UDSL Job Search Manual - University of Dayton

Glossary of Bar Terms
The Multistate Professional Examination (MPRE)
The MPRE is a fifty-question, two-hour,
multiple-choice examination required for
admission to the bar in all states except
Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin. This
exam is administered three times per year in
March, August, and November. The CSO has
MPRE application packets or you can register
on-line at www.ncbex.org or www.act.org/mpre.
BarBri (www.barbri.com) offers an MPRE review
course. The MPRE tests your knowledge and
understanding of the ethical standards expected
in the legal profession. You can take the MPRE
in any state and have your score transferred
to another state at a later date; thus, you do
not need to know the state in which you will
be sitting for the bar at the time you take the
MPRE. Most law students take the MPRE the
summer after their second year of law school or
in the fall of their third year.
Bar Exam: Components for Most States
The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) – The MBE
is a six-hour, two-hundred question, multiplechoice
examination covering contracts, torts,
criminal law, evidence, real property, and constitutional
law. In 2004, all states except Louisiana
and Washington administered the MBE.
The Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
– This exam consists of several ninety-minute
questions (the number varies by state) designed
to test the practical use of legal analysis, fact
analysis, problem solving, ethical issues, organization
and management of lawyering tasks, as
well as effective use of communication within
the legal profession. In 2004, twenty-four states,
including Ohio, administered the MPT. Check
the bar exam format for your state to find out if
the MPT will be included.
The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) –
The MEE entails a three-hour, six-question essay
examination covering agency/partnership, commercial
drafting, conflict of laws, corporations,
estates, family law, federal civil procedure, sales,
secured transactions, and trusts. In 2004, fourteen
states required the MEE for admission to the
bar. The Ohio Bar Exam includes twelve essay
questions, but does not follow the MEE format.
Stop by the CSO to get a copy of the bar
components for your state or check the links on
the CSO web site.
Bar/Bri and PMBR
Both Bar/Bri and PMBR offer review courses
for state bar exams. To sign up for these review
courses, visit www.barbri.com or www.pmbr.com.
PMBR specializes in preparing students for the
Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and Bar/Bri
offers review courses for all components of the
state bar exam. Bar/Bri also offers review courses
for the MPRE and the Patent Bar Exam. We
encourage you to enroll in the review courses as
soon as possible as the cost increases the longer
you wait.
The Patent Bar
Students who wish to prosecute patents in
front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
must pass the Patent Bar Exam. The U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office administers the
exam with the purpose of testing knowledge of
patent laws, rules, procedure, and practice as
well as the ability to understand and properly
draft claims. Patent Bar applicants must have
a bachelor’s degree in a recognized technical
or scientific subject such as biology, chemistry,
or engineering, or have a sufficient number of
credit hours in an approved discipline. You can
take the Patent Bar in any state regardless of
where you intend to practice. On July 24, 2004,
the Patent & Trademark Office changed the
way the exam is administered; thus, it is now
a computer-based exam and will no longer be
offered just three times a year. Although many
of the details of the new exam procedure are still
being worked out, you can register to take the
exam at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/
olia/oed/examregist.htm The patent bar exam is
very difficult, so we strongly recommend that
you sign up for a patent bar review course and
give yourself plenty of time to study. You can
research various review courses on-line:
www.patentbarreview.com; www.patbar.com;
www.patentbarstudy.com; www.barbri.com;
and www.patentresources.com
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