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Hawaii Bar Exam Information

Get Detailed Information About The Hawaii Bar Exam Including Schedules, Grading, Reciprocity, Fees, Common Questions & More.

Hawaii administers its own state-specific bar examination, not the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The Hawaii Bar Exam is a two-day exam consisting of four components: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), and the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination.

The MBE is weighted at 50%. The MEE, MPT, and Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination are each weighted equally for a cumulative total of 50% (approximately 16.66% each). A combined scaled score of 132 (out of 200) is required to pass. Applicants must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a score of 85 or higher — taken within 2 years before or 1 year after passing the Hawaii Bar Exam.

Hawaii does not offer admission on motion (except in rare limited-admission categories) and does not accept transferred MBE scores from other jurisdictions. The exam is administered twice yearly in Honolulu.

NextGen UBE transition. Hawaii will begin administering the NextGen UBE in July 2028. The minimum NextGen passing score has not yet been announced, and Hawaii is not currently accepting NextGen UBE transfer scores from administrations before July 2028.

Hawaii Bar Exam Structure

Day 1: Essay and Performance Components (50%)

Day 1 includes the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), and the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination.

  • MEE: 6 essay questions (30 minutes each) drafted by the NCBE, covering general legal subjects (~16.66% of total)
  • MPT: 2 tasks (90 minutes each) drafted by the NCBE, testing fundamental lawyering skills (~16.66% of total)
  • Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination: Hawaii-specific essays on professional responsibility (~16.66% of total)

Day 2: Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) (50%)

200 multiple-choice questions in two 3-hour sessions (100 questions each). The MBE is developed and graded by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).

The MBE tests 7 subjects: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts.

MEE Subjects

The MEE may cover the following subjects beginning with the July 2026 administration (8 subjects):

  • Business Associations
  • Civil Procedure
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law and Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Real Property
  • Torts

Beginning with the July 2026 administration, the NCBE has removed Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions from the MEE.

Filing Deadlines & Fees

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Upcoming Hawaii Bar Exam Administrations

AdministrationDatesLocation
July 2026Tue–Wed, July 28–29, 2026Prince Waikiki Hotel, Honolulu
February 2027Tue–Wed, February 23–24, 2027Honolulu (TBA)
July 2028First Hawaii NextGen UBE administrationTBA

Filing Deadlines & Fees

AdministrationDeadlineFee
July 2026April 1, 2026 (no late filing)$500
February 2027November 1, 2026 (anticipated)$500

Laptop fee: $133.50. NCBE Character & Fitness investigation fee varies by applicant category. There is no late filing option.

Grading & Scoring

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Raw scores from each component are converted to scaled scores. The maximum combined scaled score is 200.

A passing score of 132 (out of 200) is required in Hawaii.

  • MBE: 50%
  • MEE: ~16.66%
  • MPT: ~16.66%
  • Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination: ~16.66%

Required MPRE Score: 85, taken within 2 years before or 1 year after passing the Hawaii Bar Exam.

Results

Results are typically released approximately 10–12 weeks after the exam.

Reciprocity & Score Transfers

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Hawaii does not offer general admission on motion. Limited admission may be available in narrow circumstances, such as for full-time University of Hawaii School of Law faculty or certain legal services attorneys.

Hawaii does not accept transferred MBE scores or legacy UBE scores from other jurisdictions. All applicants must take the full Hawaii Bar Exam.

For NextGen UBE: Hawaii is not currently accepting NextGen UBE transfer scores from administrations before July 2028.

Hawaii Bar Exam Schedule

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The Hawaii Bar Exam is a two-day exam administered twice a year, on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July.

DayMorningAfternoon
Tuesday6 MEE essay questions + Hawaii Legal Ethics Exam (3 hours)2 MPT tasks (3 hours)
Wednesday100 MBE questions (3 hours)100 MBE questions (3 hours)

Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners Contact Information

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Board of Examiners of the Supreme Court of Hawaiʻi

Aliʻiolani Hale, Room 103

417 South King Street

Honolulu, HI 96813-2912

https://www.courts.state.hi.us/legal_references/bar/bar_exam

baradmissions@courts.hawaii.gov

Phone: (808) 539-4919

Fax: (808) 539-4978

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Common Questions About the UBE.

What is the Uniform Bar Exam?

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The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is effectively a national bar exam coordinated by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and is composed of three parts: (1) the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) , the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

The UBE is uniformly administered, graded, and scored by adopting jurisdictions and results in a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions.

What does the Uniform Bar Exam application look like?

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There is no Uniform Bar Exam application.

Applicants must register for the UBE by applying to a user jurisdiction. For example, a student taking the UBE in New York would apply to sit for the New York bar exam.

Applicants who have taken the UBE may transfer their UBE scores to seek admission in other UBE jurisdictions.

This map shows UBE jurisdictions in orange and lists the maximum age of transferred UBE scores for each jurisdiction:

UBE Jurisdictions
Maximum Age of Transferred UBE Score* Jurisdiction
2 years Missouri, North Dakota
2 years/5 years Iowa, Utah
25 months Alabama
3 years Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Virgin Islands, West Virginia, Wyoming
3 years/5 years Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont
37 months Idaho
40 months Washington
5 years Alaska, Arizona, District of Columbia

*The maximum age of transferred UBE scores in Maryland has not been determined.

Please note, however, that jurisdiction rules and policies can change, so we would strongly advise consulting the jurisdiction’s bar admission agency directly for the most current information.

What states accept the UBE?

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What States Accept the UBE

These are the UBE jurisdictions:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • District of Columbia
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan (February 2023)
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming
  • Virgin Islands

While technically not UBE jurisdictions, the following jurisdictions either administer or substantially administer the UBE:

  • Hawaii
  • Mississippi
  • South Dakota
  • Wisconsin

Are there states that are considering the UBE?

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Every year more and more states are adopting the UBE.

In February 2021, the Texas bar exam will administer its first Uniform Bar Exam.

California and Florida are the largest legal markets still administering state-specific tests. While Florida has formally considered adopting the UBE, California seems to have no interest in doing so. The California bar exam, however, recently shorten from three days to two days, a step in the right direction.

What are the Uniform Bar Exam subjects?

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Multistate Bar Exam Subjects:

  • Civil Procedure (Civ Pro)
  • Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure (Crimes)
  • Torts
  • Real Property
  • Contracts
  • Constitutional Law (Con Law)
  • Evidence

Multistate Essay Exam Subjects:

  • Business Associations : Agency and partnership, and corporations and limited liability companies.

  • Civil Procedure (Civ Pro) : Jurisdiction and venue, the law applied by federal courts, pretrial procedures, jury trials, motions, verdicts and judgments, and appealability and review.

  • Conflicts of Law : These issues are embedded in other topic areas and do not appear as standalone questions. Issues include domicile, the jurisdiction of courts, choice of law, and recognition and enforcement of other states'judgments and foreign judgments.

  • Constitutional Law (Con Law) : Nature of judicial review, separation of powers, relation of nation and states in a federal system, and individual rights.

  • Contracts : Formation of contracts, defenses to enforceability, contract content and meaning, performance, breach and discharge, remedies, and third-party rights.

  • Criminal Law and Procedure (Crimes) : Homicide, other crimes, inchoate crimes; parties, general principles, and constitutional protection of accused persons.

  • Evidence : Presentation of evidence, relevancy and reasons for excluding relevant evidence, privileges and other policy exclusions, writings, recordings, and photographs, and hearsay and circumstances of its admissibility.

  • Family Law : Getting married, being married, separation, divorce, dissolution, and annulment, child custody, rights of unmarried cohabitants, parent, child, and state, adoption, and alternatives to adoption.

  • Real Property : Ownership of real property, rights in real property, real estate contracts, mortgages/security devices, and titles.

  • Secured Transactions : Assume articles 1 and 9 of Uniform Commercial Code are adopted and in effect. General UCC principles, applicability, and definitions, validity of security agreements and rights of parties, rights of third parties, default.

  • Torts : Intentional torts, negligence, strict liability and products liability, and other torts.

  • Trusts and Decendents’ Estates : Intestate succession, wills, family protection, living wills and durable healthcare powers, and trusts and future interests.

What’s the best way to study for the UBE?

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BarMax UBE offers comprehensive prep for the Uniform Bar Exam for only $1,895.

The course comes with instant and lifetime access as well as a pass guarantee.

In addition to on-demand audio lectures by legendary law professors, BarMax UBE offers condense black-letter law outlines, flashcards, and the largest banks of real MBE, MEE and MPT questions on the market.

BarMax UBE also includes a detailed course calendar to guide you as you prep.

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What are the Uniform Bar Exam dates?

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The UBE is administered twice a year over two days, with the MBE portion given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that.

How is the UBE scored?

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The NCBE scores the MBE component of the UBE. Jurisdictions grade the MEE and MPT components.

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE and UBE total scores are calculated by the NCBE.

The MBE is weighted 50%, the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%.

UBE total scores are reported on a 400-point scale.

Jurisdictions set their own minimum passing scores for the UBE:

UBE Minimum Passing Scores
Minimum Passing UBE Score* Jurisdiction
260 Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota
266 Connecticut, District of Columbia, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Virgin Islands
270 Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
272 Idaho
273 Arizona
274 Oregon
276 Colorado, Maine
280 Alaska

What’s the Uniform Bar Exam format?

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The UBE consists of three sections: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

The format is as follows:

Tuesday AM: 6 30-minute Multistate Essay Questions

Tuesday PM: 2 90-minute Multistate Performance Tests

Wednesday AM: 100 MBE Questions (3 hours)

Wednesday PM: 100 MBE Questions (3 hours)

What’s the difference between the UBE and the MBE?

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The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination developed by NCBE and administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July of each year.

The MBE is a component of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). Jurisdictions that administer the UBE weight the MBE component 50%.