Oregon Bar Exam

Oregon Bar Exam Format

Oregon tests the Uniform Bar Exam “UBE”. The Oregon bar exam consists of the Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”), the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”), and the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”).

Oregon Essays/MEE Essays
Oregon tests six (6) essays. Essays may cover more than one area of law, but the major part of any one essay is devoted to a single area of law. The same area of law may be the subject of more than one essay. Some of the essays will likely be MEE essays. Sample essays can be found here. Subjects may include:

  • Administrative Law (Oregon and Federal)
  • Agency
  • Civil Procedure (Oregon and Federal)
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Corporations
  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Evidence (Oregon and Federal)
  • Federal Income Taxation
  • Legal Ethics (Oregon Rules Only)
  • Partnerships
  • Property
  • Sales (UCC Art. 2)
  • Secured Transactions (UCC Arts. 1 and 9)
  • Torts
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Wills

MPT (Performance Test)
Oregon tests two (2) MPT performance tests.

MBE (Multiple Choice)
Oregon uses the standard MBE. Subjects include:

  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts (Common Law, Sales/UCC Art. 2)
  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Real Property
  • Torts

UBE Score Transfer
Oregon now tests the UBE

Oregon Bar Exam Testing Schedule

Day 1
2 MPTs/6 MEE Essays

Day 2
Morning – MBE Part I (100 questions; 3 hours)
Afternoon – MBE Part II (100 questions; 3 hours)

Oregon Bar Exam Dates and Application

The Oregon bar exam in administered twice each year on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. Applications can be found on the Oregon State Bar’s Website.

Exam Date Application Deadline Late Deadline
February 21-22, 2017 Nov. 15 Dec. 15
July 24-25, 2017 April 15 May 15

Grading

Oregon Bar Exam Weight

Essays 30%
MPT 20%
MBE 50%

Grading Procedure

The MPT and MEE answers are graded on a scale from 0-6. The scores are converted to the 200 MBE point scale and then combined with the MBE scaled score.

Passing Score
Bar exam results are generally announced five to six weeks after the exam.

Pass Rates
Past exam performance statistics can be found here.

Review and Appeal for Applicants Failing the Oregon Bar Exam
After the answers have been graded, and before the release of the grading results, the Board automatically reviews and re-grades the top 15% of the unsuccessful applicant’s essay scores.

Successful applicants cannot review their bar exam answers. Unsuccessful applicants may inspect and obtain copies of their answers, the essay questions, and the graders’ outlines. The Board must establish a date, time, and place for review and 30 days after the pass/fail notice but before 60 days after the pass/fail notice.

Retaking the Oregon Bar Exam

Applicants may take the Oregon bar exam an unlimited number of times.