Questions on the Texas bar exam come in three formats under the Uniform Bar Examination: 200 multiple-choice questions on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), six 30-minute essays on the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and two 90-minute practical writing tasks on the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Texas adopted the UBE starting with the February 2021 administration.1Texas Board of Law Examiners. Uniform Bar Exam Frequently Asked Questions The whole exam runs 12 hours over two days, and your performance is reported as a single scaled score out of 400.
The Multiple-Choice Questions (MBE)
The MBE is 200 multiple-choice questions split evenly between a morning and an afternoon session, three hours each. Every question gives you a fact pattern and four answer choices. Only 175 of the 200 count toward your score; the remaining 25 are unscored pretest items that NCBE is evaluating for future use, and you cannot tell which is which.2National Conference of Bar Examiners. Preparing for the MBE Treat every question as scored.
Three hours for 100 questions comes out to 1.8 minutes each. That pace leaves almost no room for extended deliberation, so most test-takers develop a system for flagging uncertain questions and returning to them rather than stalling on any single problem.
MBE Subjects
The MBE tests seven subjects, with 25 scored questions on each: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts.2National Conference of Bar Examiners. Preparing for the MBE The equal weighting matters for study planning. Neglecting one subject leaves 25 questions on the table.
The Essay Questions (MEE)
The MEE is six essays, 30 minutes apiece.3National Conference of Bar Examiners. Preparing for the MEE Each presents a fact pattern and asks you to identify the legal issues, state the applicable rules, and apply them to the facts. The exam tests whether you can organize a legal analysis in writing and communicate it clearly under time pressure.
Thirty minutes goes fast. Strong answers are not exhaustive; they are tightly organized responses that spot the key issues and work through the analysis without detours. Graders reward issue-spotting and correct rule application far more than polished prose.
MEE Subjects (Changes Starting July 2026)
The MEE subject list is changing. Starting with the July 2026 administration, Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions are no longer tested on the MEE.4National Conference of Bar Examiners. MEE Subject Matter Outline From July 2026 forward, MEE questions are drawn from:
- Business Associations (agency, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies)
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
Family Law and Trusts and Estates do not vanish from the exam. From July 2026 through February 2028, both will be tested regularly through the MPT instead of the MEE.4National Conference of Bar Examiners. MEE Subject Matter Outline If you are sitting for the February 2026 exam, the old subject list still applies, including Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions. Check which administration you are targeting before you build a study plan.
The Performance Test Questions (MPT)
The MPT is two 90-minute tasks that simulate work a new lawyer might actually do. Each task gives you a “File” of factual documents (interview transcripts, depositions, correspondence, contracts) and a “Library” of legal authorities such as statutes and case excerpts.5National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPT Bar Exam – Multistate Performance Test An assignment memo from a fictional supervising attorney tells you what to produce: an objective memorandum, a persuasive brief, a client letter, or something else.
The MPT is a closed universe. Everything you need is in the materials provided, and no outside legal knowledge is required or expected. What is being tested is whether you can read unfamiliar law, sort through a pile of facts, and produce a coherent work product under a deadline.
How the Questions Are Scored
Your final UBE score is a weighted combination of the three components, reported on a 400-point scale. The MBE accounts for 50%, the MEE contributes 30%, and the MPT makes up the remaining 20%.6National Conference of Bar Examiners. The Uniform Bar Examination That makes the MBE the single biggest factor in your result. A strong multiple-choice performance can offset weaker essays, and a poor MBE score is very hard to recover from.
Essays and performance tasks are first graded as raw scores by trained readers. Those raw scores are then scaled against the MBE so that a slightly harder or easier set of written questions does not unfairly advantage or disadvantage one group of examinees over another.
Texas requires a minimum score of 270 to pass.6National Conference of Bar Examiners. The Uniform Bar Examination Results for the February exam are typically released in mid-April, roughly six to eight weeks after test day.
Where to Find Real Past Questions
The most reliable source for past exam questions is the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which publishes practice questions for the MBE, MEE, and MPT through its study aids portal.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. NCBE Study Aids These are available as digital downloads in the same formats you will see on test day.
The Texas Board of Law Examiners separately publishes past essay questions alongside selected above-average answers written by actual examinees. The posted responses are unrevised, produced under real test conditions without reference materials, and the Board publishes them specifically to show the general length and quality that earned strong scores.8Texas Board of Law Examiners. Questions and Selected Answers Reading them is one of the fastest ways to calibrate your own writing. You quickly see how much depth graders expect and how little polish the time constraints allow.
One caution from the Board: posting a prior question on a particular subject is not an indication that the same subject will appear on a future exam. Use these materials to practice the skill of legal analysis, not to guess what will be tested.
What About the NextGen Bar Exam?
NCBE is rolling out a redesigned test called the NextGen Bar Exam, which replaces the separate MBE, MEE, and MPT with a more integrated format. The NextGen UBE will first be administered in a limited number of jurisdictions in July 2026, and the final administration of the current UBE is scheduled for February 2028.9National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam
Texas is not an early adopter. The Supreme Court of Texas has issued an order anticipating implementation of the NextGen exam with the July 2028 administration.10Supreme Court of Texas. Supreme Court Order Anticipates Implementation of the NextGen Bar Exam, Seeks Public Comment Anyone sitting for the Texas bar through at least February 2028 will take the current UBE format and the question types described above.
The NextGen format looks substantially different. Roughly 40% of test time goes to multiple-choice questions in two formats (pick one of four, or pick two of six). About a quarter involves integrated question sets built around a common fact pattern, mixing multiple-choice with short and medium-length written answers. The remaining third is devoted to performance tasks similar to the current MPT but with an added legal research component.11National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Sample Questions If you expect to sit for the Texas bar in or after July 2028, that format is worth monitoring.