Hawaii Bar Exam Information

Dates, Cost & Location

It’s many people’s dream to live in the sunny islands of Hawaii, and you can realize that dream if you pass the Hawaii Bar Exam. The exam takes place twice a year, in February and July. The February exam is administered from February 25–26, 2026, while the July version is administered from July 28–29, 2026. The deadline to apply for the February exam is November 1, 2025, while the deadline for the July exam is April 1, 2026.

The application fee for the Hawaii Bar Exam is $500. Hawaii also has a separate fee for its character and fitness application, but the amount of the fee depends on each applicant. Both the February and July administrations of the exam have a laptop fee of $133.50.

Unlike most states, Hawaii does not use the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). On the first day of the exam, students will answer two ninety-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) essay questions, fifteen multiple-choice questions for the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination, and six thirty-minute Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) essay questions. The MPT and the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination take place during the morning session of the exam, after which you’ll have a lunch break. The Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination lasts thirty minutes. Following the break, you’ll return to the exam to take the MEE.

On the second day, students will spend six hours answering two hundred multiple-choice questions on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). These two hundred questions will be spread out over a morning and an afternoon session, with a lunch break in between.

Starting in July 2028, Hawaii will be using the NextGen version of the bar exam. The NextGen bar exam is designed to prioritize real-world lawyering skills more than past versions of the bar. The NextGen exam will not test the following subjects: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Secured Transactions, and Trusts & Estates. The NextGen exam will include more questions about practical legal work, such as legal writing, negotiations, and client relationships.

What subjects will you be tested on?
For the MBE, you may be tested on Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, and Torts.

For the MEE, you may be tested on all of the above MBE subjects, as well as Business Associations, Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions.

For the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination, you’ll be tested on the Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct.

Some of the subjects that are tested on the MBE and the MEE will appear on the MPT, but the MPT tests your legal writing skills more so than your knowledge of a particular legal subject. While knowing the MEE and MBE subjects will be helpful on the MPT, you should prioritize your ability to write a clear and convincing argument in a legal memorandum or brief.

What’s the minimum score for the MPRE?
To pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in Hawaii, you must receive a scaled score of at least 85 within one year of passing the Hawaii Bar Exam.

How is the exam scored?
The MPT, MEE, MBE, and Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination are combined into a single scaled score. The MBE is worth 50% of the total score, while the MPT, the MEE, and the Hawaii Legal Ethics Examination are each worth 16.66% (for a combined total of 50%). To pass, you must achieve a combined scaled score of 132 out of 200.

When are the results released?
Usually, the results of the Hawaii Bar Exam are released by the first week of May, but there is no guaranteed day for when you’ll receive your score. The results for the July 2025 Hawaii Bar exam were released on September 22, 2025, so although the results for the July 2026 can be expected to be received in a similar timeframe, there is no guaranteed date.

Can I transfer my MBE scores from another jurisdiction?
Hawaii doesn’t accept MBE results from other jurisdictions.

What about reciprocity across states?

Hawaii doesn’t have reciprocity with other jurisdictions.