MPT
Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
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ExploreAbout this exam
The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) is the performance-test component of the legacy Uniform Bar Examination, developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and administered by user jurisdictions as part of their bar examinations. It is a skills exam rather than a memory exam: each item hands you a File and a Library and asks you to produce a practical lawyering document-such as a memorandum, brief, contract provision, or client letter-under a supervising attorney's instructions. The File contains the facts of the case, including interview, deposition, or hearing transcripts, pleadings, correspondence, client documents, contracts, newspaper articles, medical records, police reports, or lawyer's notes; the specific assignment appears in a memorandum from a supervising attorney. The MPT consists of two 90-minute items. Jurisdictions may select one or both items, and jurisdictions that administer the Uniform Bar Examination use both. The MPT is offered on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July each year, with scheduled administrations on February 23, 2027, July 27, 2027, and February 22, 2028. Applicants register by applying to a jurisdiction for the bar exam; each jurisdiction sets its own test-day policies on materials and identification. Preparation means practicing timed, closed-universe drafting from the File and Library, learning to extract governing rules from the Library quickly, and following the assignment memo precisely. Note that between July 2026 and July 2028 most jurisdictions will transition from the MBE, MEE, and MPT to the NextGen UBE, so confirm your jurisdiction's plans.
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About MPT preparation
What exactly is the MPT and who takes it?
It is the performance-test component of the legacy Uniform Bar Examination, developed by NCBE and administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar exam. Candidates apply to a jurisdiction to register. Jurisdictions may use one or both items; UBE jurisdictions use both.
How many items are there and how long is each?
The MPT consists of two 90-minute items. Each item supplies a File with the case facts and a Library, plus an assignment memorandum from a supervising attorney describing the document you must produce.
What kinds of documents does the File contain?
The File holds source documents containing all the facts of the case: interview, deposition, hearing, or trial transcripts, pleadings, correspondence, client documents, contracts, newspaper articles, medical records, police reports, or lawyer's notes. Everything you need factually should be there.
When is the MPT administered?
It is administered on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July each year. Scheduled administrations listed by NCBE are February 23, 2027, July 27, 2027, and February 22, 2028.
Is the MPT offered in every jurisdiction?
No. NCBE publishes a jurisdiction table showing where the MPT is administered. Several jurisdictions, including California, Florida, and Washington, are listed as not administering it, so check your jurisdiction's bar admission agency before relying on MPT scores.
How should I prepare for a performance test?
Practice timed drafting from a File and Library rather than memorizing doctrine. Train yourself to read the assignment memo first, pull the governing rules out of the Library, then draft using only File facts. NCBE offers official study aids for the legacy UBE, including the MPT.
What is the most common way candidates lose points?
Ignoring the assignment memo's specified format and audience, importing outside law instead of the Library's rules, and padding with facts not in the File. A shorter document that follows the memo, cites Library authority, and analyzes File facts usually scores better than a long unfocused one.
Will the MPT still exist when I sit for the bar?
Between July 2026 and July 2028, most jurisdictions will transition from the MBE, MEE, and MPT to the NextGen UBE. The legacy UBE, including the MPT, is administered through February 2028. Confirm the timing for your jurisdiction before planning.