Bar Exam Subjects: What's Tested on the MBE, MEE, and MPT

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) tests three components: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Each tests different subjects in different formats. Here's the complete breakdown.

MBE subjects (50% of UBE score)

The MBE is 200 multiple-choice questions split evenly across 7 subjects. That means roughly 28–29 questions per subject:

1. Civil Procedure — federal rules of civil procedure, jurisdiction, venue, pleadings, discovery, motions, trial procedure, and appeals
2. Constitutional Law — individual rights, state action, equal protection, due process, First Amendment, commerce clause, federal powers
3. Contracts — formation, consideration, defenses, performance, breach, remedies, third-party beneficiaries, and UCC Article 2 (sales)
4. Criminal Law and Procedure — homicide, theft offenses, inchoate crimes, defenses, Fourth Amendment search and seizure, Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights
5. Evidence — relevance, character evidence, hearsay and exceptions, privileges, expert testimony, authentication, best evidence rule
6. Real Property — estates in land, future interests, landlord-tenant, recording acts, mortgages, easements, covenants, zoning
7. Torts — intentional torts, negligence, strict liability, products liability, defamation, privacy torts, nuisance

Each subject is weighted equally on the MBE. Don't neglect any of them — even your weakest subject accounts for ~14% of the MBE.

MEE subjects (30% of UBE score)

The MEE consists of 6 essays in 3 hours (30 minutes each). The MEE can test the 7 MBE subjects plus these additional subjects:

1. Business Associations — agency, partnerships, LLCs, and corporations (formation, fiduciary duties, piercing the veil)
2. Conflict of Laws — choice of law, jurisdiction, full faith and credit
3. Family Law — marriage, divorce, property division, child custody, child support, adoption
4. Secured Transactions — UCC Article 9, attachment, perfection, priority, default
5. Trusts and Estates — wills, intestacy, trust creation, fiduciary duties, powers of appointment

Each essay may cross-test multiple subjects. A single essay might combine Evidence with Criminal Procedure, or Contracts with Secured Transactions.

You can't predict which subjects will appear. Over the past several years, every subject has been tested at least once. Business Associations and Trusts and Estates appear frequently.

MPT (20% of UBE score)

The Multistate Performance Test gives you two 90-minute tasks. Each provides a case file (facts, client letters, depositions) and a library (statutes, cases, regulations). You don't need to know any law — it's all in the library.

The MPT tests lawyering skills:

• Writing — memos, briefs, client letters, opinion letters
• Analysis — reading cases, applying rules to facts, distinguishing precedent
• Organization — structuring a coherent document under time pressure
• Following instructions — the task memo tells you exactly what to produce; ignoring it costs points

The MPT is the most learnable component. The format is predictable. Practice 4–6 full MPTs before exam day and you'll know exactly what to expect.

Where to focus your study time

High priority (study first, study most):

• Evidence, Contracts, and Real Property — these are high-frequency on both MBE and MEE, and students consistently score lowest in Evidence and Property
• Civil Procedure — heavily tested on MBE, and many law students took Civ Pro early and forgot it

Medium priority:

• Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Torts — these are your MBE subjects where most students have stronger foundations from law school
• Trusts and Estates, Business Associations — high-frequency MEE subjects

Lower priority (but don't skip):

• Family Law, Conflict of Laws, Secured Transactions — they appear on the MEE less frequently, but when they appear, knowing the basics is the difference between a 3 and a 5 on that essay

How subjects interact

Many bar exam questions cross subject boundaries. An MBE question labeled "Contracts" might require you to know UCC Article 2 (Sales) vs. common law. An "Evidence" question might test a Constitutional Law privilege. A Torts question might involve Criminal Law concepts (battery as both a crime and a tort).

This is why outline memorization alone isn't enough. You need to practice questions that force you to identify which area of law applies — because the exam doesn't tell you.