Ultimate Guide to Michigan State Bar Exam
Your complete guide to Michigan bar exam prep.
Pass Rates · Bar Review Courses · Format · Essay Topics · Schedule · Dates · Location · Application Fees & Deadlines · What to Bring · Scores & Grading · Results · Reciprocity · Law Schools · Groups · Other Resources
*Updated June 2020
Michigan State Bar Exam | Basic Information
The State Bar of Michigan was started in 1935.
Michigan is not a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) state. Michigan has its own bar exam that uses the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the national multiple-choice test. Michigan also requires the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).
February 2020 (unknown takers)
View detailed statistics
February 2019 (370 takers)
What’s the format of the Michigan Bar?
The Michigan bar is administered twice each year in Michigan (in February and July). The examination is administered over two days in four, three-hour sessions. The Michigan bar has two parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and 15 essay questions.
MBE
The MBE is a six-hour test and consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that test your understanding across seven subjects. Your MBE score comprises 50% of your overall score.
Crushendo offers affordable, comprehensive written and audio outlines for MBE subjects.
Essay Questions
There are 15 essay questions on the Michigan bar exam. You have six hours to complete these questions.
Michigan bar exam essay topics may include the following:
- Real and Personal Property
- Wills and Trusts
- Contracts
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Corporations, Partnerships, and Agency
- Evidence
- Creditor’s Rights (including mortgages, garnishments, and attachments)
- Practice and Procedure (including trial and appellate, state and federal)
- Equity
- Torts (including no-fault)
- Uniform Commercial Code (the sales, negotiable instruments, and secured transactions articles)
- Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct
- Domestic Relations
- Conflicts of Laws
- Worker’s Compensation
What’s the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination?
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) tests your understanding of established standards of conduct for lawyers. The MPRE is administered three times each year (in March, August, and November). The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions and is two hours long. Check out this MPRE Tips video!
Upcoming Bar Exam Schedule, Dates, Location
Are you interested in taking the Michigan State bar exam? Here’s some basic information on applying to take the Michigan bar exam.
The Michigan Bar application fee for most takers is $400. There is a $100 late fee. There is a $375 investigation fee and a $175 late fee for the investigation.
*Visit the Michigan State Bar’s website for more information.
If you desire to take the bar exam in February, applications open August 15. You should submit your application by November 1 to avoid late fees. If you file between November 2 and December 15, there is a $100 late fee.
If you desire to take the bar exam in July, applications open January 15. You should submit your application by March 1 to avoid late fees. If you file between March 2 and May 15, there is a $100 late fee.
In addition to passing the Michigan bar exam with a score of at least 135, there are several requirements that must be met in order to be admitted as an attorney in Michigan, including:
- Score 85 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) within the accepted time frame.
- Certificate from Committee of Character and Fitness
Michigan State Bar Admissions Office
Physical address:
Michigan Board of Bar Examiners
P.O. Box 30052
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517-373-4453
Fax: 517-373-5038
Email: BLE-info@courts.mi.gov
Allowed Items
- Admission Certificate
- Government-issued photo I.D.
- Wallet
- Keys
- Earplugs (not the big earphone/headphone type)
- Pens, pencils, and erasers
- Medication and medical items
- Facial tissue
- One clear plastic bottle of water per exam session, the contents must also be clear
Prohibited items
- Any item that can connect to the internet
- Any item that can record audio or video
- Backpacks
- Books
- Briefcases
- Calculators
- Cameras
- Notes
- Phones
- Food or drink
- Purses
- Radios
- Rulers
- Scratch papers
- Study materials
- Watches
View pass lists for Michigan:
Frequently Asked Questions
When are my Michigan bar exam results released?
Michigan bar exam results are usually posted six to nine weeks after the exam date.
Can I see my Michigan bar exam score?
If you passed the Michigan bar exam, you won’t be able to see your score. If you failed the exam, you will receive your written examination back.
Can I appeal to have my Michigan bar exam re-graded?
Yes. You can appeal 20 days after receiving your results. You must appeal specific essays or briefs, and often licensed attorneys help test takers appeal their bar.
How many times can I take the bar exam in Michigan?
You can take the Michigan bar without limit.
Michigan has reciprocity with all other states and territories in the US. Attorneys applying to the Michigan bar must meet the following reciprocity requirements:
- Actively practice law for three of the last five years
- Certificate of Good Character and Fitness
Here’s a list of law schools in Michigan.
Wayne State University Law School
- Founded: 1927
- Located: Detroit, MI
- Enrollment: about 425
- Tuition Cost: $31,666 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 82%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.wayne.edu
University of Michigan Law School
- Founded: 1859
- Located: Ann Arbor, MI
- Enrollment: about 1,025
- Tuition Cost: $32,263 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 94%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.umich.edu
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
- Founded: 1912
- Located: Detroit, MI
- Enrollment: about 600
- Tuition Cost: $36,342 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 60%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: lawschool.udmercy.edu
Michigan State University College of Law
- Founded: 1891
- Located: East Lansing, MI
- Enrollment: about 700
- Tuition Cost: $45,638 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 77%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.msu.edu
Thomas M. Cooley College of Law
- Founded: 1972
- Located: Lansing, MI
- Enrollment: about 1,150
- Tuition Cost: $22,800 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 36%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: cooley.edu
Here are some Facebook groups you may find helpful before, and after, passing the bar exam:
Wayne State University School of Law
- Wayne Law Entrepreneurship & Business Law Society (EBLS) (82 members)
- Wayne Law – Used Textbook Buy, Sell, & Trade (227 members)
- Wayne Law (24 members)
- Wayne Law Health Law Society (12 members)
- APALSA at Wayne Law (10 members)
- Wayne Law Federalist Society (21 members)
- Women’s Law Caucus: Wayne State Law School (289 members)
- Wayne State Jewish Law Student Association (54 members)
- Wayne State University – Black Law Student Association (BLSA) (33 members)
- Wayne State Environmental Law Society (48 members)
- Wayne Law Student Board of Governors (SBG) (216 members)
- Wayne Law Career Services (201 members)
- Wayne Law Admitted Students 2020 (66 members)
- Wayne Law Admitted Students 2019 (162 members)
- Wayne Law Admitted Students 2018 (157 members)
- Wayne Law Admitted Students 2017 (172 members)
- Wayne Law Admitted Students 2016 (120 members)
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
- University of Detroit Mercy – Black Alumni Network (294 members)
- Detroit Mercy Law – Incoming Class of 2019 (89 members)
Michigan State University College of Law
- Empowering Women in Law Michigan State University (157 members)
- MSU-College of Law (557 members)
- MSU College of Law Progressive Legal Society (88 members)
- Michigan Law Class of 2023 (421 members)
- 2020 MSU Law Incoming Class (85 members)
- 2019 MSU Law Incoming Class (240 members)
- 2019-2020 MSU Law Student Ambassadors (21 members)
- 2018 MSU College of Law Admitted Students (211 members)
Thomas M. Cooley College of Law
- Cooley Law Alums (4,044 members)
- The Hispanic/Latino Law Society @ Thomas M. Cooley Law School (88 members)
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School Class of 2019 – Admitted Students (5 members)
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School Alternative Dispute Resolution (36 members)
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School Friends (14 members)
- Western Michigan University – Thomas M. Cooley Law School (class of 2018) (16 members)
- Cooley Law West Michigan Student Bar Association (274 members)
More helpful resources and study materials to help you pass the Michigan State bar exam: