Preparing for the Bar Examination
The Missouri Bar Examination is given each year in February and July in Jefferson City.
Information about the subjects covered in the Missouri Bar Examination is available at the Missouri Board of Law Examiners website and the National Conference of Bar Examiners website.
The State of Missouri has adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (“UBE”) for all applicants seeking admission to the state bar. The UBE is comprised of the Multistate Essay Examination, the Multistate Performance Test, and the Multistate Bar Examination. Because the exam tests on uniform principals of law, the Supreme Court of Missouri and the Missouri Board of Law Examiners also require a mandatory open book test (“Missouri Educational Component Test” or “MECT”) for all applicants to complete as a condition of licensure.
Students are urged to consider the subject areas frequently tested in the bar examination as they plan their academic schedules. Those students who plan to take the bar examination of another state should consult with the bar examiners of that state.
The Missouri Board of Law Examiners encourages law students to file an Application for Character and Fitness Report as soon as they begin law school. 1Ls who file before June 30 of their 2L year will pay a lower application fee. Students can no longer seek an early Character and fitness determination after June 30 prior to their third year of law school and instead must submit the Application for Character and Fitness Report concurrently with the Application for Bar Examination the Spring of their 3L year.
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is required for admission to the Missouri Bar as well as to the bar of many other states. The examination is given in Columbia three times per year and may be taken prior to graduation. Information about the MPRE is available at the National Board of Bar Examiners website.