The Indiana Bar Exam 2023

Structure, Topics, Dates, Cost, Scores, and Eligibility

The Indiana Bar Exam adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE®) in July 2021. The UBE is divided into three sections—the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE®), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT®), and the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE®). Bar candidates that may want to eventually practice law in another state benefit from score portability between the 41 jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE. This article provides everything you need regarding IN Bar Exam results, dates, deadlines, fees, applications, and more.

Indiana Bar Exam Structure

The Uniform Bar Exam is administered over two days and consists of a writing section (MPT/MEE) and a multiple-choice section (MBE).

  • Day 1 : MPT/MEE
  • Day 2 : MBE

MBE

The MBE is weighted at 50% of the UBE, making it the most heavily weighted section of the Indiana Bar Exam. Examinees will have two 3-hour sessions to answer a total of 200 multiple-choice questions.

MEE

The MEE is weighted at 30% of the UBE and is administered on day one. Examinees have 3 hours to answer six 30-minute essay questions.

MPT

The MPT is weighted at 20% of the UBE and is administered on day one. Examinees are provided with faux case files imitating realistic scenarios and a folder with various legal documents, which they must use to respond to assignments.

Indiana Bar Exam Dates, Requirements, and Scheduling

Promptly submitting your application for the Indiana Bar Exam helps reduce stress and saves money. Avoid late fees that will double the initial fee by submitting your application before the first filing deadline. Be sure to review the important deadlines, dates, and fees below.

Exam Dates

The fee to submit an application to sit for the Indiana Bar Exam doubles after the first filing deadline, so it's important not to procrastinate.

2023 Application Deadlines:

Filing Periods February Exam July Exam Fee
First Deadline November 15, 2022 April 1, 2023 $250
Final Deadline November 30, 2022 April 15, 2023 $500

Examinees can reapply for the Indiana Bar Exam after their original exam appointment. Deadlines are as follows.

2023 Reapplication Deadlines:

Filing Periods February Exam July Exam Fee
First Deadline December 15, 2022 May 30, 2023 $250
Final Deadline December 30, 2022 June 15, 2023 $500

All filing deadlines are valid even if they fall on a weekend. Applications must be completed and all documents must be uploaded by 11:59 pm EDT.

Requirements

The State Supreme Court of Indiana stipulates that applicants must have graduated with a Juris Doctorate (JD) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association to sit for the IN Bar Exam. The following Indiana law schools are ABA-accredited:

  • Indiana University Maurer School of Law (Bloomington)
  • Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (Indianapolis)
  • University of Notre Dame Law School
  • Valparaiso University School of Law
  • Indiana Tech Law School (Provisionally approved)

Note that it is possible to submit an application before graduating from law school if the applicant has less than five hours to complete, has less than one hundred days left until graduation, has passed all relevant subject matter, and has completed all other requirements.

Applicants must also undergo a character and fitness evaluation at least 30 days before the IN bar exam. Details on how to set up this interview are sent following the submission of an application.

Scheduling

To schedule your appointment to take the Indiana Bar Exam, you first must create an account with the Indiana Bar Admission Registration and submit your application and all documents before the final filing deadline. You'll need to input your National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) number or create an account if you don't have one.

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Indiana Bar Exam Cost and Fees

Fees and costs associated with the Indiana Bar Exam vary depending on status and filing date. Below is a detailed and up-to-date list of exam-related fees.

Application Fees
Timely Filing $250
Late Filing $500
Other Application Fees
Admission on Motion $875
Corporate Counsel not Admitted In-State $875
UBE Score Transfer $500
Miscellaneous Fees
Laptop Use Fee $110

Payment Policies

Application filing fees must be paid electronically via MasterCard, Visa, or Electronic (e-check) checks. Contact the Indiana office if these payment methods are not available to you.

Cost-saving options

The application fee for the Indiana Bar Exam is relatively low compared to some other jurisdictions. Regardless, $250 is not a small sum of money. Fortunately, there are cost-saving options available to some candidates. The Indianapolis Bar Foundation awards academic and educational scholarships to law students every year.

The Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (ICLEF) also has a scholarship fund to help attorneys fulfill their continuing legal education requirements. Email Marie Wilmer for details.

Indiana Bar Exam Subjects and Topics

The IN bar exam tests an examinee's ability to analyze and reason alongside their knowledge and understanding of fundamental legal principles. Furthermore, since Indiana has adopted the UBE, a successful exam score represents one's competency and readiness to practice law in the 40 other participating jurisdictions.

MBE

The MBE is administered in two 3-hour sessions on Wednesday (Day 2) of the bar exam. It is scored on a 200-point scale and presents candidates with 200 multiple-choice questions. Remember, there are 25 unscored pilot questions for future exams. The remaining 175 questions are divided evenly among the following seven MBE subjects:

  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law/Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Civil Procedure
  • Real Property
  • Torts

MEE

The MEE consists of six essay questions. Each question involves one or more of the subjects listed below. Some subjects may be paired together. Other subjects may be omitted. While it's impossible to know which subjects the NCBE will choose on any given exam version, some have been tested more frequently than others historically.

For example, Civil Procedure has appeared on nearly every MEE in the past decade, while Criminal Law has only appeared several times. However, subjects that occur less frequently on their own may be paired with others.

  • Business Associations
  • Civil Procedure
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law and Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Family Law
  • Real Property
  • Secured Transactions
  • Torts
  • Trusts and Estates

Check out our MEE Subject Matter Outline for detailed explanations of MEE subjects and sub-topics.

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MPT

The MPT consists of closed-universe practical questions with instructions, factual data, cases, statutes, and other reference material supplied by examiners. Candidates will answer two cases presenting simulated real-life scenarios to demonstrate their lawyering skills, using only the materials provided by the bar examiners. Each case is assessed on a 6-point scale, with a 6 being the highest possible score and a 0 being the lowest possible score.

Indiana Bar Exam Scoring/Grading

To be admitted into the Indiana Bar, applicants must pass the UBE with a minimum scaled score of 264 out of 400. Exam weightage is divided between the three sections as follows:

MBE
50%
 
MEE
30%
 
MPT
20%
 

The MEE and MPT are combined into half the weightage of the test and graded as such. Therefore, the writing section (MEE/MPT) and the multiple-choice section (MBE) each comprise 50%, or 200 points, of your total scaled score. If you do poorly on one section of the exam, you can make up for it on the other, as long as these scores combine to a sum of 264 or more.

Note that getting 132 of 200 MPT questions correct does not necessarily mean you've earned 132 scaled points. Scaled scoring is employed to ensure fairness across exam versions. This scoring model is true for all three sections of the bar exam.

For example, July's exam may be more difficult than February's. It would be unfair to allow someone to pass or fail based on the relative difficulty of their exam version. Therefore, examinees' 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.

Indiana MPRE minimum passing score

Before you can practice law in Indiana, you must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE®) with a minimum score of 80 within two years following or preceding the successful completion of the Indiana Bar Exam. The MPRE features 60 multiple-choice questions administered over two hours.

Check out our article, About the MPRE, to learn more about the mandatory exam.

Indiana Bar Exam Results and Pass Rates

As is typical with bar exams across the country, the Indiana Bar Exam's repeater pass rate is markedly lower than the first-timer pass rate. This phenomenon is likely because many examinees who failed the first time haven't changed their study habits significantly.

Exam Overall
Pass Rate		 First-Timer
Pass Rate		 Repeater
Pass Rate		 Results
Release Date
July 2022 68% 76% 28% September 26
Feb. 2022 55% 71% 37% April 4

Below are the annual pass rates for the Indiana Bar Exam since 2017 divided into first-time examinees and repeaters:

Indiana Bar exam results

Indiana Bar Exam results are typically released eight to nine weeks after the bar exam. In 2022, results were released on September 26 for the July exam and April 4 for the February Exam.

What Makes the Indiana Bar Exam Unique?

As for bar exam reciprocity, any practicing attorney who meets the requirements enumerated in the section above can apply for admission to the Indiana Bar Exam. Furthermore, no jurisdiction-specific component is required for admission to the Indiana Bar.

Indiana Bar exam reciprocity

Indiana does not have formal bar exam reciprocity. Instead, they have what is called an Admission on Foreign License, which requires candidates to meet the following criteria regardless of their originating jurisdiction.

  • Admitted to practice law in another US jurisdiction
  • Actively engaged in the practice of law for at least five of the seven years preceding the application for admission
  • Graduated from an ABA-accredited law school
  • Meets character and fitness requirements as stipulated by the NCBE
  • In good standing in all jurisdictions where admitted to practice law

Indiana Bar Exam for foreigners

Graduates of foreign law schools are not eligible for admission by examination to the Indiana Bar unless they meet very similar requirements to those US attorneys from other US jurisdictions. Foreigners must:

  • Be admitted to practice law in a foreign country
  • Actively engaged in the practice of law for at least five of the seven years preceding the application for admission
  • Meets character and fitness requirements as stipulated by the NCBE
  • In good standing in all jurisdictions where admitted to practice law
  • Intends to practice as a foreign legal consultant and maintain an office in Indiana

Final Takeaways

Challenging though it may be, you can pass the Indiana Bar Examination the first time with the right study plan and prep provider. Whether you are taking the UBE for the first time or you are a repeater, the best way to be among those who pass the Indiana Bar Exam is to study with practice questions and mock exams that mimic the actual bar exam.

If practice feels like the real thing, the real thing will feel like practice. The Themis + UWorld full bar review bundle offers 4000+ MBE practice questions. Each question has been curated by our premier team of legal professionals or is licensed by the NCBE.

You'll gain access to 100+ MEE practice essays and 22 MPT practice questions from past exams. In addition, our MBE QBank offers customizable flashcards, performance tracking, in-depth answer explanations with detailed illustrations, readings paired with bite-sized video lectures, and thorough explanations for each answer choice.

Contact details of the Indiana State Bar

Refer to the table below to contact The Indiana Supreme Court.

Indiana Board of Bar Examiners Contact Information
Medium Info
Phone Number (317) 232-2552
Email [email protected]
Address Office of Admissions and Continuing Education
251 N. Illinois Street, Suite 550
Indianapolis, IN 46204
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Indiana Bar Exam FAQs

To take the bar exam in Indiana, you must have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school with a JD. See the “Requirements” section of this article for details.
The IN Bar Exam lasts two days, with the MEE and MPT lasting 3 hours each on day one and the MBE lasting 6 hours on day two.
The final filing deadlines for the 2023 February and July Indiana Bar Exams are November 30, 2022, and April 15, 2023, respectively. The timely filing application fee is $250 but increases by $250 if you file late.
The Indiana Bar Exam uses the UBE format. Therefore the actual material is as hard as any of the 40 other UBE jurisdictions
It takes approximately 400 hours to study for the IN Bar Exam. Most students begin studying 8-10 weeks out. However, beginning sooner can increase retention and decrease burnout, so we recommend starting as early as 4-6 months out, if possible.
The minimum passing UBE score for Indiana is 264.
The Indiana Board of Law Examiners has yet to publish any limits on the number of times you can take the Indiana bar exam.
It costs $250 to retake the Indiana Bar Exam.
Indiana does not offer formal reciprocity with any jurisdiction. Instead, they have what is called an Admission on Foreign License. For details, see the “Reciprocity” section of this article.
Yes, Indiana has authorized the NCBE to perform MBE score transfers, but only if it is concurrent.
Yes, you can transfer your Indiana UBE score to another jurisdiction granted that said jurisdiction allows it.
The maximum age of the UBE score in Indiana is five years.
No, you cannot practice law without a law degree in Indiana.
Admission without examination requires that candidates have been actively engaged in the practice of law in another jurisdiction. See the “reciprocity” section of this article for details.
Foreign candidates must have been engaged in the active practice of law in their home country, among other requirements. For details, see the “Foreigners” section of this article.
To become a licensed attorney in Indiana, you must go to an ABA-accredited law school and earn a JD, pass the bar exam and the MPRE, be of good moral character, and be admitted to the Indiana Bar.
To request special accommodations for the Indiana Bar Exam, you file the application for testing accommodations along with your bar exam application before the final filing deadline.

References

https://www.ncbex.org/

https://www.in.gov/courts/supreme/

https://myble.courts.in.gov/home

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