Vermont Bar Exam Information

Dates, Cost & Location

Did you know that Vermont was the first place in the U.S. to abolish slavery? Vermont abolished slavery in 1780, when it was still an independent republic. In later decades, Vermont was a central base of support for unions, women’s rights advocates, and the Civil Rights Movement. Today, Vermont’s attorneys work around the clock to support equality for all Americans.

If you also want to practice law, then you’ve come to the right place, because we’re here to offer information about how you can apply for the bar exam! Vermont, like all other U.S. jurisdictions, offers the bar exam twice a year: in February and July. Both administrations of the exam take place over two days. The February exam will take place from February 24–25, 2026, while the July exam will be administered from July 28–29, 2026. Although the deadline to apply for the February 2026 exam has passed, you can apply for the July 2026 exam until April 15, 2026. The application fee is $300.

Like most U.S. states, Vermont uses the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). On the first day of the UBE, you’ll spend six hours responding to essay questions. On the second day, you’ll spend another six hours responding to multiple-choice questions. The first two sections of the exam, which you’ll take on day one, are the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The MEE has six half-hour essay questions, while the MPT has two ninety-minute essay questions. The final section of the exam, which you’ll take on day two, is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). During the MBE, you’ll spend six hours answering 200 multiple-choice questions.

Vermont will continue using its current version of the UBE until July 2027, when it will shift to an updated version called NextGen. NextGen is designed to put more emphasis on testing your skills in areas of everyday legal responsibility, like handling client relationships and drafting documents. NextGen won’t test you on four subjects that are on the current version of the UBE: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Secured Transactions, and Trusts & Estates.

What subjects will you be tested on?

Any of these subjects may appear on the MEE: 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. Because the subjects that are tested tend to vary with each new exam, there’s no way to predict how many of these subjects will be on your exam, so it’s best to study all of them.

The MPT works differently from the MEE. The MPT doesn’t test your knowledge of specific legal subjects. The relevant laws, as well as a fact pattern, will be given to you in the prompt. It will be your job to apply those laws to the facts and develop a persuasive legal argument in a memorandum or legal brief.

The MBE will test you on 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 Vermont, you must receive a scaled score of at least 80.

How is the exam scored?

To pass, you must achieve a score of 270 out of 400. Your scores on the three sections of the exam are combined into one scaled score out of 400. The MBE is worth 50% of the total score, while the MPT is worth 20% and the MEE is worth 30%.

When are the results released?

Test takers should expect to receive their results about two months after the exam administration, but an exact date is not guaranteed.

Can I transfer my MBE scores from another jurisdiction?

Yes.

What about reciprocity across states?

To practice law in Vermont without taking the UBE, you can apply for admission on motion. To apply, you must have practiced law for at least eighty hours during thirty-six of the past sixty months, have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school, and be in good standing in all jurisdictions where you’re presently licensed to practice.