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Wisconsin Bar Exam Information

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

On March 24, 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order adopting the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) beginning with the July 2026 administration, replacing the prior Wisconsin Bar Examination. Wisconsin also continues to honor diploma privilege for graduates of Wisconsin’s two ABA-approved law schools — a tradition unique to Wisconsin. As a result, Wisconsin now offers three pathways to admission to the bar:

  • Diploma Privilege — Graduates of Wisconsin’s ABA-approved law schools (University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School) may be admitted to the Wisconsin bar without taking a bar examination. This is the only US jurisdiction with a current diploma privilege.
  • Wisconsin UBE (beginning July 2026) — Applicants take the standard Uniform Bar Examination. The minimum passing score is 260.
  • UBE Score Transfer — Wisconsin accepts transferred legacy UBE scores of 260 or higher, earned no more than 36 months before applying.

All applicants admitted via UBE examination or transferred UBE score must successfully complete 21 credit hours of the Wisconsin law and practice educational component, no later than 12 months after passing or applying to transfer the UBE.

Wisconsin does not require the MPRE for bar admission (one of very few US jurisdictions without an MPRE requirement).

NextGen UBE transition. Wisconsin's transition path: state-specific Wisconsin Bar Exam (through February 2026) → legacy UBE (July 2026 – February 2028) → NextGen UBE (July 2028+).

Upcoming Wisconsin UBE Administrations

AdministrationDates
July 2026 (first Wisconsin UBE)Tuesday–Wednesday, July 28–29, 2026
February 2027Tuesday–Wednesday, February 23–24, 2027
July 2027Tuesday–Wednesday, July 27–28, 2027 (anticipated)
February 2028 (last legacy UBE)Tuesday–Wednesday, February 22–23, 2028 (anticipated)
July 2028 (first NextGen UBE)Wisconsin’s first NextGen UBE administration

Filing Deadlines & Fees

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AdministrationTimely DeadlineLate Deadline
July 2026 (UBE)May 1, 2026June 1, 2026
February 2027 (UBE)December 1, 2026January 1, 2027

Diploma Privilege filing deadlines (separate schedule for Wisconsin law school graduates):

  • May 2026 Graduates: $210 if filed by December 15, 2025; $410 if filed December 16, 2025 – July 1, 2026
  • August 2026 Graduates: $210 if filed by March 16, 2026; $410 if filed March 17, 2026 – October 1, 2026
  • December 2026 Graduates: $210 if filed by July 15, 2026; $410 if filed July 16, 2026 – February 1, 2027

UBE Exam fee: $850 (approximate; confirm with WI Board of Bar Examiners).

Application processing typically takes 3–6 months to complete.

UBE Components & Subjects

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Wisconsin’s UBE administration consists of:

  • Day 1 (Tuesday): Multistate Performance Test (MPT) — two 90-minute tasks; Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) — six 30-minute essay questions
  • Day 2 (Wednesday): Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) — 200 multiple-choice questions in two 3-hour sessions

Component weighting: MBE 50%, MEE 30%, MPT 20%. Combined scaled score out of 400; minimum passing score 260.

The Wisconsin UBE administration does NOT include Wisconsin-specific essay questions (those were tested in the prior Wisconsin Bar Exam). Wisconsin-specific law is instead covered through the 21-hour Wisconsin Law and Practice Educational Component required post-passage.

Diploma Privilege (Wisconsin Law School Graduates)

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Wisconsin uniquely retains the diploma privilege doctrine: graduates of Wisconsin’s two ABA-approved law schools (University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School) may be admitted to the Wisconsin bar without taking a bar examination, provided they:

  • Earn a JD from one of the two Wisconsin ABA-approved law schools
  • Complete all required curriculum elements per Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 40.03
  • Satisfy character and fitness requirements
  • File the Diploma Privilege Character and Fitness Certification (BE-270) by the applicable deadline

Wisconsin is the only US jurisdiction with diploma privilege. The doctrine has existed in Wisconsin in some form since the late 19th century.

Wisconsin Law & Practice Educational Component

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All applicants admitted via UBE examination or transferred UBE score must complete 21 credit hours of the Wisconsin law and practice educational component (a state-specific educational requirement, separate from the bar exam itself).

The component:

  • Must be completed no later than 12 months after receiving notification of having passed the UBE in Wisconsin, OR within 12 months of filing an application for admission via an eligible UBE transfer score
  • Covers subject matter areas based on the requirements of the diploma privilege under SCR 40.03
  • Is not yet fully developed or available as of the page publication date — the Board of Bar Examiners is finalizing the component

Score Transfers & Reciprocity

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UBE score transfer: Wisconsin accepts transferred legacy UBE scores of 260 or higher, earned no more than 36 months before applying for admission, beginning with the July 2026 bar administration.

MBE score transfer: Wisconsin has historically accepted MBE scaled scores of 135 or higher, taken within 37 months of the current exam and as part of a successful exam administration.

Admission on motion (proof of practice): Available for attorneys who have practiced law for at least 3 of the past 5 years in a U.S. jurisdiction. Admission is NOT based on reciprocity; attorneys admitted by diploma privilege in their home jurisdiction (i.e. Wisconsin law school graduates seeking admission elsewhere or returning) are eligible. Application fee: $850.

NextGen UBE Adoption (July 2028)

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Wisconsin has announced that it intends to administer the NextGen UBE beginning with the July 2028 administration. The NextGen passing score for Wisconsin has not yet been announced.

Wisconsin’s transition path: state-specific Wisconsin Bar Exam (through February 2026) → legacy UBE (July 2026 – February 2028) → NextGen UBE (July 2028 onward).

Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners Contact

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Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners

110 East Main Street, Suite 715

P.O. Box 2748

Madison, WI 53701-2748

Phone: (608) 266-9760

Fax: (608) 266-1196

Email: bbe@wicourts.gov

Website: https://www.wicourts.gov/services/attorney/bar.htm

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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.

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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%.