This page is designed to assist Missouri law students and others who plan to take the Missouri Bar Exam. It covers the requirements that must be satisfied to sit for the Bar, a schedule of deadlines, and fee information specific to Missouri. Information on Bar prep courses and links to information about the Bar exam in other states are also provided.
Applying for admission to the Bar is a lengthy process and should be started at least a year in advance of the date of the Bar that you plan to take. There are several steps involved and as the date of the Bar nears, filing fees increase incrementally. Please refer to this guide and to the MBLE website to ensure that you do not miss any deadlines, since there are several different deadlines to remember.
To use this guide, you can begin by exploring the links on this Home tab. You can also go to the 1L, 2L, or 3L tab to check the timeline and see what you can do now to begin the process early, or view what you need to do in order to complete the process in a timely manner.
Please contact the MU Law Reference Desk (1-(573)-884-6362 or umclawreference@missouri.edu) with any questions or comments.
The Supreme Court of Missouri adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) on July 1, 2010.
The UBE consists of six Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions, two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) items, and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). The UBE questions will be graded according to the law of general application and not the law of any specific state.
The following areas of law may be tested on the UBE: (Some questions test on multiple topics)
Learn more about the UBE here.
The Bar Examination is given in Jefferson City in February and in Columbia in July on the last consecutive Tuesdays and Wednesdays of those months.
Current bar exam dates, location, and schedule can be found here.
Click here for the Bar Examination Schedule.
Note: it is helpful to book a hotel room in advance if you are thinking about staying in Jefferson City (and especially if you want to try and stay at one of the test sites).
Missouri Board of Law Examiners: Click on this link to go to the MBLE.org Home Page. From there, you can register with MBLE, view requirements to sit for the Missouri Bar Exam, Fees, Rule 13 Certification, and other information pertaining to the practice of law in Missouri.
About the Missouri Bar Exam: Click on this link to go directly to the "Applications Forms" page on the MBLE.org website. From here, you can view filing deadlines, fee schedules, exam dates and locations, logistical information for the day of the Bar exam, statistics about past Bar exams, and other useful information.
Rules: Click on this link to view rules pertaining to the Missouri Board of Law Examiners, admission for the Bar, Character and Fitness, admission to practice law in Missouri, and other topics related to licensure in Missouri courts.
Contact the Missouri Board of Law Examiners by clicking on this link. A current list of the Board of Law Examiners is also available here.
Missouri Educational Component:
The review materials ("Missouri Materials") include eleven outlines on the subjects of Torts, Civil Procedure, Real Property, Trusts, Estates, Family Law, Business Associations, Administrative Law, Missouri Courts, Evidence and Trust Account Management.
The Missouri Materials may be reviewed online. After reviewing the materials, applicants must answer 33 questions about the materials. You must receive a score of 28 or higher to pass.
The Missouri Materials are provided as research information to be used by bar applicants for the MECT. The Missouri Materials may be used beyond the MECT by the applicants, in conjunction with other research deemed necessary in the exercise of their independent professional judgment. Original and fully current sources of authority should be researched. Although every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the Missouri Materials, the law continues to change and there is no guarantee that every statement is correct. The MECT is graded upon the information provided in the Missouri Materials as posted at the time of the test given even if such information is later deemed to be incorrect.
Certificate of Completion
All applicants must take the MECT and must sign the Certificate of Completion. Once issued and signed by you, the Certificate of Completion must be mailed to the Board of Law Examiners, P.O. Box 104236, Jefferson City, MO 65110-4236, during the time frame outlined in Rule 8.08(c). Prior to mailing, please make certain that your name, email address and telephone number are correct on the form. Your test score is valid in accordance with Rule 8.08(c) from the issue date on the Certificate of Completion.
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George Mason University School of Law provides information on taking the Virginia Bar as well as bar exams in the other states. Click here to visit their site.
Passing the Bar exam in one state may allow you to simply apply for admission in another state without taking another exam. Missouri is one of these states! For a list of which other states have reciprocity, click here.