Format, Content, & Grading of the North Dakota Bar Exam

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

The North Dakota 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):  
Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions
For details on the MPT, click here.

Six Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions
For details on the MEE, 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.

For further details on the MBE, click here.


Admission Without Exam:
You may be admitted without exam if you scored at least a 150
scaled score on the MBE within two years, so long as you were admitted in the jurisdiction in which you took the MBE. 

You must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school and have received a scaled score of 80 on the MPRE no more than five years from the date of your application.


Subjects Tested on the North Dakota Bar Exam:

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

MEE Subjects
Agency
Commercial Paper
Conflict of Laws
Corporations and Limited Liability Companies
Family Law
Federal Civil Procedure
Partnerships
Sales
Secured Transactions
Trusts & Future Interests
Wills


Grading of the North Dakota Bar Exam:

North Dakota combines your scores on the MEE, MPT, and MBE to determine who passes.

North Dakota generally releases the results six  weeks after the bar exam.

*MPRE -- You must have a scaled score of  at least 80 on the MPRE, achieved no more than five years from the date of application.

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, been admitted for at least the preceding five years, and must have practiced law for at least four of the prior five years.

3. You must have 45 hours of CLE in the last three years, with at least three of the 45 hours in legal ethics.

For further information, contact:

State Board of Law Examiners
Judicial Wing, 1st Floor
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 180
Bismarck, ND 58505-0530
Telephone: 701-328-4201

Exam Dates, Locations:

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


Filing Deadlines and Fees


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