New Hampshire Bar Exam Format
New Hampshire tests the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”). The UBE takes two days and consists of the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”), Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”), and the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”). New Hampshire law is not tested on the New Hampshire bar exam.
MPT (Performance Test)
New Hampshire tests two (2) MPT performance tests.
MEE (Essays)
New Hampshire tests six (6) MEE essays. Subjects include:
- Business Associations (Agency, Partnership, Corporations, LLCs)
- Civil Procedure (Federal)
- Conflict of Laws
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts (Common Law, Sales/UCC Art. 2)
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Family Law
- Negotiable Instruments/Commercial Paper (UCC Art. 3)
- Real Property
- Secured Transactions (UCC Art. 9)
- Torts
- Trusts and Estates (Decedents’ Estates, Trusts, Future Interests)
MBE (Multiple Choice)
New Hampshire 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 and MBE Score Transfer
Rule 42(X) allows admission based on UBE score if the UBE score was achieved within three years of the Motion for Admission, or the UBE score was achieved between three and five years and the applicant has been engaged in the practice of law in another jurisdiction for at least two years.
New Hampshire accepts MBE scores from other jurisdictions for concurrent exams only.
New Hampshire Bar Exam Testing Schedule
Day 1 (Tuesday)
Morning – 2 MPTs (3 hours)
Afternoon – 6 MEE Essays (3 hours)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Morning – MBE Part I (100 questions; 3 hours)
Afternoon – MBE Part II (100 questions; 3 hours)
New Hampshire Bar Exam Dates and Application
The New Hampshire bar exam is held on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. Applications can be found on the New Hampshire Judicial Branch’s Website.
| Exam Date | Application Deadline |
| February 21-22, 2017 | Dec. 1 |
| July 25-26, 2017 | May 1 |
Grading
New Hampshire Bar Exam Weight
| MPT | 20% |
| MEE | 30% |
| MBE | 50% |
Grading Procedure
The MPT is graded on a scale of 1-12. The MEE essays are graded on a scale of 1-6. The MEE essays are weighted equally. The MPT and MEE raw scores are combined and scaled to the MBE. The scaled score of the written portion of the exam and the MBE scaled score are combined to generate the total bar exam score.
Passing Score
The minimum passing score is 270 out of 400.
Pass Rates
Not currently available.
Review and Appeal for Applicants Failing the New Hampshire Bar Exam
Unsuccessful applicants may examine their MPT and MEE answers at the New Hampshire Supreme Court Building. There is no appeal.
Retaking the New Hampshire Bar Exam
Applicants who have failed the New Hampshire bar exam two or three times and who wish to retake it must request leave to retake the bar exam by filing a motion pursuant to Rule 42(6) prior the bar exam application deadline. The rule requires a bar review course prior to the next exam and, prior to sitting for the exam, an affidavit that the course has been successfully completed.
Applicants who have failed the bar exam once or who applied for, and were given, leave to take the examination, but who did not take it, and who seek leave to take a subsequent exam must file a new application for the bar exam form, a new petition and questionnaire, and pay the same fees as are required on an original application.
Applicants failing four times are not permitted to retake the New Hampshire bar exam.