Apply to take the Bar Exam

To be eligible to take the bar exam, you must:

1. Be awarded JD from an ABA accredited law school prior to the administration of the bar exam;
2. Submit all the materials outlined on the Exam Application Checklist, to include the specified fees; and
3. Be certified by the Commission on Character & Fitness to take the exam.

To be fully admitted to the State Bar of Montana, you must:

1. Earn a qualifiable score of 266+ on the Legacy Uniform Bar Exam;
2. Submit your Certified MPRE Score of 80+ (you are allowed to take the bar exam prior to earning an acceptable MPRE Score);
3. Have viewed the Montana Law Seminar; 
4. Be certified to be sworn in by the Commission on Character & Fitness (if you pass the exam, your Certification Letter is the same letter that provides your passing results);
5. Pay your dues to the State Bar of Montana;
6. Pay your license tax to the Supreme Court; and
7. Be sworn in by an authorized judge.

Montana Admission Rules - Verify your eligibility for admission into Montana.

Character & Fitness - Rules of Procedure of the Commission on Character and Fitness of the Supreme Court of Montana

Board of Bar Examiner Rules -  Rules regarding the Bar Examination.

• All applicants must complete the Character and Fitness Application through NCBE for Montana. The Character and Fitness Application through NCBE has separate application fees from those that are required by the State Bar of Montana to support your application. The NCBE C&F Application Fee Scale is available through this link.
• All applicants must submit the materials and fees outlined on the Exam Application Checklist.

• Add mhartze@montanabar.org to your "Safe Senders" list on the email address provided on your Exam Application Cover Page. Once your application is received, you will be emailed by mhartze@montanabar.org to confirm receipt of your application and it will be advised if/what further material(s) must be submitted to support your application.

Applications for examination must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the Bar Admissions Administrator on or before the stated deadline. For exam applicants, the deadline for the February administration is October 1st and the deadline for the July administration is March 15th.

Late applications will not be accepted without a Court Order approving late filing. If the Montana Supreme Court grants a petition for late application, a $100 late filing fee will be charged in addition to the application fees.

Courtesy Seating is available in Montana. Courtesy Seating applicants must apply the same as any other exam applicant, exempt from furnishing the  ($155) fee for the Montana Law Seminar and completing review of the Montana Law Seminar materials. You can indicate whether or not you wish to take a courtesy seat on the Exam Application Cover Page.

If you have a medical, physical, or cognitive disability, you may request that the bar examination be administered under reasonable conditions to accommodate your needs. You must make your request by submitting the Request for Testing Accommodation Forms. An applicant who claims a disability and seeks an accommodation on the bar examination must submit a request for the accommodation with supporting documentation by the application deadline. Applications for accommodations not submitted by the application deadline will not be considered, except where the disability occurs after the application filing deadline.

Nursing Mothers Seeking Accommodation:

Although breastfeeding is not defined as a disability by the ADA and is not to be considered one for purposes of granting accommodations, the Board will afford breastfeeding applicants accommodations in a manner consistent with public policy and law. Any breastfeeding applicant seeking such accommodation shall submit a letter request for breastfeeding accommodation to the Bar Admissions Administrator by the filing deadline for the relevant Uniform Bar Examination administration stating the type of accommodation desired. The applicant does not need to submit the request for breastfeeding accommodation on the form otherwise required for disability-based accommodations. A doctor's statement does not need to be submitted with the request but may be asked for by the Board at a later date. The request for breastfeeding accommodations should include documentation of the child's anticipated date of birth. Individual accommodations may vary, in the Board's discretion, depending upon each applicant's request or circumstances and whether such accommodations are medically necessary for the health of the applicant or the infant. For additional information, please see: Rules of the Board of Bar Examiners (Rule 104, subsection F).

The Character and Fitness Application fees that are submitted to NCBE for processing are separate and in addition to the following fees.

• The base application fee that must be submitted with your application is either the $155 Student Application Fee or the $410 Attorney Application Fee, based on your current status.
• The $310 Uniform Bar Exam Registration Fee and $155 Montana Law Seminar Fee can be submitted either with your application or you can wait until you have been advised that your character and fitness have been found certifiable. 
• $125 Laptop Registration Fee will be collected directly by ExamSoft prior to the exam. You will be contacted directly by ExamSoft to submit this registration payment.

Checks or money orders can be paid to the order of "State Bar of Montana."

An applicant’s failure to appear for examination without first requesting a deferral in writing will result in the application being dismissed. After three deferrals, an applicant is required to submit a new application and pay the application filing fee. To defer to the next exam, send the completed Addendum/Deferral Form to the Bar Admissions Administrator with a check or you may pay the $20 fee online

An MPRE score of 80 or greater is not required prior to sitting for the UBE, but is required prior to admission to the Montana Bar. To qualify for admission, an applicant must obtain an MPRE Score of 80 or greater from any testing site within three (3) years prior to applying to take the Montana Bar Examination OR no later than nine (9) months after notification of successful completion of the Montana Bar Examination.

Montana does not administer the MPRE. Information about registration and testing locations for the MPRE is available on the NCBE's website. It is the applicant's responsibility to have MPRE scores certified to the State Bar of Montana. Contact the NCBE to request your certified score be provided to Montana. 

The Montana Law Seminar will be emailed to you after the bar exam administration.  All applicants, regardless of admission method, must attend the Montana Law Seminar (MLS). 

The Montana Law Seminar is a Supreme Court required course that will focus on the structure of the legal system in Montana, the unique aspects of Montana law, and the accepted morals and culture of practicing law in Montana. The Seminar is directed specifically to those seeking admission to the Bar, and only those who are applying for admission to the State Bar of Montana are eligible to attend. The Montana Law Seminar is not a CLE program; no CLE credits be awarded.

A separate application fee is charged for the NCBE Character & Fitness Application. 

The NCBE Character and Fitness Application through is the most time-consuming portion of the application for admission. Therefore, it is highly encouraged to initiate this application as soon as you are able.

The NCBE Application (page i.) includes categories for Law Student Registration and Foreign Educated or Foreign-Licensed Attorneys. Montana does not currently accept early applications for law students or recognize foreign applicants. All applicants are required to hold a JD from an ABA accredited school.

Please mail your application package to: Admissions Team, PO Box 577, Helena, MT, 59601.

The Montana Board of Bar Examiners is not affiliated with any bar review course. The National Conference of Bar Examiners is responsible for development of the MEE, MPT and MBE, and we encourage applicants to review the NCBE website for study materials, mock exams, and other exam preparations. 

Applicants must have a certified final law school transcript showing that you have received a Juris Doctorate Degree from an ABA accredited law school sent directly to the Bar Admissions Administrator's office no less than 30 days prior to the bar exam. Applicants will not be allowed to sit for the exam and are not eligible for admission to the Montana Bar unless proof of a qualifying JD has been received. If opportune, you can request that your final transcript be electronically submitted to mhartze@montanabar.org

All essay answers (MEE & MPT) may be handwritten in the blue books that we will provide OR by using a laptop that has been pre-registered with ExamSoft's SofTest™. There is a $125 Laptop Registration Fee (paid to ExamSoft) for using your laptop, but it is completely voluntary and any examinee may choose to handwrite their exam rather than use a laptop. A laptop examinee may choose to handwrite once the exam begins, but a hand-writer cannot decide to use a laptop after the laptop registration has closed. All examinees who utilize the laptop option should be prepared to hand write just in case of a power outage or if laptop issues occur. 

A UBE score of 266 or greater must be earned to qualify for admission into Montana. The UBE consists of three (3) separate exam components administered together in a single exam administration: six (6) MEE questions, two (2) MPT items, and the MBE. All three exams are developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and are uniformly administered, graded, and scored by user jurisdictions, resulting in a portable score. The NCBE provides excellent information, study aids, and preparation information regarding each of these items. 

The MEE is developed as a six (6) question essay test to be administered in one three-hour test session. The purpose of the MEE is to test the examinee's ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation. The Montana Board of Bar Examiners grade the MEE; they suggest examinees review the Guidelines for Acceptable Essay Answers. 

The MPT is a three-hour examination, with two (2) 90-minute skills questions covering legal analysis, fact analysis, problem solving, resolution of ethical dilemmas, organization and management of a lawyering task, and communication. The MPT is designed to test an examinee's ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation. Each test evaluates an examinee's ability to complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. The Montana Board of Bar Examiners grade the MPT; they suggest examinees review the Guidelines for Acceptable Essay Answers. More information and study aids can be found on NCBE's website. 

The MBE is a 200-question multiple-choice test that is administered in two (2) three-hour test sessions. The purpose of the MBE is to assess the extent to which an examinee can apply fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns. The exam is divided into morning and afternoon testing sessions of three hours each, with 100 questions in each session. The questions on the MBE are distributed between the following topics: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts. Please refer to the MBE Subject Matter Outline for the MBE's scope of coverage and information about the MBE on NCBE's website. 

The following items may be brought into the exam room in a clear one-quart plastic food storage bag:

• The signed Montana Bar Examination Code of Conduct
• Government issued photo identification
• Wallet
• Keys
• Facial tissue
• Medication/medical items
• Non-digital watch or timepiece
• One clear plastic bottle of water/juice/soda per exam session (no food unless previously cleared by administrators)
• Wireless mouse and/or keyboard (permitted only if inspected by the admissions staff for connectivity)

Any items brought to the testing area that are not permitted within the testing environment must be left by the registration desk. Please know that your items left at the registration desk will be supervised throughout the exam sessions. 

The following items are strictly prohibited and will not be permitted in the exam room or the testing area, which includes the restrooms and hallway:

• Pens, pencils, erasers (these will be provided by the admissions staff)
• Earplugs (these will be provided by the admissions staff)
• Handbags, purses, backpacks, duffle bags, briefcases, lunch bags, tote bags, etc. 
• Hats, hoods, or any other headgear
• Notes, scratch paper, books, magazines, newspapers, or any other reading materials
• Bar review or other study material in any format or media
• Electronic devices such as cell phones, AI glasses, headphones, calculators, pagers, cameras, radios, recording devices, hand-held computers, and any other type of electronic device or item with an on/off switch
• weapons of any kind, regardless of whether you have a permit to carry
• Any other items not specifically allowed

NOTE: Any prohibited electronic communication device found in the possession of an examinee during a test session will be impounded until it has been thoroughly screened by the jurisdiction. Possession of a prohibited device or item at the examination will be treated as a cheating incident and you may be immediately DISQUALIFIED AND EJECTED from the examination. 

BE PREPARED: We appreciate how hard you've worked to get to the exam and we will do our best to make the process as comfortable as the rules and security allow. Please read the following to make your exam registration smooth. 

BRING YOUR ID: You are required to register for each session of the examination. For the initial registration, you must show your government issued ID and you will then be provided with an exam ID. The exam ID is to be kept with you at all times during testing and brought with you for each subsequent exam.

BE ON TIME: No examinee will be allowed entry to the exam more than 30 minutes after the examination has begun. Therefore, be on time for registration, instructions, and the examinations. 

ONCE YOU REGISTER: You will be required to stay in the testing room until testing begins. Please leave unnecessary items in your room or your car. Visit with other examinees, fill up drinks, and go to the restroom before registering. After you register and enter the exam room, you will not be allowed to leave the testing room until instructions have been read and the testing clock has begun the countdown.

The February examinations are held at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena, Montana.  

The July examinations are held at the University Center on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, Montana. 

Montana's first administration of the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam will be in February of 2028. The established passing score for the NextGen UBE will be scores of 616 or greater. 

Montana no longer accepts transferred MBE scores and all examinees must sit for the MEE, MPT and MBE in a single exam cycle to earn a UBE score.

You will be emailed and physically mailed your results letter. The date of which your results will be released to you will be provided on your Exam ID Badge that is provided to you during registration at the exam site. Please do not attempt to complete any of these steps prior to receiving your Certification/Passing Results Letter. If you pass the exam, you will be provided with a guideline that provides the details regarding the following information.

• You will have to decide whether you will be taking "Active" or "Inactive" status, and you will have to submit the supporting dues for your intended status (Active = $195, Inactive = $50).
• You will have to submit the $25 Annual License Tax
• You will have to either contact the Supreme Court to join the group swearing or you will have to complete a Motion for Admission to be sworn in.
• You cannot obtain copies of your exam questions/results/graders' comments. 

You will be emailed and physically mailed your results letter. The date of which your results will be released to you will be provided on your Exam ID Badge that is provided to you during registration at the exam site. Please do not attempt to complete any of these steps prior to receiving your Results Letter. If you do not earn a score that is accepted in Montana, you will be provided with a letter that outlines the following:

• A breakdown of your MBE Scaled Score, Written Scaled Score, and UBE Combined Score. 
• The deadline by which you can request your exam questions, and your answers with graders' comments for your studies.
• The Addendum/Deferral form that must be completed by the provided deadline to be considered for reexamination.
  • The deferral costs $20 and you must submit $310 for reexamination.
  • If you have been unsuccessful in three (3) attempts at the Montana Bar Exam, you must petition and be given permission by the Montana Supreme Court before sitting for a fourth examination.