Past Bar Exam Essays and Performance Tests (PTs)

Where do you find essays and performance tests from past exams to practice on?

Rather than have you go hunting for them or flip through your bar course materials, I’ve compiled past essays and PTs for California. I also link to past MEE and MPT questions from various UBE jurisdictions.

California: Here are downloadable California Bar Exam essays and selected answers going back to 2001, and California performance tests (PTs) and selected answers.

๐Ÿ‘‰ See also the essay answer bank for real graded answers

๐Ÿ‘‰ CA essays – frequency chart and issue chart (use this to find when topics were tested)

CA essays and selected answers90-minute CA PTs and selected answers
2023 July
2023 Feb
2022 July
2022 Feb
2021 July
2021 Feb
2020 Oct
2020 Feb
2019 July
2019 Feb
2018 July
2018 Feb
2017 July
2017 Feb
2016 July
2016 Feb
2015 July
2015 Feb
2014 July
2014 Feb
2013 July
2013 Feb
2012 July
2012 Feb
2011 July
2011 Feb
2010 July
2010 Feb
2009 July
2009 Feb
2008 July
2008 Feb
2007 July
2007 Feb
2006 July
2006 Feb
2005 July
2005 Feb
2004 July
2004 Feb
2003 July
2003 Feb
2002 July
2002 Feb
2001 July
2023 July
2023 Feb
2022 July
2022 Feb
2021 July
2021 Feb
2020 Oct
2020 Feb
2019 July
2019 Feb
2018 July
2018 Feb
2017 July
Sample PT (Haynes v. National Bank of Columbia) (no sample answer)

For more PT practice, see below for MPTs similar to these.

UBE: Downloadable MEE questions and representative answers

NCBE MEE Questions and Analyses are available from 2013 July to 2018 February.

Representative answers to MEE questions are available from various states (some may be missing):

  • Arkansas from 2013 February to 2021 February
  • Maryland from 2019 July to 2023 February
  • Minnesota from 2020 September to 2023 February
  • New York from 2016 July to 2023 February
  • South Dakota from 2019 February to 2021 February

MPT questions and answers are below this section. Click here to jump to MPT.

2023 July2023 February2022 July2022 February2021 July2021 February2020 July/September/October2020 February2019 July2019 February2018 July2018 February2017 July2017 February2016 July2016 February2015 July2015 February2014 July2014 February2013 July2013 February

UBE: Downloadable MPT questions and representative answers

NCBE MPT Questions and Point Sheets are available from 2013 July to 2018 February.

Representative answers to MPT questions are available from various states (some may be missing):

  • Arkansas from 2013 February to 2021 February
  • Georgia from 2011 July to 2023 February
  • Maryland from 2019 July to 2023 February
  • Minnesota from 2020 September to 2023 February
  • New York from 2016 July to 2023 February
  • South Dakota from 2019 February to 2021 February

MEE questions and answers are above this section. Click here to jump to MEE.

2023 July2023 February2022 July2022 February2021 July2021 February2020 July/September/October2020 February2019 July2019 February2018 July2017 July2017 February2016 July2016 February2015 July2014 February2013 July2013 February2012 July2012 February2011 July

UBE: Links to find past MEE questions and answers, past MPT questions and answers, and MEE and MPT analyses

The files above were sourced from these places:

  1. Free MEE questions and analyses from NCBE
  2. Free MPT questions and point sheets from NCBE
  3. If you want the official analyses for more recent ones, you can find them in the MEE study aids (paid)
  4. Some state bar websites post plenty of essays, MPTs, and selected answers

Others: Check your state bar website or law school’s academics resources to see if it offers questions and selected answers

  1. Nevada offers sample passing answers for essays and PTs going back to 2007
  2. A Virginia law school offers past Virginia bar exams to review