What Law Students Need to Know About the MPRE
Passing the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) is a requirement for becoming a lawyer in California, Connecticut, and Indiana. However, this exam is distinct from the bar exam. While the bar exam tests your understanding of legal principles, the MPRE is designed to measure your knowledge of legal ethics.
Here’s what law students need to know before taking the MPRE.
What Is the MPRE?
The MPRE is administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). Almost all U.S. jurisdictions require prospective lawyers to pass this exam, with Wisconsin and Puerto Rico being the only exceptions. They incorporate professional responsibility rules into their bar exams. Additionally, Connecticut and New Jersey waive the MPRE requirement if a candidate passes a qualifying law school ethics course.
The MPRE is not meant to evaluate your personal ethical values. Instead, it measures your understanding of the laws that govern the professional conduct of lawyers. Each state has its own binding ethics rules, enforced by state supreme courts and disciplinary boards. However, most states have adopted the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct in some form.
The MPRE covers those model rules, along with the Model Code of Judicial Conduct. The NCBE’s MPRE Subject Matter Outline provides more detail about the scope of coverage and the percentage of questions covering each topic.
The NCBE website has several resources for preparing for the MPRE, including sample test questions and study aids. Third-party test prep resources are also available. If you are enrolled in Purdue Global Law School’s online JD program, you will get free access to an MPRE review course. Because the MPRE focuses exclusively on ethics, it does not require the same level of extensive studying as the bar exam. Most students begin studying four to six weeks before their exam date.
Does the MPRE Complement the Bar Exam?
Because passing the MPRE is a required step for getting admitted to most bar associations in the U.S., it is often referred to as the ethics portion of the bar exam. However, the MPRE is not technically part of the bar exam. It complements it by testing legal ethics and professional conduct standards.
However, the NextGen Bar Exam — slated for debut in July 2026 in select jurisdictions — integrates ethics and professional conduct rules directly into substantive legal questions. This shift emphasizes practical, ethical lawyering skills within the exam’s integrated question sets, which include a mix of short-answer and multiple-choice questions based on common fact scenarios.
In addition to foundational concepts and principles, the NextGen Bar Exam emphasizes skills such as client counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, and legal research writing. It aims to lessen the reliance on intense memorization and instead test the ability to apply legal principles to client scenarios.
Note that California is considering whether to adopt the NextGen Bar Exam or develop its own state-specific format.
What Is the Format of the MPRE?
The MPRE is a two-hour exam consisting of 60 multiple-choice questions. Fifty of the questions count toward your score, while 10 are unscored. The unscored questions are indistinguishable from the scored questions, so be sure to answer all 60 questions within the time limit.
In March 2020, the MPRE became fully computer-based. Candidates can customize their testing environment to improve readability and reduce eye strain by adjusting text size, font color, and screen brightness. These built-in features are available to everyone without requiring special accommodations.
The MPRE is scored on a scale from 50 to 150, with 86 being the minimum passing score for the California MPRE and 80 the minimum score in Connecticut and Indiana. If you are taking the exam in a different state, check with your local bar association to see what score is required for your jurisdiction. You will usually receive your score about five weeks after you complete the exam.
How Is the MPRE Administered?
The MPRE is administered three times a year at Pearson VUE testing centers across the U.S., including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The exam dates are typically in March, August, and November. Computer-based testing allows for individually scheduled appointments. Candidates schedule their appointments at Pearson VUE centers during a designated two-day testing window. Registration deadlines are strictly enforced, and there are limited, non-transferable spots.
The 2026 MPRE registration fee is $185, payable when scheduling your exam. MPRE appointments can be rescheduled, but changes to the date or location must be made at least 48 hours in advance for a fee. A partial refund is typically provided if the test is canceled within the required timeframe.
Pearson VUE testing centers require a government-issued photo ID and a secondary ID for identification. Test-takers must also submit a digital photograph, digital signature, and palm vein image upon arrival. The name on the registration must exactly match the name on the IDs presented. Corrections must be submitted at least two days in advance.
Personal items other than approved comfort aids and medical items are prohibited in the testing room. Erasable note boards (or reusable booklets) are the only authorized physical scratch-work materials provided.
There are no scheduled breaks during the two-hour MPRE. While you can take an unscheduled break, the test clock does not stop. Upon returning, you must show your ID again and re-scan your palm, which consumes more time. Long or frequent unscheduled breaks are monitored and may be subject to investigation by the NCBE. If you need specific testing conditions, such as extended time, you must request them before registering, as accommodations have a separate approval process.
When Do Law Students Take the MPRE?
The MPRE can be taken any time after completing your first year of law school. However, it is recommended that you wait until after you have completed a class in professional responsibility. In Purdue Global Law School’s online Juris Doctor program, full-time students take this professional responsibility course during the second year of law school, and part-time JD students complete this course during their third year.
In general, it’s a good idea to take and pass the MPRE while you are still in school, preferably as soon as possible after you complete a course in professional responsibility. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that you will forget details from your professional responsibility course. Additionally, taking the MPRE after you graduate may be difficult because your time will be occupied with studying for the bar exam.
MPRE scores do not expire, so you can take the exam whenever you feel prepared. After taking the MPRE, you need to request that your scores be transferred to the applicable state bar.
Can You Take the MPRE After the Bar Exam?
Most law students complete the MPRE before they sit for the bar exam. However, many states allow you to take the MPRE after you have already passed the bar exam. That said, the rules for when the exam must be taken vary by state, and postponing the MPRE exam could delay your path to becoming a licensed lawyer.
Take the First Step Toward Practicing Law
The curriculum of Purdue Global Law School’s online JD program prepares you for taking the MPRE and the bar exam. Graduates of the JD program are academically eligible upon graduation to sit for the California or Connecticut bar or, with an approved petition, the Indiana bar. If you’re looking for a 100% online JD degree, this program may be a good fit for you.
To learn more, reach out to Purdue Global Law School today.