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Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is administered by the Law School Admission Council on behalf of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The MPRE is a 60-question, two-hour, multiple-choice examination administered three times per year at established test centers across the country. There are 50 scored questions and 10 nonscored pretest questions. Since the pretest questions are indistinguishable from those that are scored, it is important that examinees answer all questions in the examination.
The purpose of the MPRE is to measure the examinee's knowledge and understanding of established standards related to a lawyer's professional conduct; the MPRE is not a test to determine an individual's personal ethical values. Lawyers serve in many capacities: for example, as judges, advocates, counselors, and in other roles. The law governing the conduct of lawyers in these roles is applied in disciplinary and bar admission procedures, and by courts in dealing with issues of appearance, representation, privilege, disqualification, and contempt or other censure, and in lawsuits seeking to establish liability for malpractice and other civil or criminal wrongs committed by a lawyer while acting in a professional capacity.
The MPRE is based on the law governing the conduct of lawyers, including the disciplinary rules of professional conduct currently articulated in the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, and controlling constitutional decisions and generally accepted principles established in leading federal and state cases and in procedural and evidentiary rules.
Test questions covering judicial ethics apply the current ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct. Other questions will deal with discipline of lawyers by state disciplinary authorities; in these questions, the correct answer will be governed by the current ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The remaining questions, outside the disciplinary context, are designed to measure an understanding of the generally accepted rules, principles, and common law regulating the legal profession in the United States; in these questions, the correct answer will be governed by the view reflected in a majority of cases, statutes, or regulations on the subject. To the extent that questions of professional responsibility arise in the context of procedural or evidentiary issues, such as the availability of litigation sanctions or the scope of the attorney-client evidentiary privilege, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence will be assumed to apply, unless otherwise stated. As a general rule, particular local statutes or rules of court will not be tested on the MPRE. However, a specific question may include the text of a local statute or rule that must be considered when answering that question. Amendments to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct or the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct will be reflected in the examination no earlier than one year after the approval of the amendments by the American Bar Association.
Jurisdiction Information
The MPRE is required for admission to the bars of all but three U.S. jurisdictions (Maryland, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico). A list of jurisdictions currently using the MPRE is available on the MPRE FAQs page. Passing scores are established by each jurisdiction. Since the MPRE requirements vary from one jurisdiction to another, examinees are advised to check with the board of bar examiners in each jurisdiction where admission is being sought before registering for the MPRE. Contact information for jurisdictions can be found in the Bar Admission Offices Directory on the home page.
MPRE Registration
- MPRE Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
- MPRE Examination Fees
- MPRE Registration
- Accommodations for Applicants with Disabilities
April 2013 MPRE scores were released to examinees in the File Cabinet of their NCBE Number accounts on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.
MPRE Score Services
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MPRE Score Services |
MPRE Study Aids
The MPRE Online Practice Exam 1 is available for purchase at the NCBE Online Store. To access an already purchased Online Practice Exam (OPE), please log in below.
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MPRE Online Practice Exam Login |
Older archived actual and simulated MPRE questions are available by accessing the file MPRE Sample Questions VI. Note: these archived questions are not recommended as a study aid. See caveat inside.
MPRE Information Booklet
- Which jurisdictions require the MPRE?
- Who do I contact with questions about the MPRE?
- ...See more FAQs
MPRE Test Dates
2013 MPRE administrations: April 6, August 17, and November 2.*
2014 MPRE administrations: March 29, August 9, and November 1.* Registration for the 2014 test dates opens on December 17, 2013.
* An applicant whose religious beliefs preclude him or her from taking the examination on a Saturday may apply to take the MPRE on the following Monday. For more information, please see MPRE Test Dates and Registration Deadlines.