Admission to the Test

Plan to arrive at the Pearson VUE testing center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment time, you may be prohibited from testing. The examination is two hours in length. You can expect testing to be completed in approximately 2½ to 3 hours from your arrival time.

Identification (ID) Requirements for Admission to the Test

You are required to present two forms of original, unexpired identification (no photocopies, digital IDs, or expired IDs): a government-issued primary ID and a secondary ID. The first and last name that you use to register must match exactly the first and last name on both of the IDs that you present on test day. Any corrections to your name must be made by you in your NCBE Account Dashboard and MUST be submitted at least 48 hours before the first day of the test administration.

Additional rules for each type of ID are listed below.

Primary ID

Your primary ID must be government issued and include your first and last name, recent recognizable photo, and signature. If you do not have a qualifying primary ID issued in the US, your primary ID must be an international travel passport issued by your country of citizenship. To be acceptable, passports must be printed in roman characters.

Common forms of primary ID include:

• International travel passport
• US driver’s license or similar state identification card
• US military ID (including spouse and dependents)
• US alien registration card (permanent resident or green card, visa)

Expired forms of ID are not acceptable unless accompanied by valid renewal papers. If your government-issued primary ID is missing a visible signature (or has an embedded signature), you will be allowed to test as long as the other requirements for primary and secondary IDs are met.

Secondary ID

Your secondary ID must include at least a first and last name and signature or first and last name and recent recognizable photo.

Common forms of secondary ID include:

• School/university/college ID
• Credit card
• Library card

If you do not present both an acceptable primary ID and an acceptable secondary ID, you may be prohibited from testing. If you are allowed to test, your score may be canceled. Your test fee will not be refunded.

Before you enter the testing room, Pearson VUE will collect your digital photograph and digital signature for the purposes of verifying your identity and protecting the security and integrity of the test. As part of the registration process you will be required to consent to, and as part of the check-in process you will be required to sign, the NCBE Candidate Rules Agreement, which reviews the policies presented here and explains Pearson VUE testing center procedures.

Click the link below to view a copy of the NCBE Candidate Rules Agreement.

View NCBE Candidate Rules Agreement

If there are any discrepancies during the check-in process, you may be prohibited from testing. If you are allowed to test, your score may be canceled.

Requests for exceptions to any test day policy, such as the ID policy, must be submitted through the Contact page on the NCBE website at least seven business days before your scheduled exam appointment. If you fail to obtain prior approval for a policy exception, you may be prohibited from testing. If you are allowed to test, your score may be canceled.

Storage of Personal Items and Permitted Comfort Aids

Pearson VUE testing centers have small, secure lockers in which you can store personal items. Except for your primary ID and permitted comfort aids, no personal items are allowed in the testing room, including but not limited to cell phones, hand-held computers/personal digital assistants (PDAs) or other electronic devices, e-cigarettes, watches, larger jewelry, wallets, purses, food or beverages, firearms or other weapons, hats (and other nonreligious head coverings), bags, coats, jackets, eyeglass cases, books, notes, pens, or pencils. You may not access your stored personal items during your testing appointment; if you plan to use any permitted comfort aids during your testing session, you must bring them with you the first time you enter the testing room. The testing center is not responsible for lost, stolen, or misplaced personal items.

Certain comfort aids are permitted in the testing room without MPRE test accommodations approval. You can view Pearson VUE's current list of permitted comfort aids on the Pearson VUE website.

All electronic devices must be turned off before they are stored in a locker.

You must store your personal items or remove them from the testing center; otherwise you may be prohibited from testing. Bringing an unauthorized personal item (for example, a cell phone or other electronic device) into the testing room may result in your immediate dismissal and/or the cancellation of your score.

Before you enter the testing room, you may be asked to

• empty your pockets,
• remove jewelry and hair accessories,
• show your ears,
• roll up your sleeves, and
• pat yourself down (for example: arms, legs, waistline).

Studying is not allowed in the Pearson VUE testing center. Visitors, children, spouses, family, or friends are not allowed in the Pearson VUE testing center.

Taking the Test

The MPRE consists of 60 multiple-choice questions: 50 scored questions and 10 unscored pretest questions. The pretest questions are indistinguishable from those that are scored, so you should answer all questions. Consult the Preparing for the MPRE page for information about MPRE subject matter, study aids, and test format.

The Pearson VUE Test Administrator (TA) will provide you with an erasable note board and marker during the test session. You may not remove these items from the testing room at any time during the exam, and you must return all items to the TA after the exam. You may not write on the erasable note board until after the exam has started. If you need a new note board or marker during the exam, raise your hand and the TA will assist you.

The TA will log you in to your assigned workstation. You will verify that you are taking the MPRE. You will have up to five (5) minutes to review the MPRE Instructions and certification screen. The MPRE will begin automatically after five (5) minutes, or will begin when you click Next. Unless otherwise instructed, you must remain in your assigned seat until escorted out of the testing room by a TA. You may not communicate with other candidates, including during any unscheduled breaks.

There are no scheduled breaks during the two-hour MPRE. If you need to take an unscheduled break—for example, to stand and stretch or to use the restroom—you must raise your hand and wait for the TA’s instructions. Your test time will not stop. You must take your ID with you when you leave the testing room. You may not leave the testing center building or access your stored personal items. If you need to use the restroom, you must use the restroom that is closest to the testing room. The TA will check your ID when you leave and re-enter the testing room. Before re-entering, you will be asked to pat yourself down again (arms, legs, waistline). The TA will escort you to your assigned seat and log you in to your assigned workstation so that you can continue with the test. Note that long and frequent unscheduled breaks will be subject to further investigation and reported to NCBE.

If you take an unscheduled break, you may not leave the building or access your stored personal items. Your test time will not stop.

During the test, if you experience any problems or distractions or if you have other questions or concerns, you must raise your hand, and the TA will assist you. The TA cannot answer questions related to test content. If you have concerns about a test question, make a note of the question number on your erasable note board and report it to the TA after you have completed the test. You agree to follow the TA instructions at all times. To ensure a high level of security, the testing center and testing room will be monitored at all times. Both audio and video of you may be recorded during testing. 

After you have completed the test you must raise your hand, and the TA will come to your workstation and verify that your test session has ended properly. You must present your ID again to the TA and return your erasable note board and marker. You must not leave any materials at your testing workstation after you have completed the MPRE. You will be provided with a testing completion notice indicating that you have completed the MPRE.

Candidate Agreement

As part of the MPRE registration process, candidates must read and agree to the following:

The MPRE is owned by NCBE and is a secure exam protected by US copyright laws. A candidate's request for authorization to take the MPRE may be denied, the candidate's registration may be canceled, the candidate may be dismissed from the testing center, and/or the candidate’s score may be canceled if it is determined that a candidate has engaged in any misconduct in connection with the MPRE at any time.

The MPRE should be taken for the sole purpose of admission or re-admission to or retaining status as a member of the bar of a participating jurisdiction, by either a current student of, or a graduate of, a law school or law office study program.

Prohibited Conduct

Undermining the integrity and fairness of the examination process is prohibited before, during, and after the examination, including but not limited to the following conduct: 

• registering for, or taking, the MPRE more than one time in the same test administration
• falsification of one’s identity or impersonation of another candidate (surrogate testing)
• bringing unauthorized personal items into the testing room
• accessing stored personal items or leaving the building during the testing appointment
• causing a disruption or disturbance (for example, eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking, and/or making noise or moving disruptively)
• threatening any NCBE or Pearson VUE employee, anyone else involved in the administration of the MPRE, or any other candidate
• obtaining advanced access to exam content
• copying answers from another candidate or sharing answers with another candidate
• taking test content out of the testing room by any means
• disclosing the substance or details of any test question, including the question’s fact pattern, option choices, or answer, in whole or in part, with anyone via electronic (including e-mail, blogs, and online social and professional networking sites), telephonic, written, oral, or any other means
• reproducing, paraphrasing, summarizing, or describing to any other person any test content from memory
• forwarding, re-posting, hosting, or otherwise advancing, on the Internet or via other means, the distribution of exam content that others have disclosed

Engaging in prohibited conduct before, during, or after the examination could result in some or all of the following penalties: 

• denial of the candidate's request for authorization, or registration, to sit for this and/or future exams
• immediate dismissal from the testing center
• cancellation of the candidate's test scores
• civil liability
• criminal penalties
• denial of the candidate’s bar application on character and fitness grounds
• disciplinary action by a bar authority if the candidate is already admitted to practice law

Disruptions in Testing and Potential Compromises

NCBE and Pearson VUE take steps to ensure standardized and secure administration of the MPRE. NCBE reserves the right to cancel test scores when there is reason to believe that the scores are invalid, whether due to a candidate’s misconduct or due to a testing disruption or other compromising events, such as those that:

• cause testing to be canceled or interrupted
• involve a mistiming of the test
• result in a deviation from required testing procedures
• indicate possible advance access to an exam’s content
• demonstrate unusual similarities in answers among candidates
• otherwise disrupt or compromise the normal testing process or the validity of test scores

If NCBE, in its sole discretion, determines that action is warranted, the affected candidates may be offered the option either to retest at no additional fee or to receive a refund of their test fees (unless the affected candidates are found to have caused or been involved in the conduct which resulted in the corrective action, in which event NCBE shall have the right to withhold either or both of these options). If NCBE offers a retest and a candidate selects that option, the candidate must retake the entire exam in order to produce a valid score. 

Cancellation of Scores by NCBE

When NCBE decides to cancel test scores, candidates are notified before final action is taken (except in cases of testing disruptions or compromises discussed above). The notice includes information about the options available regarding the planned action, including procedures for appealing the decision. In any such appeal, the issue to be decided is whether NCBE acted reasonably and in good faith in deciding to take action.

Exclusive Remedies

NCBE and Pearson VUE take steps that are intended to ensure that the MPRE registration, test administration, scoring, and score reporting processes are properly handled. In the unlikely event that any error or mistake occurs in test registration, test administration or delivery, test scoring, or reporting scores, NCBE will, in its sole discretion, correct the error, if reasonably practicable, or permit the affected candidate(s) either to retest at no additional fee or to receive a refund. These remedies are the exclusive remedies available to candidates for any errors or mistakes that occur relating to test registration, test administration or delivery, the scoring of any tests, and/or the reporting of test scores.

After the Test

Formal Written Complaints

Formal complaints about testing conditions or procedures must be received in writing at NCBE within six calendar days of your test date. (Note: survey responses or other communications with Pearson VUE will not be considered formal written complaints for this purpose.) Complaints can be submitted at https://www.ncbex.org/mprecomplaints/ or in a letter addressed to:

NCBE 
Attention: MPRE Complaint
302 S. Bedford St.
Madison, WI 53703-3622

Post-Exam Survey

After the examination, you may be emailed a Pearson VUE Candidate Survey. The responses provided are used to monitor and improve testing conditions and procedures for future administrations of the MPRE. Responses to the survey do not affect your test score. You may also receive a post-exam survey from NCBE.