Format, Content, & Grading of the Michigan Bar Exam

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

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

First Day (Tuesday):
15 Essay Questions

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.

Michigan allows you to use an MBE score taken in another jurisdiction if within three years and from a reciprocal jurisdiction. You also must have passed that jurisdiction's bar exam.

For further details on the MBE, click here.

Subjects Tested on the Michigan Local Portion:

Agency
Commercial Paper
Conflict of Laws
Corporations
Creditors' Rights
Domestic Relations
Equity
Insurance (No-Fault)
Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct
Partnerships
Personal Property
Practice & Procedure (State & Federal)
Sales
Secured Transactions
Wills & Trusts
Workers' Compensation

plus the six MBE subjects

Grading of the Michigan Bar Exam:

If you score a scaled 150 or higher on the MBE (and you've made a "good faith effort" on the essays), you pass the Michigan Bar Exam automatically, without your essays being read.

Otherwise, your essays are graded and put on the same grade scale as the MBE (0-200).  You need an average on the essay and MBE of 135 to pass.

Michigan generally releases the results of the Summer exam in mid-November and the results of the Winter exam in mid-May.

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

1. You must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school.

2. You must be admitted to the bar of another jurisdiction and must have practiced law for at least three of the prior five years.

3. You must intend to practice law in Michigan.

For further information, contact:

Michigan Board of Law Examiners
200 Washington Square
Lower Level
P.O. Box 30104
Lansing, MI 48909
Telephone: (517) 334-6992

Exam Dates:

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

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

Filing Deadlines and Fees:


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