The Multistate Professional Examination (MPRE)
The MPRE is a fifty-question, two-hour, multiple-choice examination required for admission to the bar in all states except Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin. This exam is administered three times per year in March, August, and November. The CSO has MPRE application packets or you can register on-line at www.ncbex.org or www.act.org/mpre. BarBri (www.barbri.com) offers an MPRE review course. The MPRE tests your knowledge and understanding of the ethical standards expected in the legal profession. You can take the MPRE in any state and have your score transferred to another state at a later date; thus, you do not need to know the state in which you will be sitting for the bar at the time you take the MPRE. Most law students take the MPRE the summer after their second year of law school or in the fall of their third year. The MPRE Exam is given in March, August and November each year.
Bar Exam: Components for Most States
The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) - The MBE is a six-hour, two-hundred question, multiple-choice examination covering contracts, torts, criminal law, evidence, real property, and constitutional law. In 2004, all states except Louisiana and Washington administered the MBE.
The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) - This exam consists of several ninety-minute questions (the number varies by state) designed to test the practical use of legal analysis, fact analysis, problem solving, ethical issues, organization and management of lawyering tasks, as well as effective use of communication within the legal profession. In 2004, twenty-four states, including Ohio, administered the MPT. Check the bar exam format for your state to find out if the MPT will be included.
The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) - The MEE entails a three-hour, six-question essay examination covering agency/partnership, commercial drafting, conflict of laws, corporations, estates, family law, federal civil procedure, sales, secured transactions, and trusts. In 2004, fourteen states required the MEE for admission to the bar. The Ohio Bar Exam includes twelve essay questions, but does not follow the MEE format.
Stop by the CSO to get a copy of the bar components for your state or check the links on the CSO web site.
Bar/Bri and PMBR
Both Bar/Bri and PMBR offer review courses for state bar exams. To sign up for these review courses, visit www.barbri.com or www.pmbr.com. PMBR specializes in preparing students for the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and Bar/Bri offers review courses for all components of the state bar exam. Bar/Bri also offers review courses for the MPRE and the Patent Bar Exam. We encourage you to enroll in the review courses as soon as possible as the cost increases the longer you wait.
The Patent Bar
Students who wish to prosecute patents in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office must pass the Patent Bar Exam. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office administers the exam with the purpose of testing knowledge of patent laws, rules, procedure, and practice as well as the ability to understand and properly draft claims. Patent Bar applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in a recognized technical or scientific subject such as biology, chemistry, or engineering, or have a sufficient number of credit hours in an approved discipline. You can take the Patent Bar in any state regardless of where you intend to practice. In 2004, the Patent & Trademark Office changed the way the exam is administered; thus, it is now a computer-based exam and will no longer be offered just three times a year. Although many of the details of the new exam procedure are still being worked out, you can register to take the exam at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/oed/examregist.htm The patent bar exam is very difficult, so we strongly recommend that you sign up for a patent bar review course and give yourself plenty of time to study. You can research various review courses on-line: www.patentbarreview.com; www.patbar.com; www.patentbarstudy.com; www.barbri.com; and www.patentresources.com