Ohio Bar Exam Format
The Ohio bar exam takes three days and consists of the Ohio Essays, the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”), and the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”). Ohio law is tested on the Ohio bar exam.
Ohio Essays
Ohio tests 12 essays. The essays are designed for 30-minutes each. Past essays can be found here. The essay portion of the exam will consist of at least one question, and no more than two questions, from each of the following subjects:
- Business Associations (Agency, Partnership, Corporations)
- Civil Procedure
- Commercial Transactions (Commercial Paper/Secured Transactions)
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Legal Ethics
- Property
- Torts
- Wills
MPT (Performance Test)
Ohio tests two (2) MPT performance tests.
MBE (Multiple Choice)
Ohio 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
MBE Score Transfer
Ohio does not accept MBE scores from other jurisdictions.
Ohio Bar Exam Testing Schedule
Day 1 (Tuesday)
Morning – 6 Ohio Essays (3 hours)
Afternoon – 2 MPTs (3 hours)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Morning – MBE Part I (100 questions; 3 hours)
Afternoon – MBE Part II (100 questions; 3 hours)
Day 3 (Thursday)
Morning – 6 Ohio Essays (3 hours)
Ohio Bar Exam Dates and Application
The Ohio bar exam is held twice each year on the last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of February and July. The bar exam is held in Columbus, Ohio. Applications can be found on the Ohio Supreme Court’s Website.
| Exam Date | Application Deadline | Late Deadline |
| Feb. 21-23, 2017 | Nov. 1 | Dec. 10 |
| July 25-27, 2017 | April 1 | May 10 |
Grading
Ohio Bar Exam Weight
| OH Essays | 53% |
| MPT | 13% |
| MBE | 33.3% |
Grading Procedure
Essays are graded on a 0-7 scale. The MPTs are also graded on a scale of 0-7 and then the MPT score multiplied by 1.5. The written portion of the bar exam is scaled to the MBE using the standard deviation method. Overall, the essays are weighted twice as much as the MBE.
Passing Score
The minimum passing score is a total scaled bar exam score of 405 points.
Pass Rates
Bar exam pass rates and statistics can be found here.
Review and Appeal for Applicants Failing the Ohio Bar Exam
Unsuccessful applicants may obtain copies of their answers to the written portion of the exam. The Board also publishes the essay questions used for the exam.
The Board will re-grade the written portion of he exam for any applicant with a total exam score that falls within one point below the minimum passing score. The bar exam scores are final and not subject to appeal.
Retaking the Ohio Bar Exam
Unsuccessful applicants who seek to retake the Ohio bar exam must file an Application for Re-examination.