Florida Bar Exam
Florida Bar Exam Format
The Florida bar exam takes two days and consists of parts A and B. Part A contains essays and multiple-choice questions testing both general law and Florida specific law. Part B consists of the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). Florida law is specifically tested on the Florida bar exam.
Florida Bar Exam – Part A
Part A of the Florida bar exam is prepared by the state of Florida and consists of six one-hour segments testing three essays and 100 multiple choice questions. Part A tests knowledge of both Florida and federal law. Florida law should be used when it varies from the general law.
Part A, Segment 1 tests the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 2.051, 2.060, and 2.160. The five remaining segments will test no more than two subjects per segment.
The subjects for the remaining segments include:
- Florida Constitutional Law
- Florida Rules Regulating the Florida Bar
Ch. 4 – Rules of Professional Conduct
Ch. 5 – Rules Regulating Trust Accounts
- Business Entities (Corporations, Partnerships)
- Constitutional Law (federal)
- Contracts
- Criminal Law
- Evidence
- Family Law
- Real Property
- Torts
- Trusts
- Wills and Administration of Estates
*Florida may also test the equitable aspects of these subjects.
Florida Bar Exam – Part B
Part B consists of the standard MBE. Subjects include:
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts (Common Law, Sales/UCC Art. 2)
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
MBE Score Transfer
Florida does not accept MBE scores from other jurisdictions.
Florida Bar Exam Testing Procedure
The Florida bar exam uses the following two testing methods:
Overall Method
The overall method is for applicants taking both Parts A and B during the same administration of the General bar exam.
Individual Method
The individual method is for applicants who passed either Part A or Part B of the Florida bar exam and are retaking the part previously failed. However, the individual method is graded differently. Applicants must achieve a passing score on each part of the Florida bar exam instead of an average score for between the two parts. Applicants that have previously failed one of the sections of the Florida bar exam may take both parts through the Overall Method without jeopardizing the previously achieved passing score. The previously achieved passing score remains intact even if the applicant fails the part previously passed.
Florida Bar Exam Testing Schedule
Day 1
Morning – 3 Florida Essays (1 hour each)
Afternoon – 100 Florida Multiple-Choice (3 hours)
Day 2
Morning – MBE Part I (100 questions; 3 hours)
Afternoon – MBE Part II (100 questions; 3 hours)
Florida Bar Exam Dates and Application
The Florida Bar Exam is held on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. If the application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be extended to the next business day. Applications can be found on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners’ Website.
| Exam Date | Application Deadline | Late Deadline |
Late, Late Deadline |
| February 21-22, 2017 | Nov. 15 | Dec. 15 | Jan. 15 |
| July 25-26, 2017 | May 1 | June 1 | June 15 |
Grading
Florida Bar Exam Weight
| Part A Florida Portion | 50% |
| Part B MBE | 50% |
Grading Procedure
The Florida bar exam is graded using scaled scores. Part A – Each section of Part A will be weighted equally. All of the sections of Part A are added to get the Part A total score. The Part A total score is converted to the same distribution as the MBE scaled score to achieve the Part A scaled score.
Passing Score
For the overall method, the passing score is an average score of 136 or better.
Pass Rates
Statistics can be found here.
Retaking the Florida Bar Exam
Florida places no limit on the amount of times the Florida bar exam can be taken before special permission is required. The Florida bar exam is graded and reported in approximately seven weeks.