Illinois Bar Exam Information

Illinois Bar ExamIllinois bar exam format, subjects, scoring, pass rates, dates, and bar review course options. Comprehensive resources to help pass the Illinois Bar Exam.

AmeriBar’s Illinois Bar Review Course has helped students pass the bar exam for over 20 years.

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Illinois Bar Exam Format

Overview

The Illinois Bar Exam is administered over two days. The examiners have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”).

Day 1

The written portion of the exam is administered on the first day of the Illinois bar exam. The written portion of the bar exam consists of the Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) and the Multistate Essay Exam (“MEE”). You will have three hours to answer two MPT questions. You will have three hours to answer the six MEE questions.

Day 2

The Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) is administered on the second day of the Illinois bar exam. The MBE is a multiple-choice test containing 200 questions. The MBE is split into a morning and afternoon session. Each session consists of 100 questions. You have three hours to complete each session.

Illinois Bar Exam Format Video

Useful Links

  1. Illinois Bar Review Course – AmeriBar has been helping students pass the Illinois bar exam for over 20 years.
  2. IllinoisBarPrep.com – Detailed Information and resources for Illinois bar exam takers.
  3. MBEQuestionBank.com  – Online question bank with over 2500 simulated MBE questions.

Exam Dates

  • February 25-26, 2025
  • July 29-30, 2025
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Illinois Bar Admissions

Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar
625 S. College Street
Springfield, IL 62704-2521

Illinois MPRE Score Requirement

Illinois requires bar exam applicants to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”). You must score 80 or higher on the MPRE in order to pass in Illinois.

Scoring/Grading and Results

In order to pass the Illinois bar exam, you must score at least 266. This equates to 133, based on the MBE’s 200-point scale. The scores of the exam sections are weighted as follows: MEE 30%, MPT 20%, and MBE 50%. Illinois makes the February bar exam results available during the first half of April, and the July Illinois bar exam results in the first half of October.

Reciprocity

Illinois allows for admission on motion for attorneys who fulfill certain requirements, some of which include:

  • being licensed to practice law in any United States jurisdiction for at least three of five years;
  • fulfilling all educational and character and fitness requirements; and
  • being in good disciplinary standing in every jurisdiction of admission.

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Jennifer

Regent Law School

Jennifer failed twice with Barbri. “I felt so prepared…for the exam. I never felt that way the first couple of times. I can’t say enough about how I felt after failing twice to come back and just nail it after six years of absence from the law.”

UBE Bar Review Course Books

AmeriBar has been helping students pass the Illinois bar exam for over 20 years. 

Illinois Bar Exam Subjects

Illinois Essay Subjects

MBE Subjects

MBE Question of the Day

Heidi

Thomas Cooley Law School

Heidi, who failed twice with BarBri, describes how AmeriBar was instrumental in raising her score from 121 to 144.

Illinois Bar Exam Statewide Pass Rates

Exam DateFirstRepeatTotal
July 202379%27%70%
February 202362%35%43%
July 202277%20%68%
February 202256%36%43%
July 202179%17%67%
February 202157%32%42%
July 202084%35%75%
February 202059%29%41%
July 201980%26%71%
February 201967%44%52%
July 201877%28%70%
February 201869%41%55%
July 201780%38%74%
February 201774%44%58%
July 201677%32%72%
February 201675%49%63%

UBE Bar Review Course Books

AmeriBar has been helping students pass the Illinois bar exam for over 20 years.