Iowa Bar Exam (UBE) details

Day 1

• Mandatory Orientation Session and Mandatory Applicant Registration

Day 2

• Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT in the AM)
• Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE in the PM)

Day 3

• 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 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.

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE.

• MBE weighted 50%
• MEE weighted 40%
• MPT weighted 10%

A total scaled score of 266 is required to pass.

Acceptance of MBE Score

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

Admission on Motion

May be admitted on motion if applicant has engaged in active practice of law for five of seven years preceding application. For complete details, contact the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 266 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction may transfer their score to Iowa if (1) the passing UBE score was earned within two years preceding application, or (2) the score will be accepted for up to five years after earning a passing score if the applicant has been regularly engaged in practice of law for at least two of the last three years immediately preceding the application. For complete details, contact the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.

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.

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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