How Long is the Bar Exam? Everything You Need to Know

So, you’re gearing up for the bar exam and wondering exactly how long you’ll be sitting in that exam room. In other words, how long is the bar exam in terms of days and hours?

The answer depends on where you take it, but in most U.S. states, the bar exam is a marathon spread over two days. Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean 48 hours straight! It typically means about two six-hour days of testing (roughly 12 hours total). Think of it less like a sprint and more like a multi-stage endurance race. The exam days are just one part of it. And I’m here to guide you through this whole shebang.

I’ll break down every “how long” aspect, from cracking open that first prep book to (fingers crossed!) getting that “you passed!” email and figuring out what comes next. Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways

• The UBE Standard (For Now): The common Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is a 12-hour, two-day test, but the upcoming NextGen exam will be a shorter 9 hours over 1.5 days.
• State Variations Are Key: Many states, like California and Virginia, have unique exam structures that can alter the length, content, and preparation time required. Always check your jurisdiction’s rules!
• The MPRE is a Mandatory Hurdle: Don’t forget the separate 2-hour MPRE ethics exam, required in almost all states. It has its own study plan and score validity rules to keep track of.
• Study is a Serious Time Investment: Carve out serious time for studying – think 400-600 hours if you’re studying full-time. If you’re part-time, you’ll need to plan for an even longer study period.
• The “Bar Exam” is a Whole Process: The true “length” of the bar exam experience stretches way beyond the actual test days, so strategic planning is essential.

The Main Event: Clocking the Bar Exam Days

First things first, let’s talk about the actual time you’ll spend in that exam room. For many of you, the Uniform Bar Exam, or UBE, will be your reality.

One of the main reasons UBE is so popular is that it can result in a portable score that you can transfer to other UBE jurisdictions, which is a huge plus if you’re considering practicing in more than one place.

Now, for the nitty-gritty: UBE is a two-day bar exam format that totals about 12 hours of testing. In other words, you complete roughly six hours of exam testing each day – typically three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.

The UBE is always administered on a Tuesday and Wednesday (twice a year, at the end of February and July) in those states.

Here’s how the UBE breaks down:

Most jurisdictions in the U.S. use the UBE format, which means that in these places, “how long does the bar exam take” is the same answer: two days, 12 hours of exam time. A handful of UBE jurisdictions may require a short additional component on local law, but those usually don’t add much in terms of exam length; often, it’s an online module or a brief test separate from the two bar exam days.

State-Specific Bar Exam Formats (California and Florida)

Not all states use the UBE. A few big jurisdictions have their own exam formats, which can affect the bar exam length or structure. Let’s look at two notable examples: California and Florida.

California: Two Days (Previously Three)

California’s bar exam has its own format, though the overall length is now two days, just like the UBE.

Fun fact: California’s exam used to last three days, but it was shortened to two days starting July 2017.

Today, if you take the California bar exam, it will span two days – one day of written tests and one day for the MBE. Here’s the breakdown of California’s exam format:

Day 1 (Tuesday) – Written portion:

This day is split into a morning and afternoon session, but California does things a little differently.

• In the morning, you’ll have three one-hour essay questions (3 hours total).
• In the afternoon, you’ll face two more one-hour essays plus one 90-minute Performance Test.

The UBE challenges examinees with two performance tests, but California charts its own course. California’s performance test is a practical lawyering task similar to the MPT, but it’s specific to California’s exam.

The afternoon session in California is slightly longer, about 3 hours and 30 minutes, to accommodate that 90-minute performance test along with the essays. All together, Day 1 in California is roughly 6½ hours of testing (with breaks in between sections).

Day 2 (Wednesday) – MBE:

The second day in California is the standard multistate bar exam MBE multiple-choice exam (200 questions split into two 3-hour sessions, morning and afternoon). This is the same MBE given nationwide, lasting about 6 hours total on that day.

So, how long is the bar exam in California?

It’s two days, just like the UBE, with a total of about 12 to 13 hours of test-taking (Day 1 is a tad longer than Day 2 due to the extra 30 minutes for the performance test).

California also has an interesting variation for certain examinees: if you’re already a licensed attorney in another jurisdiction with enough experience, California offers an Attorneys’ Examination; this specialized exam consists of only the Day 1 written portion.

In other words, experienced out-of-state attorneys can take just the one-day written exam (essays and performance test) and skip the MBE day. For the typical applicant, though, expect the full two-day California exam.

Florida: Two Days with State-Specific Sections

Florida’s bar exam is another example of a state-specific format, and it also runs for two days. Florida has Part A (Florida law tested) and Part B (the MBE). If you sit for the Florida bar, here’s what the schedule looks like:

Day 1 (Tuesday) – Florida Day (Part A):

• In the morning, you’ll have a three-hour session to answer Florida-specific essay questions, usually 3 questions total, allowing about one hour per essay.
• In the afternoon, you have another three-hour session containing 100 Florida-specific multiple-choice questions.

Together, these two sessions cover Florida law topics (like Florida civil and criminal procedure, Florida constitutional law, etc.) that are unique to the state’s exam. Day 1 in Florida is 6 hours of testing (3 hours morning + 3 hours afternoon), just like a UBE day – it’s just that the content is tailored to Florida law.

Day 2 (Wednesday) – MBE (Part B):

On the second day, Florida uses the standard MBE as Part B of its exam. Like other states, that’s 200 multiple-choice questions divided into a morning and afternoon session (100 questions in 3 hours for each session). This adds another 6 hours of testing on Day 2.

Also, Florida (as of now) is not a UBE jurisdiction, which means your Florida exam score can’t be transferred to other states – but on the bright side, you only need to pass those two days of testing to get licensed in Florida.

Florida and California are prime examples of state-specific bar exams that stick to a two-day schedule. Most other states either follow the UBE or have a format close to it.

To give you a clearer picture, here’s a quick snapshot:

Bar Exam Snapshot – UBE vs. Key Non-UBE/Variant States (Current Formats)

UBE States – Don’t Forget Local Law Add-ons!

It’s super important to remember that even if a state uses the UBE, they might still have an additional requirement for you to learn and be tested on their specific state laws. This usually doesn’t make the main two-day bar exam itself longer, but it definitely adds to your overall study time and the number of hurdles you need to clear.

Here are a few examples:

• New York: Uses the UBE, but to get licensed, you also have to complete the New York Law Course (NYLC), which is an online, on-demand course of about 15 hours. After that, you must pass the New York Law Exam (NYLE), a separate online, multiple-choice test on New York law.
• Massachusetts: Administers the UBE, but applicants also need to pass the Massachusetts Law Component (MLC), which is an online multiple-choice test focused on Massachusetts law.
• North Carolina: Requires UBE takers to complete an online UBE North Carolina State-Specific Component course.
• Michigan: If you’re taking the UBE in Michigan, you’ll also need to complete an online course on Michigan law.

These local components mean that your preparation time is effectively increased because you have an additional body of law to learn. It’s not just about the hours spent in the exam room for the UBE, but also the hours needed to prepare for and pass these state-specific requirements.

The Future is (Almost) Here: The NextGen Bar Exam

The legal profession doesn’t stand still, and neither does the bar exam! The NCBE is rolling out a new version called the NextGen Bar Examination in July 2026, but only in a select group of UBE jurisdictions.

It’s designed to better test the broad range of “foundational lawyering skills”, such as legal research, writing, issue spotting, client counseling, and negotiation).

It covers a focused set of “fundamental legal concepts”, such as contracts, torts, and civil procedure, that new lawyers need, whether they’re going into litigation or transactional work. It’s an effort to keep the test relevant to what new lawyers actually do and reflects changes in legal education, like the rise of clinical programs.

I think it’s a positive step, but it definitely changes the answer to “how long is the bar exam?”

The New Look and Length: Shorter and (Potentially) More Integrated

Here’s what you need to know about the NextGen exam’s timing and format:

• Duration: The NextGen UBE will be administered over one and a half days.
• Total Testing Time: This means a total of nine hours of testing. It will be broken into three 3-hour sessions: two sessions on the first day, and one session on the second day. So, yes, it’s shorter than the current 12-hour UBE.
• Format of Each 3-hour Session: Each session will be a mix of different question types 20:
  • Integrated Question Sets: These will take up about 25% of the exam time and will likely combine multiple legal subjects or skills into a single problem.
  • Stand-Alone Multiple-Choice Questions: These will account for about 40% of the exam time. They’ll have four to six answer options, and some might even have more than one correct answer.
  • Longer Performance Tasks: These will make up roughly 33% of the exam time. Each 3-hour session will include one practical writing task that should take about 60 minutes to complete, resembling an evolution of the current MPT..
• Skills & Subjects: The big focus is on those foundational lawyering skills 20 and core legal principles. There’s also a specific transition plan for how subjects like Family Law and Trusts & Estates will be tested. Initially, legal resources will be provided for these subjects, but eventually, they’ll be fully integrated like other foundational concepts.20

How It’s Taken: You’ll take the NextGen exam on your own laptop at an in-person, proctored testing location, using a secure online platform provided by the NCBE.

The Ethics Gatekeeper: The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

Before you can even think about being officially sworn in as an attorney in most states, there’s another critical test you need to pass: the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). It focuses on the ethical standards governing the legal profession, many of which are reflected in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct developed by the American Bar Association and adopted in various forms by state bars.

This isn’t part of the main bar exam’s schedule, but it’s a mandatory piece of the “how long is the bar exam journey” puzzle.

What is the MPRE? It’s Not Just Another Test, It’s THE Ethics Test

The MPRE is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice examination focusing on the established professional conduct standards for lawyers and judges.

Here’s a little tip: only 50 of those 60 bar exam questions are actually scored. The other 10 are experimental “pretest” questions that the NCBE is trying out for future exams. Just like the MBE, you won’t know which ones are which, so you’ve got to answer them all seriously.

Timing is Everything: When to Tackle the MPRE (Hint: Earlier is Often Better)

The MPRE is offered three times a year – typically in March (or March/April), August, and November.

You can usually take the MPRE any time after completing your first year of law study. The key is that you must pass it before you can be formally admitted to the bar.

My strong advice? Try to get the MPRE out of the way while you’re still in law school, perhaps during your 2L or early 3L year. Florida, for instance, encourages applicants to take it during their 2L or early 3L year. It’s one less major stressor when you’re in the thick of bar prep for the main event.

The Full Bar Exam Journey: Beyond the Test Days

Thinking the bar exam is just about those two days of testing? Think again! The actual journey is much longer, stretching out both before and after the exam itself.

Here’s a look at the different stages:

Step 1: Registration – Don’t Miss This Crucial First Step!

Every state has its own strict registration deadlines for the bar exam, often months before the test. Missing these isn’t an option if you want to sit for that particular exam.

• Why it matters: Missing a deadline usually means waiting another six months for the next exam, which can delay your career.
• Action Tip: As soon as you know which exam you’re targeting, find your jurisdiction’s deadlines and mark them everywhere!

Step 2: The Study Marathon – How Long to Prepare?

This is often the biggest time commitment. While it varies, here are some general guidelines:

• Full-Time Study: Most people studying full-time dedicate 8 to 12 weeks, aiming for about 40 hours per week (sometimes 40-50 hours).
• Total Hours: This often adds up to 400 to 600 hours of study. It’s a massive commitment needed to cover the material and practice enough.

Personalizing Your Study Timeline:

Your ideal study length depends on several factors:

• Working or Other Commitments? If studying part-time, start much earlier (e.g., 4+ months or 16-20 weeks) and aim for 16-25 study hours per week.
• Law School Performance: If core subjects were tough or your exams were mostly open-book, you might need more time to learn the black letter law.
• Time Since Law School: Fresher material might mean a quicker review. If it’s been a while, plan for extra ramp-up.
• Key Electives Taken: If you skipped important bar-tested subjects (like Evidence, Business Associations, etc.), you’ll be learning them for the first time.

Step 3: The Anxious Wait – When Will You Get Results?

After the exam, the wait for results can be tough. It generally takes 1 to 3 months (or 6 to 10 weeks), but this varies a lot. Smaller states are often quicker. February results might sometimes take a bit longer.

Approximate Result Wait Times

Impact of Waiting: This period has emotional and financial costs. If you don’t pass, the delay can impact when you can start re-studying, lengthening your path to getting licensed.

Step 4: Character & Fitness – The Other Big Approval

Passing the written exam isn’t the final step; you also need Character and Fitness (C&F) approval. This is a thorough background check.

• Application Timing: Some states (TX, IL, OH) have students start C&F in 1L or 2L year. Most have you apply around the bar exam registration. For instance, the Character and Fitness review for the New York bar exam is typically initiated after an applicant has successfully passed the examination components.
• Review Length: If straightforward, expect 3 to 5 months (Arizona notes a minimum of 4 months for the investigation part).
• Key Points:
  • C&F approval can come after your bar exam results.
  • Honesty and complete candor are absolutely critical.
  • Apply as early as your state allows, especially if you have disclosures to make.

Conclusion

So, back to our big question: “How long is the bar exam?” As you’ve seen, it’s not just 12 hours or two days. It’s a whole season of your life! The actual exam might be 9 to 12.5 hours of intense testing over 1.5 to 2 days, depending on whether you’re taking the UBE, a unique state exam like California’s, or the upcoming NextGen exam. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Yes, it’s a significant commitment, both in terms of time and effort. But here’s the good news: thousands of lawyers navigate this journey successfully every single year, and you absolutely can too.

You’ve got a challenging but ultimately rewarding journey ahead. With the right information, a solid plan (and maybe a few extra snacks for those long study sessions), you can navigate it successfully. You’ve got this!

Ready to start your bar exam journey? Check out our top bar prep courses and available bar course discounts to get started studying effectively.

FAQ