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The MPRE, or Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, is a 60-question multiple-choice test on the ethics rules governing lawyers, scored on a 50 to 150 scale and required for bar admission in nearly every U.S. jurisdiction. Passing scores are set by each state: a 50 to 150 scale, with jurisdictions setting passing scores from 75 to 86 (commonly 80 or 85). This hub covers scoring, timing, and preparation.
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.
The MPRE, or Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam that tests the ethics and professional-conduct rules governing lawyers and judges. It is developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and required for admission to the bar in nearly every U.S. jurisdiction. Scores run on a 50 to 150 scale, and each jurisdiction sets its own passing minimum.
MPRE scoring is standardized on a 50 to 150 scale, but the score you must earn to pass depends entirely on your jurisdiction. The table shows the figures that vary by state and cycle.
The current ranking is best read directly from the source. See the U.S. News Best Law Schools list for the up-to-date order, and each school's ABA Standard 509 report for its median LSAT, GPA, and acceptance rate.
You register through the NCBE, sit the computer-based test on one of several dates offered each year, and later receive a scaled score from 50 to 150. Of the 60 questions, a subset are unscored pretest items that do not affect your result. The exam covers the rules of professional conduct and related law, so preparation centers on the ABA Model Rules as they are applied.
Planning for the MPRE breaks into a few decisions. Related topics include what counts as a passing score in your jurisdiction, how long a passing score remains valid, when in law school to take the exam, and how to prepare efficiently for a rules-based test. Each connects to your broader bar-admission timeline.
Confirm your target jurisdiction's required MPRE score and validity window first, then schedule the exam for a point when its score will still be valid at bar admission, often during the third year of law school or shortly after. Because the MPRE is separate from the bar exam, passing it early removes one requirement from your final-year workload.
The MPRE, or Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, is a 60-question multiple-choice test on the ethics rules that govern lawyers and judges, created by the NCBE. Nearly every U.S. jurisdiction requires a passing MPRE score for bar admission. It is scored on a 50 to 150 scale and offered on several dates each year.
There is no single national passing score; each jurisdiction sets its own required MPRE score on the 50 to 150 scale. Required minimums currently vary from state to state: a 50 to 150 scale, with jurisdictions setting passing scores from 75 to 86 (commonly 80 or 85). Check your target jurisdiction's rule, because the same score can pass in one state and fall short in another.
MPRE score validity is set by each jurisdiction rather than nationally, so the period a passing score stays usable differs by state: five testing years. Confirm your state's rule, since some accept a passing score only if earned within a set number of years of bar admission.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026