West Virginia Bar Exam

West Virginia Bar Exam Format

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

MPT (Performance Test)
West Virginia tests two (2) MPT performance tests.

MEE (Essays)
West Virginia tests six (6) essays. Subjects include:

  • Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and 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 and Future Interests)

MBE (Multiple Choice)
West Virginia 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

Score Transfer
West Virginia accepts scores within UBE 36 months of the test date.

West Virginia Bar Exam Testing Schedule

Day 1
Morning – 2 MPTs (3 hours)
Afternoon – 6 Essays (3 hours)

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

West Virginia Bar Exam Dates and Application

The West Virginia bar exam is held on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July of each year. Applications can be found on the West Virginia Board of Law Examiners’ Website.

Exam Date
Preliminary Date
Late Deadline
February 21-22, 2017 November 1 December 1
July 25-26, 2017 April 1 May 1

Grading

West Virginia Bar Exam Weight

MEE 30%
MPT 20%
MBE 50%

Grading Procedure
The MPT and MEE answers are graded and combined. The total MPT/MEE raw score is scaled to the MBE using the standard deviation method. The MPT/MEE scaled score and the MBE scaled scores are then combined to determine the applicant’s final bar exam score.

Passing Score
The minimum passing score for the West Virginia bar exam is 270 out of 400. Passing scores may be used for no more than three years from the date of the bar exam.

Pass Rates
Not currently available.

Review and Appeal for Applicants Failing the West Virginia Bar Exam
Applicants may review their answers and grades for the West Virginia Essay Exam and the MEE. The papers may be reviewed at the offices of the secretary of the Board within 20 days after the exam results are mailed to the applicant. Applicants may pay the NCBE to have their MBE graded by hand.

The grades assigned to the West Virginia Bar Exam are final and no appeal will be considered.

Retaking the West Virginia Bar Exam

Applicants who have failed four bar exams in West Virginia or any other state must obtain permission of the Board of Law Examiners. The Board may prescribe a further course of study when granting such permission to take a fifth bar exam.