This past week, like many of my 2L peers, I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam or the MPRE. This exam is a vital prerequisite or co-requisite to the bar exam for admission in most U.S. jurisdictions. So why have many people never heard of it before? 

What is the MPRE? 

The MPRE is a 2-hr, 60-question, multiple-choice exam, administered three times a year (March, August, and November), designed to test knowledge of the rules related to a lawyer’s professional conduct. There are two important things to note. There is no negative scoring so it doesn’t hurt to guess. And while you answer 60 questions, only 50 questions are graded. The remaining 10 are used for testing purposes and are indistinguishable from the graded questions on the test. In other words, answer every question. As for the material tested, while each state has its own set of ethical standards, the MPRE tests on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct so only worry about that. 

Don’t I have to take Professional Responsibility as a law school course? Why do I have to take this exam? 

This is a question I asked too. While the MPRE and a Professional Responsibility class cover similar material, there are differences. The MPRE is a standardized test, focused exclusively on the content and the application of the ABA Model Rules, while the PR course provides a deeper, more nuanced understanding of legal ethics through case studies and discussions. My PR professor last semester specifically disclaimed that the class wasn’t constructed merely to prepare for the MPRE; rather, it would be a more involved analysis of ethical dilemmas, legal reasoning, and the complexities of the attorney-client relationship. With that being said, some jurisdictions, like New Jersey and Connecticut, waive the MPRE requirement for those who have passed a professional responsibility course in law school.

What score do I need to pass? 

The MPRE score scale runs from 50 to 150 and the score you need to pass varies by jurisdiction. Massachusetts and New York both require an 85 to pass, and for Washington D.C., you need a 75. California has the highest minimum score—you need an 86 to pass. 

So how should I prepare for this exam? 

The first thing I would suggest is taking the MPRE after you have taken Professional Responsibility, or while you are currently enrolled in the class. Even though they are not the same, taking Professional Responsibility helped me contextualize the Model Rules and best understand how to apply them. Apart from that, MPRE prep is largely self-guided and a few weeks of study is enough. I recommend using the Barbri videos to study the concepts. But practice is essential. Helix Bar Prep offers a simulated MPRE on campus which is a good opportunity to get used to exam timing and pace. Aside from that, answer as many practice questions as you can, especially on the more complex, heavily tested subjects like conflicts of interest and the duty of confidentiality. 

Above all else, don’t stress. With enough preparation and practice, the MPRE is just checking off a box on the bar admissions requisites list.

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Sangeeta Kishore is a second-year student at BC Law and president of the Impact blog. Contact her at kishorsa@bc.edu.