How is the Uniform Bar Exam scored?

The UBE total is out of 400 and is split 50/50 between the MBE and the written component. The MBE (200 points) is the scaled multiple-choice score; the written side (200 points) combines the MEE essays (30%) and the MPT (20%) of the overall exam, scaled to the MBE.

What is a passing UBE score?

Passing scores are set by each jurisdiction and most fall between 260 and 270 out of 400. For example, New York requires 266, while some states use 260 and others 270. Always confirm the exact cut score with your board of law examiners.

How does raw MBE convert to scaled MBE?

The NCBE equates the MBE using a statistical scaling process, so there is no fixed table. As a rough planning estimate, the scaled MBE is often close to the percentage correct mapped onto the 0-200 range, but the true conversion shifts each administration based on question difficulty.

How are the MEE and MPT weighted?

Within the written half, the MEE (six essays) counts for 30% of the total exam and the MPT (two performance tasks) counts for 20%, a 3:2 ratio. Together they form the 200-point written component that is scaled to match the MBE distribution.

Is this calculator an official score?

No. It is a planning estimate only. The NCBE's equating and your jurisdiction's scaling are proprietary, so your official scaled score can differ. Use this to gauge whether you are comfortably above, near, or below your target.

Bar Exam MBE & Scaled Score Calculator

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Bar exam MBE & scaled score calculator

The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) reports a single scaled total out of 400, weighted 50% MBE (multiple choice) and 50% written (MEE essays + MPT tasks). This tool turns your practice MBE raw count and estimated written scores into a projected UBE total so you can see how close you are to your jurisdiction’s passing line.

How it works

The estimate is built in three parts:

MBE side (max 200). You enter how many of the 175 scored MBE questions you got right. The tool computes your percentage and maps it onto the 0-200 scaled range as a first-order approximation of NCBE equating.
Written side (max 200). The MEE counts for 30% and the MPT for 20% of the whole exam — a 3:2 split within the written half. Your 0-100 component scores are combined in that ratio and scaled to the 0-200 written range.
Total. MBE scaled + written scaled gives a projected total out of 400, which is compared against the cut score you set (commonly 260-270).

Example and notes

Suppose you answer 130 of 175 MBE questions correctly (about 74%), giving roughly 149 scaled MBE points, and average 70 on the MEE and 72 on the MPT for about 142 written points — a projected 291, comfortably above a 266 cutoff. Because the NCBE’s true equating is proprietary and shifts each sitting, treat this as a planning estimate, not an official score. Confirm your state’s exact cut score before relying on the margin.