Texas Bar Review Course

The Texas Bar Exam is a two and a half-day exam. It takes place on the last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of February and July. Tuesday is the Procedure and Evidence section and the MPT^®, Wednesday is the MBE^® and, Thursday is the Essay day.

* The Board will administer the first UBE^® in Texas in February 2021.The minimum passing score in Texas on the UBE^® will be 270. Completion of a Texas Law Component will be required for licensure based on a UBE^® score, and for licensed attorneys who qualify for admission without examination. As of December 1, 2019, the Board will accept applications for admission based on a transferred UBE^® score of 270 or higher.

Texas Board of Law Examiners

PO Box 13486

Austin, TX 78711-3486

Telephone: (512) 463-1621

Fax: (512) 463-5300

information@ble.texas.gov

The Texas Bar Exam is a two and a half-day exam.

• Day 1 (20%): One Multistate Performance Test (MPT^®) question (10%) and Texas Procedure and Evidence Short Answers (10%).
• Day 2 (40%): 200-question, multiple-choice Multistate Bar Exam (MBE^®).
• Day 3 (40%): 12 Essays.

MBE^® Subjects: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts/Sales, Criminal Law/Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, Torts.

Texas Essay Subjects: Business Associations (2), including Agency, Corporations, Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies and Professional Associations, Trusts and Guardianships (1), Wills and Administration (2), Family Law (2), Uniform Commercial Code (2), Consumer Rights (1), including DTPA and Insurance, Real Property (2), including Oil and Gas.

Potential Essay Crossover topics: Income, Estate, and Gift Tax Issues (to be included where appropriate, as an element of questions in other subjects, such as Family Law, Oil and Gas, Wills, etc.), Bankruptcy (to be included where appropriate, as an element of questions in other subjects, such as Family Law, Wills and Estates, Real Property, etc.)

As of the July 2019 administration, when a subject is tested by two separate essay questions, one question will be presented in each session. For example, if the first wills and administration question is tested as Question 1, then the second wills and administration question will not be tested as Question 2. Instead, the second wills and administration question will be tested in the afternoon session. Further, the trust and guardianship question and the consumer rights question will also be presented in different sessions. One will appear in the morning session and the other will appear in the afternoon session.

Procedure and Evidence Topics: Texas Civil Procedure and Evidence, including Jurisdiction. Federal and Texas Criminal Procedure and Evidence.

In 2020, the Texas Bar Exam will be administered on:

• February 25-27, 2020
• July 28-30, 2020

The Texas Bar Exam will require a minimum scaled combined score of 675 points out of 1000 points to pass. The MBE^® is weighted at 40% of the score, the Essays are weighted at 40%, the MPT^® is weighted at 10% and the Procedure and Evidence section is weighted at 10%

A minimum scaled score of 85 or higher.

Admission Without Examination Information Eligibility Requirements

In order to be licensed in Texas without taking the Texas Bar Examination, you must demonstrate that you: Hold a J.D. from an ABA-approved U.S. law school; are licensed to practice law in another state; have been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law as your principal business or occupation for at least 5 of the 7 years immediately preceding your application; and have never failed the Texas Bar Examination.

In addition, you must: be certified by the Board as having present good moral character and fitness; Score 85 or higher on the MPRE^®; satisfy the requirements of Rule 2(a)(5); and be willing to take the required Oath.