The MPRE passing score in Texas is 85. Rule 5 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas prohibits the Board of Law Examiners from issuing a law license until the applicant has passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination with a scaled score of 85 or higher.1Texas Board of Law Examiners. Frequently Asked Questions That score puts Texas in the middle of the national range: a handful of states accept as little as 75, and Utah requires 86.
What an 85 Actually Represents
The 85 is a scaled score, not a raw percentage of questions answered correctly. The National Conference of Bar Examiners converts your raw performance onto a scale running from 50 to 150, which adjusts for small differences in difficulty between test administrations.2National Conference of Bar Examiners. How Is the MPRE Scored Two candidates who sit months apart are compared on the same footing because the scaling absorbs harder or easier question sets.
An 85 is not a high bar in absolute terms, but it still catches people out. The usual reason is underestimating the exam and barely studying for it.
Exam Format
The MPRE is 60 multiple-choice questions, but only 50 count toward your score. The remaining 10 are unscored pretest items the NCBE is evaluating for future use, and you will not know which ones they are. You get two hours total.3National Conference of Bar Examiners. Preparing for the MPRE That is two minutes per question, which most people find comfortable.
The exam is given on a computer at Pearson VUE testing centers. Scores reach you through your NCBE account roughly five weeks after the test date.4National Conference of Bar Examiners. When Will MPRE Scores Be Released If you miss 85, you can register for the next administration. There is no cap on attempts.
What the Exam Covers
Questions are grounded in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, with some drawing on the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct and general principles of legal ethics. Conflicts of interest is the largest tested area at roughly 12 to 18 percent of questions, covering current clients, former clients, imputed conflicts, and business transactions with clients. The client-lawyer relationship and litigation advocacy each account for 10 to 16 percent. Other tested areas include client confidentiality, competence and malpractice, regulation of the legal profession, and the different roles a lawyer can play as advisor, evaluator, negotiator, or arbitrator.5National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Subject Matter Outline
The exam does not test rule numbers. It asks you to spot the ethical issue in a hypothetical and identify the correct response. A focused week of preparation with free NCBE practice questions is usually enough for most law students.
When to Take It
Most Texas candidates sit for the MPRE during their second or third year of law school. You do not need to pass it before the bar exam, but you do need a qualifying score before Texas will license you. Passing the bar without an MPRE score on file delays your swearing-in until the score lands. Taking it early clears one item off the list.
How Long Your Score Stays Good in Texas
Your MPRE score does not expire on a fixed calendar. Texas requires you to satisfy all licensing requirements, including the MPRE, within five years of passing the bar exam.6Texas Board of Law Examiners. Bar Exam Application Pass the MPRE in law school, pass the bar after graduation, and get licensed within a year or two, and you are comfortably inside that window.
The math changes if you delay. Someone who passed the MPRE in 2022, passed the bar in 2024, and did not finish other licensing requirements until 2030 would be outside the five-year window measured from the 2024 bar passage, and would need to retake the MPRE. If you are coming back to the licensing process after a gap, confirm your timeline with the Board of Law Examiners before you assume the old score still counts.
Getting Your Score to the Texas Board
During MPRE registration you can designate Texas as a score recipient at no additional charge. If you skip that step or add Texas later, you request a score transfer through the NCBE’s score services portal, and the NCBE charges a fee for additional reports sent after the initial designation.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. How Can I Have My MPRE Score Reported to Jurisdictions Current fee amounts are posted on the NCBE site.
The Texas Board of Law Examiners only accepts scores sent directly through the NCBE’s official reporting system. Photocopies, screenshots, and unofficial printouts will not be accepted. After requesting the transfer, log into the BLE application portal periodically to confirm the score has been received and recorded.
2026 Test Dates and Fee
The MPRE is offered three times a year. The 2026 administrations are:
- March 24–25, 2026
- August 11–12, 2026
- November 12–13, 2026
The fee for all 2026 administrations is $185.8National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Exam Registration You register through the NCBE website and pick your testing center and time slot. Registration windows open well before each test date, so check the NCBE site for exact deadlines.9National Conference of Bar Examiners. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
One More Texas-Specific Requirement
The MPRE is not the only ethics-adjacent item that can hold up your license in Texas. The state also requires completion of the Texas Law Component, a separate free online course of video presentations by experienced Texas attorneys followed by short quizzes. For bar exam applicants, the course can be completed as early as one year before the bar exam and as late as two years after passing it, and you cannot be licensed until you finish it.1Texas Board of Law Examiners. Frequently Asked Questions Plan on roughly 12 to 16 hours of video, depending on whether you need to rewatch segments after missing quiz questions.
Between the MPRE, the Texas Law Course, the character and fitness review, and the bar exam itself, the licensing checklist has enough pieces that forgetting one can delay everything. All of these requirements must be satisfied within five years of passing the bar.6Texas Board of Law Examiners. Bar Exam Application A simple tracking spreadsheet with deadlines for each item is worth more than any extra study guide.