Ohio Bar Exam Information

Dates, Cost & Location

Did you know that the primary author of the Fourteenth Amendment was from Ohio? His name was John A. Bingham. He was a lawyer who used his position in Congress to reshape U.S. constitutional law for the better by writing the words “equal protection” into the Constitution. Bingham was just one of many great Ohio attorneys who made a phenomenal impact on American law. If you want to follow in their footsteps by practicing law in Ohio, we’re here to help! The Ohio Bar Exam is offered in February and July of each year. The February 2026 exam will be administered from February 24–25, 2026, while the July 2026 exam will take place from July 28–29, 2026.

The initial deadline to apply for the February exam is November 1, 2025, with a $452 application fee. However, applications submitted between November 2 and December 10 will be accepted so long as the applicant pays a late fee of $430. The deadlines for the July 2026 exam haven’t been announced yet.
Like 40 other jurisdictions in the United States, Ohio uses the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The UBE has three sections: the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). The MPT and MEE are administered on the first day of the exam, while the MBE is administered on the second day. On the first day, you’ll start with the MPT in the morning session. After a break for lunch, you’ll continue with the MEE in the afternoon. The MPT has two ninety-minute essay questions, while the MEE has six half-hour essay questions. The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is administered on the second day of the exam, and it’s split into two sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. For the MBE, test takers will spend six hours answering 200 multiple-choice questions.
Effective July 2028, Ohio will shift to using the NextGen version of the UBE. The NextGen bar exam will have the same main components as the current version of the bar exam, but it will include new questions that are designed to test real-world lawyering skills like dispute resolution and navigating client relationships. The NextGen exam will not test the following subjects: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Secured Transactions, and Trusts & Estates.

What subjects will you be tested on?
The MEE may test you on Business Associations (including Agency, Partnerships, and Corporations), Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Secured Transactions (including Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code), Torts, and Wills & Estates. Not all of these subjects will necessarily be tested on exam day, but we recommend studying all of the above subjects so you’re fully prepared to pass the bar.
For the MPT, instead of being tested on your knowledge of a particular area of law, you’ll be asked to demonstrate your ability to write a clear and convincing argument in a memorandum or legal brief. The prompt will include the relevant laws applicable to the question.
The MBE will test you on Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, and Torts.

What is the Ohio Law Component?
Unlike most states, Ohio requires you to take an exam that is specific to state law, called the Ohio Law Component (OLC). The OLC is a multiple-choice exam with twenty-five questions. The exam is open-book, but you must correctly answer at least twenty questions (80%) to pass.

What’s the minimum score for the MPRE?
To pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in Ohio, you must receive a scaled score of at least 85.

How is the bar exam scored?
To pass, you must achieve a combined scaled score of 270 out of 400. The three sections of the bar exam are combined into one scaled score out of 400. The MBE is worth half of the total score, while the MPT is worth 20% and the MEE is worth 30%.

When are the results released?
Typically, results have been released two months after the exam administration, but there is no guaranteed date for when you’ll receive your score.

Can I transfer my MBE scores from another jurisdiction?
Yes.

What about reciprocity across states?
If you’re licensed to practice law out of state, you may apply for admission on motion in Ohio if you’re in good standing in all jurisdictions where you’re licensed to practice, you’ve practiced law for at least one thousand hours every year for five of the previous seven years, you haven’t failed the Ohio Bar Exam within the past five years, and you’re either a citizen or resident alien of the United States.