Bar exam study schedule: a plan built from NCBE's UBE weights
Updated November 2026
A bar exam study schedule should follow the weights NCBE publishes for the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE): the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is 50% of the score, the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) 30% and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) 20%. The MBE has 200 multiple-choice questions in two 3-hour sessions, and its 175 scored questions are spread evenly, 25 each, over Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts. The MEE is six 30-minute essays and the MPT is two 90-minute tasks, both given the Tuesday before the MBE. Scores are reported on a 400-point scale, and each jurisdiction sets its own passing score.
Two changes matter for 2026 and 2027. Since the July 2026 exam, the MEE no longer tests Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates or Secured Transactions, and through February 2028 Family Law and Trusts and Estates are tested regularly on the MPT. The NextGen UBE was first given in July 2026 in a limited number of jurisdictions. More switch in July 2027 and February 2028 and the largest group in July 2028, and the last legacy UBE is in February 2028, so check which exam your jurisdiction gives on your date.
Pick your exam version in the builder below, then enter your exam date, hours a day and days a week. For the legacy UBE it gives each MBE subject a seventh of the MBE's 50% and keeps the MEE and MPT as their own blocks; for the NextGen UBE it uses NCBE's split of 49% multiple-choice, 21% integrated question sets and 30% performance tasks. Topics alternate day by day, and the last quarter of your days goes to mixed practice and review. It's free and needs no account.
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UBE format at a glance
| Which exam you take | NextGen UBE from July 2026 in Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the Virgin Islands; from July 2027 in 12 more; from February 2028 in Delaware, D.C., Illinois and Montana; most others from July 2028 | NCBE (table updated Oct 23, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy UBE ends | February 2028 is the final administration of the MBE, MEE and MPT | NCBE timeline |
| MEE change | From July 2026, Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates and Secured Transactions are no longer tested on the MEE | NCBE |
| Registration | You apply to your jurisdiction, which sets its own deadlines, requirements and application fees | NCBE |
Legacy UBE (MBE, MEE, MPT), given through February 2028
| Components | MBE 50%, MEE 30%, MPT 20%; total on a 400-point scale; each jurisdiction sets its minimum passing score | NCBE |
|---|---|---|
| MBE | 200 multiple-choice questions (175 scored, 25 unscored pretest) in two 3-hour sessions; no points subtracted for wrong answers | NCBE |
| Schedule | Two days: MEE (six 30-minute essays) and MPT (two 90-minute tasks) on Tuesday, MBE on the last Wednesday of February or July | NCBE |
| Next MBE dates | February 24, 2027; July 28, 2027; February 23, 2028 (the last legacy administration) | NCBE |
NextGen UBE (first given July 2026)
| Structure | Three 3-hour sections over 1.5 days on your own laptop at a proctored site: 120 standalone multiple-choice questions, 6 integrated question sets and 3 performance tasks. 20 questions and 1 set are unscored pretest items. | NCBE NextGen blueprint |
|---|---|---|
| Score weights | Multiple-choice 49%, integrated question sets 21%, performance tasks 30%; scale 500 to 750; each jurisdiction sets its passing score | NCBE NextGen blueprint |
| Technology fee | $149, paid to NCBE, separate from your jurisdiction's application fees | NCBE |
| Next dates | February 23–24, 2027; July 27–28, 2027; February 22–23, 2028 | NCBE |
Checked against the official sources on November 1, 2026.
What the UBE covers, by official weight
Legacy UBE (MBE, MEE, MPT), given through February 2028
- Civil Procedure: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Constitutional Law: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Contracts: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Criminal Law and Procedure: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Evidence: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Real Property: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Torts: about 7% (25 of the MBE's 175 scored questions; the MBE is 50%)
- Multistate Essay Examination (MEE): 30% (six 30-minute essays). areas that may be tested: Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts (including UCC Article 2), Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts; they vary from exam to exam.
- Multistate Performance Test (MPT): 20% (two 90-minute tasks). from July 2026 through February 2028, NCBE tests Family Law and Trusts and Estates regularly on the MPT.
NextGen UBE (first given July 2026)
- Business associations: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Civil procedure: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Constitutional law: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Contract law: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Criminal law: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Evidence: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Real property: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Torts: about 6% (1 of 8 subjects in the 49% multiple-choice share)
- Integrated question sets: 21% (two sets per section, six in all). drafting sets and counseling sets built on one fact scenario; NCBE expects about 24 minutes a set.
- Performance tasks: 30% (one per section, three in all). through February 2028, family law and trusts and estates appear on every exam in a performance task, with legal resources provided.
NCBE publishes the component weights; the per-subject figures are our arithmetic. On the legacy MBE each of the seven subjects has 25 of the 175 scored questions, so each gets a seventh of the MBE's 50% (about 7%). The MEE and MPT stay as single blocks because NCBE says MEE subjects vary from exam to exam and the MPT tests lawyering skills rather than one subject. On the NextGen UBE, NCBE says the standalone multiple-choice questions test the eight subjects in approximately equal numbers, so each gets an eighth of 49% (about 6%); integrated question sets also test these subjects, but not in equal shares.
How the builder splits your time
- It counts your study days between today and the day before the exam, using the days a week you chose.
- It keeps the last quarter of those days (at least one week) for mixed practice questions and reviewing what you missed.
- It splits the rest across the subjects and components of the exam version you pick, alternating them day by day in proportion to the official weights above, using NCBE's published weights (legacy UBE: MBE 50%, MEE 30%, MPT 20%; NextGen UBE: multiple-choice 49%, integrated question sets 21%, performance tasks 30%), with each multiple-choice share split evenly across its subjects.
- This is our rule of thumb, not advice from NCBE. Move days toward your weak areas once your practice scores show them.
Protect each block from your own browser
A schedule only works if the hours happen. Focus AI is a Chrome extension built for that: when a block starts, type its task (the "Copy focus task" button gives you the line, like "UBE: MBE Civil Procedure questions, timed") and it blocks pages that don't serve that task. Your outlines, practice questions and NCBE study aids stay open; feeds, Shorts and game sites don't. Ending a block early means typing a sentence, not clicking a button.
First 3 sessions free, then $9.99 a month or $49 a year. The schedule builder above is free either way.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Uniform Bar Exam weighted?
On the legacy UBE, NCBE weights the MBE 50%, the MEE 30% and the MPT 20%, and reports the total on a 400-point scale. Each jurisdiction sets its own minimum passing score. On the NextGen UBE, standalone multiple-choice questions are 49% of the score, integrated question sets 21% and performance tasks 30%, on a 500–750 scale.
Which subjects are on the MBE?
Seven: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts. NCBE says the 175 scored questions are spread evenly, 25 per subject. Another 25 unscored pretest questions look the same, so answer everything; wrong answers don't cost points.
What changed on the MEE in July 2026?
From the July 2026 exam, the MEE no longer tests Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates or Secured Transactions. The areas that may be tested are Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts (including UCC Article 2), Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property and Torts. From July 2026 through February 2028, Family Law and Trusts and Estates are tested regularly on the MPT.
When does my jurisdiction switch to the NextGen bar exam?
NCBE's table (updated October 23, 2026) lists Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the Virgin Islands from July 2026; Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming from July 2027; Delaware, D.C., Illinois and Montana from February 2028; and most other jurisdictions, including New York, California and Texas, from July 2028. Mississippi is still to be announced. Confirm with your bar admission agency.
How is the NextGen UBE different?
It runs 1.5 days in three 3-hour sections, on your own laptop at an in-person proctored site. Each section mixes 40 standalone multiple-choice questions, two integrated question sets and one performance task. Through February 2028 it tests eight subjects (business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law, evidence, real property and torts), and family law joins them in July 2028. NCBE charges a $149 technology fee on top of jurisdiction fees.
Sources
- NCBE, About the UBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, Legacy UBE scores (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, Registering for the UBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, MBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, Preparing for the MBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, About the MEE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, Preparing for the MEE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, About the MPT (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, NextGen UBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, About the NextGen UBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, NextGen UBE Blueprint, July 2026 to February 2027 (PDF) (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, Registering for the NextGen UBE (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, NextGen UBE adoption by jurisdiction (checked November 1, 2026)
- NCBE, NextGen implementation timeline (checked November 1, 2026)
Lock in your UBE study blocks
Type the block's task, pick a length, and everything that doesn't serve it stays shut until the timer ends.
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