Format, Content, & Grading of the Hawaii Bar Exam

All data provided below are subject to change by a decision at any time by the Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners.  When any changes are made, they will be posted on this site.

The Hawaii Bar Exam is a two-day exam -- Tuesday and Wednesday -- with the essays and performance questions on Tuesday and the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam on Wednesday.

First Day (Tuesday) morning session:  
Four hours  
Seven Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions
For details on the MEE, click here.

First Day (Tuesday) afternoon session: 
Three hours 
Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions
For details on the MPT, click here.

Second Day (Wednesday) morning session: 
3 hours 
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
100 Multiple-Choice questions.

Second Day (Wednesday) afternoon session: 
3 hours
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) 
100 Multiple-Choice questions.

Hawaii requires that you sit for the MBE as part of the Hawaii Bar Exam. Hawaii does NOT accept your score from an MBE taken in another jurisdiction.

For further details on the MBE, click here.

Subjects Tested on the Hawaii Bar Exam:

MBE Subjects
Constitutional Law
Contracts/Sales
Criminal Law/Procedure
Evidence
Real Property
Torts

MEE Subjects
Agency
Commercial Paper (Negotiable Instruments)
Conflict of Laws
Corporations
Decedents' Estates
Family Law
Federal Civil Procedure
Partnerships
Sales
Secured Transactions
Trusts & Future Interests

and the Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct

Grading of the Hawaii Bar Exam:

Essays: 50%
MBE: 50%

Hawaii generally releases the results of the Summer exam in early October and the results of the Winter exam in early May.

*MPRE
Hawaii requires a scaled score of 85 on the MPRE, taken within two years before, or within one year after, taking the Hawaii Bar Exam.

Admission on Motion 
(i.e., without having to sit for the bar exam)

Hawaii does NOT permit admission on motion.  

To become a member of the Hawaii bar, you must take and pass the Hawaii Bar Exam. 

For further information, contact:

Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners
Supreme Court of Hawaii
417 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Telephone: (808) 539-4977

Exam Dates, Location:

Winter 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday, 
February 27 & 28, 2007
Honolulu

Summer 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday, 
July 24 & 25, 2007
Honolulu


Hawaii Admission Rules 


Filing deadlines and fees are subject to frequent change.  Contact the Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners to learn the rules in effect at the time of your application.