Format, Content, & Grading of the Rhode Island Bar Exam

All data provided below are subject to change by a decision at any time by the Rhode Island bar examiners.  When any changes are made, they will be posted on this site.

The Rhode Island Bar Exam is a two-day exam -- Tuesday and Wednesday -- with the essay questions on Tuesday and the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam on Wednesday.

First Day (Tuesday):  
12 Rhode Island Essay Questions


Subjects Tested on the Rhode Island Bar Exam:

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

Rhode Island Essay Subjects
Agency
Commercial Paper
Conflict of Laws
Corporations
Creditors' Rights
Domestic Relations
Equity
Partnerships
Rhode Island Practice & Procedure
Secured Transactions
Trusts
Wills

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.

Rhode Island will accept an MBE scaled score from another jurisdiction if taken concurrently. 

For further details on the MBE, click here.

Grading of the Rhode Island Bar Exam:

There are two ways to pass the Rhode Island Bar Exam --

1. An MBE scaled score of at least 140, and 7 out of 12 possible essay points; or 

2. An MBE scaled score of at least 135, and 9 out of 12 possible essay points.

However, qualified attorneys admitted in other jurisdictions need only to pass at least 8 of the 12 essays.

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


*MPRE --  Your MPRE score is valid for only two years for Rhode Island.

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

Rhode Island does NOT permit admission on motion.  

To be admitted to the Rhode Island bar, you must take and pass the Rhode Island bar exam. 

However, if you are admitted to the bar in another jurisdiction and have practiced law for five of the past 10 years, you may take only the Essay portion of the Rhode Island Bar Exam.

For admission, you must pass 8 of the 12 essays.

For further information, contact:

Clerk of the Supreme Court
Providence County Courthouse
250 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903
Telephone: 401-222-3272 | 401-222-4233
Fax: 401-222-3599
Email: kcacchiotti@courts.state.ri.us

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 Rhode Island Bar Examiners to learn the rules in effect at the time of your application.