The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is an important milestone on your path to becoming a licensed attorney. Most law students take it during their second year (2L). Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score, so the score you need depends on where you plan to practice law.
In this guide, I'll break down the minimum MPRE passing scores by state, how the exam's questions are distributed across subjects, and answer your most frequently asked questions.
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MPRE Scores by State
MPRE passing scores range from 75 to 86. The table groups jurisdictions by their minimum score, including 49 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Note: Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are not listed because they don’t require an MPRE passing score for bar admission.
State/Jurisdiction
MPRE Passing Score
Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Palau, Pennsylvania, U.S. Virgin Islands
75
South Carolina
77
New Hampshire
79
Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Guam, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia
80
Tennessee
82
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
The NCBE identifies Wisconsin and Puerto Rico as the two jurisdictions in its MPRE listings that do not require the exam. American Samoa is not included in NCBE's MPRE score chart, and its High Court admission rules do not list a separate MPRE requirement. Each jurisdiction has its own admission requirements:
Wisconsin: You don't need to take the MPRE to practice law in Wisconsin. Instead, the state requires you to complete one of its three bar admission pathways:
Diploma privilege: Eligible graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School can become licensed without taking the bar exam.
Bar examination: Applicants can qualify by passing the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which Wisconsin adopted in July 2026, or by transferring a qualifying UBE score from another jurisdiction.
Admission on proof of practice: Experienced attorneys who have practiced law for at least three of the previous five years may qualify without taking another bar exam.
Puerto Rico: You don't need to take the MPRE, but you must pass Puerto Rico's General Bar Examination and meet its other admission requirements. The examination tests ethics and professional responsibility as part of its subject matter.
American Samoa: You don't need to take the MPRE to practice law in American Samoa. Under the High Court's Rules of Admission, you must be licensed to practice law in another qualifying jurisdiction before applying for admission. You must also reside in American Samoa and meet the territory's other admission requirements.
Two additional states allow applicants to meet their professional responsibility requirements without taking the MPRE:
Connecticut: You can either earn an MPRE score of at least 80 or complete an approved law school course in professional responsibility or legal ethics with a grade of C or Pass. You must complete the course within four years before or one year after filing your bar admission application.
New Jersey: You can either earn an MPRE score of at least 75 or provide evidence that you satisfactorily completed an approved law school ethics course.
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Scoring Breakdown for the MPRE
The MPRE tests 12 areas of legal ethics and professional responsibility, with each subject accounting for a different percentage of the exam:
Section
Score Percentage
Regulation of the Legal Profession
6-12%
The Client-Lawyer Relationship
10-16%
Client Confidentiality
6-12%
Conflicts of Interest
12-18%
Competence, Legal Malpractice, and Other Civil Liability
6-12%
Litigation and Other Forms of Advocacy
10-16%
Transactions and Communications With Persons Other Than Clients
2-8%
Different Roles of the Lawyer
4-10%
Safekeeping Funds and Other Property
2-8%
Communications About Legal Services
4-10%
Lawyers' Duties to the Public and the Legal System
2-4%
Judicial Conduct
2-8%
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FAQs
What State Has the Highest MPRE Score Requirement?
California and Utah have the highest MPRE passing score requirement of 86.
What Is a Good MPRE Score?
A good MPRE score is 86 or higher, as this meets or exceeds the minimum passing requirement in any jurisdiction.
Is 105 a Good MPRE Score?
Yes, 105 is a good MPRE score because it exceeds the minimum passing requirements in every U.S. jurisdiction. Since the highest MPRE passing score is 86, a score of 105 comfortably meets that requirement.
How Many Questions Can You Get Wrong on the MPRE?
Most test takers can miss 19 to 22 of the 50 scored questions and still pass, depending on their jurisdiction. The MPRE has 60 multiple-choice questions, but only 50 count. The other 10 are unscored pretest items.
The table below shows how many questions you can miss and still pass according to your jurisdiction.
Jurisdictions
Minimum Score
Approx. You Can Miss
Approx. Correct (of 50)
Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Palau, Virgin Islands
75
22
28
South Carolina
77
21 to 22
28 to 29
New Hampshire
79
21
29
Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
80
21
29
Tennessee
82
20 to 21
29 to 30
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
85
20
30
California, Utah
86
19 to 20
30 to 31
Which State Has the Lowest MPRE Passing Score?
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have the lowest MPRE passing score requirement of 75. The jurisdictions of the District of Columbia, Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands also require a minimum score of 75.
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