Wisconsin Bar Exam details

A typical Wisconsin Bar Exam is a 2-day exam

Wisconsin Bar exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with the Supreme Court of Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners.

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

Mandatory Registration

On the Monday before the examination, applicants are required to attend a mandatory registration.

Day 1

  • May include parts of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
  • May also include questions prepared by the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners

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

Wisconsin Essays

  • Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Sole Proprietorships)
  • Commercial Paper
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Family Law
  • Personal Property
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Sales
  • Taxation (Federal)
  • Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
  • Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code
  • Wisconsin Civil Procedure
  • Plus all MBE subjects

MPT

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

MPRE

  • Not required for admission to Wisconsin bar.

The written portion is scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%. The written component of the exam may include performance on the MPT, the MEE, and/or locally developed essay questions. The composition and weight of these subcomponents may vary by exam administration.

A total scaled score of 258 is required to pass the Wisconsin Bar Exam.

Acceptance of MBE Score

Applicant may transfer scaled MBE score of at least 135 if within 37 months and from a successful exam taken no more than 60 days before the J.D. was conferred.

Admission on Motion

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

Applicants may take the exam prior to graduation if degree was received within 60 days after the exam.

Admission by Diploma Privilege

Under diploma privilege, graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School are admitted to the practice of law by complying with the terms of SCR 40.03 – their school certifies their legal competence and the Board of Bar Examiners certifies their character and fitness for the practice of law. Additional requirements may apply.

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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