

Day 2

  • Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM)

MBE

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

MEE

  • Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Family Law
  • Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
  • Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code
  • Plus all MBE subjects

MPT

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

MPRE

  • A scaled score of 85 on the MPRE within two years before or within one year after the Hawaii Bar Exam is required for admission.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE.

The MBE is weighted 50%. The individual remaining items are all equally weighted for a cumulative total of 50%

  • Six MEE questions
  • Two MPT tasks
  • Locally developed Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination (15 multiple-choice questions)

A score of 134 (out of 200) or higher is required to pass the Hawaii Bar Exam.

Acceptance of MBE Score

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

Admission on Motion

Although admission on motion is not generally available, Hawaii allows it on specific and limited grounds.

Hawaii Legal Ethics Exam

The Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination consists of 15 multiple-choice questions. It was developed by the Hawaii Board of Examiners and is based on the Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct (HRPC). This exam component is administered on Tuesday morning. Hawaii allots 30 minutes for this exam component. Do not confuse the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination with the NCBE’s Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) or the mandatory Hawaii Professionalism Course conducted by the Hawaii State Bar Association.

We compile all of the information that you need to know about the dates, format, subjects tested, deadlines, fees and more - for each U.S. state - in the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest.

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