Rhode Island Bar Exam Information

Dates, Cost & Location

As a state that was founded to establish religious liberty, Rhode Island has a long history of giving voice to the vulnerable. If you want to be a part of that tradition by taking the bar exam in the Ocean State, we’re here to help! Rhode Island offers the bar exam twice a year: in February and July. The February exam will take place from February 24–25, 2026, while the July exam will be offered from July 28–29, 2026. The initial deadline to apply for the February exam is December 1, 2025, and the application fee is $975. The deadline to apply for the July exam is May 1, 2026, and the application fee is $975. There is no laptop fee.

Like 40 other jurisdictions in the United States, Rhode Island uses the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) are administered on the first day of the exam. The MEE has six half-hour essay questions, while the MPT has two ninety-minute essay questions. The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is administered on the second day of the exam. During the MBE, test takers will spend six hours answering 200 multiple-choice questions.

Rhode Island will transition to the NextGen version of the bar exam in July 2028. The NextGen exam is designed to emphasize real-world lawyering skills in addition to your legal knowledge. The subjects Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Secured Transactions, and Trusts & Estates will be dropped from NextGen, but they may be on the bar exam before July 2028.

What subjects will you be tested on?

Although the MEE is much shorter than the MBE, it covers more topics. 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, as the number of topics vary with each exam administration, but we recommend studying all of the above subjects so you’re fully prepared to pass the bar.

Instead of testing your knowledge of a particular area of law, the MPT will ask you to demonstrate your ability to write a clear and convincing argument in a memorandum or legal brief. The relevant laws that apply to the question will be provided in the prompt.

The MBE will test Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, and Torts.

What’s the minimum score for the MPRE?

To pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in Rhode Island, you must receive a scaled score of at least 80.

How is the exam scored?

270 is the score required to pass the exam. You’ll be graded on a scaled score out of 400. The exam graders combine the MPT, MEE, and MBE into a single scaled score. The three sections of the exam are weighed differently. The MBE is weighed the most, being worth half of your score. The MEE is weighed the second-most, being worth 30% of your score. The MPT is weighed the least, as it counts for only 20% of your score. However, the fact that the MEE and the MPT are worth less than the MBE doesn’t make them any less important. If you do well on the MBE but poorly on the essays, you may fail the exam. But if you miss questions on the MBE, you can make up the points by doing well on the essays, and you’d still have a chance at passing the exam.

When are the results released?

Test takers should expect to receive their results two months after the exam administration. However, there is no guarantee of when the scores will be released.

Can I transfer my MBE scores from another jurisdiction?

Yes.

What about reciprocity across states?

Rhode Island doesn’t have reciprocity with other states, but if you’re an attorney who’s practiced law for at least five of the past ten years, you may apply to take only the essay portions of the Rhode Island Bar Exam.