The Idaho Bar Exam
Structure, Topics, Dates, Cost, Scores, and Eligibility
The Idaho Bar Exam switched to the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE®) format in February 2012. The UBE is made up of three parts: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE®), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT®), and the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE®).
This standardized test format allows individuals to transfer their scores to participating states more easily. The article provides more information about the ID Bar Exam, including dates, deadlines, fees, applications, results, and more.
Idaho Bar Exam Structure
The UBE is divided into two days, each with 6 testing hours. The writing portion (MPT/MEE) is administered on day one, and the MBE on day two. See below for a detailed breakdown.
Idaho Bar Exam Dates, Requirements, and Scheduling
You can't pass an exam that you don't take. Mark the dates and deadlines shown below on your calendar and review the eligibility requirements below. Save yourself some stress by collecting the proper documentation and submitting your application early.
Exam dates
The Idaho Bar Exam falls on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. It's important to file for your application on or before the timely filing deadline, as candidates who file during the late filing period must pay an additional $200.
| 2024 Idaho Bar Exam Filing Deadlines | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Filing Periods | February 27-28, 2024 | July 30-31, 2024* | Fee |
| Timely | October 1, 2023 | March 1, 2024 | $600 |
| Late | November 15, 2023 | April 15, 2024 | $800 |
*These were the filing deadlines for the July 2023 exam. The deadline for the July 2024 exam is TBD. While we cannot guarantee that the deadlines will be the same, they will likely be around the same time. We will update this with official information as soon as it becomes available.
Requirements
To sit for the Idaho Bar Exam, you must have graduated with a Juris Doctorate (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from a law school that is fully or provisionally approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and be deemed as a person of good moral character by the Board's Character and Fitness Committee.
Scheduling
To schedule your Idaho Bar Exam, you should first review the Idaho State Bar Application Instructions and Information. Most applicants will have to take the following steps:
- Complete the online application
- Request a Fingerprint Card from [email protected], complete it, and return it to the Idaho State Bar
- Character and Fitness court records or other documents
- Complete and upload Authorization and Release Form
- Complete and upload Consent To Release Student Records
- Complete and upload your Verified Statement
- Law School Verification (current students only)
- Complete the online Computer Registration Form (optional)
- Complete and upload a Request for Deferral (if necessary)
- Pay the application fee
Idaho Bar Exam Cost and Fees
Applying for the Idaho Bar Exam costs hundreds of dollars or more, depending on your situation. Attorneys pay the same fee as non-attorneys. Individuals applying for Admission by Reciprocity or UBE Score Transfer can also find associated fees below.
| Application Fees | |||
| Student | $600 | ||
| Attorney | $800 | ||
| Late Fee | $200 | ||
| Reexamination (1-3) | $200 | ||
| Reexamination (3+) | $300 | ||
| Other Application Fees | |||
| Reciprocity | $1000 | ||
| Laptop | $125 | ||
| Unsuccessful Form | $200 | ||
| Deferral | $100 | ||
Payment policies
The Board does not refund any fee. Late fees will be assessed on any application received by the Idaho Bar after the timely deadline. The application fee can be paid via credit card on your online application.
Cost-saving options
Going to law school and taking the bar exam isn’t cheap. Fortunately, there are cost-saving options for eligible candidates. For example, the University of Idaho College of Law offers law scholarships to incoming students.
Most of the scholarships above are for current or soon-to-be law students. Make sure you visit the American Bar Association's (ABA) website, which offers 100+ opportunities and programs for young lawyers and law students. Even if you can't obtain a scholarship, you can do some basic things to save money while preparing for the bar exam:
- Join a study group and split the cost of bar exam preparation materials among group members.
- Research free or low-cost study online study materials like past bar exam questions and answers to supplement commercial study aids.
- Some bar exam prep companies offer discounts or promotions to students who register early or refer friends to their program.
Idaho Bar Exam Subjects and Topics
The ID Bar Exam tests a candidate's legal knowledge, analytical skills, and competence to practice law. It covers a range of subjects, from Constitutional Law and Contracts to Criminal Law and Evidence. Candidates will be assessed by their ability to apply legal principles, draft legal documents, and effectively solve problems to ensure they can competently represent clients and complete entry-level legal tasks.
Testable subjects on the MEE
The MEE requires candidates to identify legal issues, apply relevant legal principles, and demonstrate their ability to analyze fact patterns and compose well-reasoned, organized, and concise written responses. MEE subjects include:
Some subjects may be tested together. Others may not be tested at all. What subjects the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) chooses for any administration are not made public before the exam. Historically, some have been tested more often than others historically. For example, Civil Procedure has been tested on almost every MEE for the past 10 years, while Criminal Law has only appeared a few times. However, subjects that occur less frequently may still be paired with others.
Check out our MEE Study Guide for details on planning your studies and determining what's essential so you use your time efficiently. Also, check out our MEE Subject Matter Outline for in-depth explanations of MEE subjects and sub-topics.
Testable subjects on the MBE
The MBE contains 200 multiple-choice questions divided evenly over 7 subjects. You'll notice that 7 x 25 does not equal 200. That's because 25 MBE questions are unscored questions that the NCBE field tests for future exams. There is no way to identify which questions are scored or unscored, so it's best to imagine that they are all just as important. MBE subjects are as follows:
MPT: Testable items
The MPT is designed to test an examinee's "lawyering skills" using only the materials provided. These tasks are conducted in a closed-universe, fictional jurisdiction called "Franklin." The laws of the real world do not apply, so your critical thinking skills and understanding of fundamental legal principles are key. You'll receive faux reference material, which you'll use to solve two tasks, each graded on a scale from 0 to 6.
Idaho MPRE Requirements
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE®) is a 2-hour, 60-multiple-choice question exam that assesses an examinee's knowledge of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Candidates must pass the MPRE before taking the Idaho Bar Exam or within the next 2 scheduled MPRE administrations after passing the ID Bar Exam or transferring a UBE score. You can register through the NCBE®. The UBE employs scaled scoring to ensure fairness across exam versions. Scaled scoring accounts for the fact that one exam administration may be more or less difficult than another administration. For example, February's exam may be more difficult than July's. It wouldn't be fair if you failed because you received a harder exam version. To solve this, your raw scores are transformed into scaled scores through a statistical method called equating. Unfortunately, the NCBE does not release data on the calculations it uses to determine scaled scores.
Idaho MPRE Minimum Passing Score
Idaho has an MPRE minimum passing score of 85, among the highest of all jurisdictions. Candidates are responsible for requesting a copy of their MPRE score report be sent to the Bar. Scores are only valid if transferred directly from the MPRE testing authority.
Idaho Bar Exam Scoring, Results and Pass Rates
You must achieve a minimum score of 270 out of 400 for admission to the Idaho Bar. Since the UBE is divided into two equally weighted sections—writing (MPT/MEE) and the MBE—you want to aim for a 135 on each section. However, you do not need to score 135 on each section to pass the ME bar exam. For example, an exceptional score on the MBE can balance out a subpar score on the writing section. What's important is that the sum of your two scores is 270 or higher.
Idaho bar exam results and pass rates
You'll notice that The Idaho Bar Exam's repeater pass rates are substantially lower than the first-timer pass rates, especially for the February 2023 exam. This discrepancy between first-timer and repeater pass rates is common across all jurisdictions and is likely because many who fail their first bar exam don't change how they study.
| Exam | Overall Pass Rate |
First-Timer Pass Rate |
Repeater Pass Rate |
Results Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2023 | 36% | 60% | 20% | April 18 |
| July 2022 | 64% | 73% | 29% | September 14 |
Here are the annual pass rates for the Idaho Bar Exam since 2017, divided into first-time examinees and repeaters:
| Exam | First Timers | Repeaters | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | No Of Candidates |
Pass Rate | No. Of Candidates |
Pass Rate | No. Of Candidates |
Pass Rate |
| 2022 | 190 | 69% | 71 | 34% | 261 | 59% |
| 2021 | 182 | 73% | 57 | 37% | 239 | 64% |
| 2020 | 144 | 77% | 63 | 32% | 207 | 63% |
| 2019 | 143 | 73% | 55 | 38% | 198 | 64% |
| 2018 | 134 | 75% | 38 | 39% | 172 | 67% |
| 2017 | 150 | 79% | 42 | 57% | 192 | 74% |
What Makes the Idaho Bar Exam Unique?
Since Idaho adopted the UBE format in 2012, its bar exam is identical to that of many UBE jurisdictions. However, Idaho requires the second-highest possible MPRE score (85) to be admitted to the Idaho Bar.
Idaho Bar Exam for foreigners
Graduates of foreign law schools are not eligible for admission to the Idaho Bar by examination. Furthermore, if a foreign law school graduate obtains an LLM or other graduate law degree from an ABA-approved law school, they are not eligible to take the bar exam on that basis alone.
Idaho does allow individuals licensed to practice law in a foreign jurisdiction to act as a Foreign Legal Consultant if they have been practicing law in a foreign jurisdiction for 5 of the 7 years preceding their application, are in good standing in that jurisdiction, possess good moral character and general fitness, and intend to practice as a Foreign Legal Consultant in Idaho.
Idaho bar exam reciprocity
To apply to the Idaho Bar Exam without examination, you must have been practicing law in another US jurisdiction for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding your application and possess the moral character and fitness required of all applications for admission. Said jurisdiction must grant Idaho attorneys reciprocal admission based on “substantially similar provisions.” The application fee for reciprocity is $1,000. Reciprocal jurisdictions include:
|
Alaska Arizona Arkansas Colorado District of Columbia Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Massachusetts Minnesota |
Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma |
Oregon Pennsylvania South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington *Wisconsin Wyoming |
Final Takeaways
The difference between those who fail the Idaho Bar Examination and those who pass is the right study plan. A quality full bar review course will help improve your score, whether it's your first, second, or even third time taking the Idaho Bar Exam.
Themis + UWorld gets you exam-ready with exam-like practice with content and questions curated by an in-house team of subject matter experts. Our in-depth answer explanations for each answer choice and industry-leading images make the hard stuff easy to understand. Here's an overview of what you'll get:
Contact details of the Idaho State bar
If you wish to contact the Idaho Board of Bar Examiners with inquiries regarding the Idaho Bar Exam, please see the details below.
| Medium | Info |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | (208) 334-4500 |
| Form | |
| Mailing Address |
PO Box 895 Boise, ID 83701 |