Ultimate Guide to Connecticut State Bar Exam
Your complete guide to Connecticut bar exam prep.
Pass Rates · Bar Review Courses · Format · Essay Topics · Schedule · Dates · Location · Application Fees & Deadlines · What to Bring · Scores & Grading · Results · Reciprocity · Law Schools · Groups · Other Resources
*Updated January 2024
Connecticut State Bar Exam | Basic Information
The Connecticut State Bar Association formed in 1875. It is a non-profit organization that advances the principles of justice in Connecticut.
Connecticut is one of 40+ jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). Connecticut first administered the UBE in February 2017.
July 2023 (377 takers)
February 2023 (161 takers)
February 2022 (126 takers)
July 2021 (365 takers)
| Crushendo | Barbri | Themis | Kaplan | AmeriBar | BarMax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Cost | $970 | $1,999-4,199 | $2,695 | $2,199-3,999 | $1,299-2,599 | $1,895 |
| Facebook Rating | 5.0 | Disabled | 4.8 | Disabled | Disabled | 4.3 |
| Google Rating | 5.0 | N/A | 2.8 | 3.2 | N/A | N/A |
| MBE |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| MEE |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| MPT |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| NCBE Questions | 1,750+ | 100+ | 1,350+ | 1,200+ | 1,400+ | 1,700+ |
| Audio Flashcards |  | |||||
| 250+ Mnemonics |  | |||||
| Access Period | Lifetime | 8-10 weeks | 4 months | 4 months | Up to 3 years | Lifetime |
| Financing |  |  | 3 payments | $250 registration |  |  |
| Founded | 2017 | 1974 | 2008 | 1938 | 1999 | 2010 |
| Phone | (385) 482-1776 | (888) 322-7274 | (888) 843-6476 | (626) 390-7170 | (877) 942-2763 | (800) 529-2651 |
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Last updated: 1/7/23
*Cost ignores promotions and live tutoring.
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Crushendo’s written and audio outlines utilize 250+ proprietary mnemonics to help you memorize everything you need to know to pass the bar exam on your first try.
Crushendo’s complete bar prep course, the UBE Suite, costs $970 and includes 1,750+ official practice questions from the NCBE.
Crushendo offers lifetime access for all of its bar exam prep products.
Adam Balinski founded Crushendo Bar Review in 2017 (read the founding story here).
The Harcourt publishing company founded Barbri in 1974 when it acquired two bar review programs. Since its founding, Barbri has been owned by large firms including Thomson Reuters and Leeds Equity Partners.
Barbri products have been used by more than a million law school students. In the last 20 years Barbri has settled multiple antitrust lawsuits.
Barbri’s traditional bar prep programs cost $1,999-4,199 and some include 100+ official NCBE questions from past bar exams.
Barbri offers access to its traditional, full-time bar prep course for 8-10 weeks, but early access can be purchased.
Themis Bar Review is based in Chicago and was founded in 2008.
Themis’s bar prep program costs $2,695 and includes 1,350+ NCBE questions.
Themis offers access to its online products for four months.
Stanley Kaplan founded Kaplan, Inc. in 1938.
Kaplan jumped into the bar review space in 2006 when it acquired PMBR, a company that provides test prep for the MBE. In 2008 Kaplan expanded its bar review offerings.
Kaplan’s bar prep programs cost $2,199-3,999 and include 1,200+ NCBE questions.
Kaplan offers access to its online products for four months.
Alexander Nakis founded AmeriBar in 1999. It’s headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.
AmeriBar’s bar exam prep programs cost $1,299-2,599 and include 1,400+ NCBE questions.
AmeriBar offers access to its online products for up to three years.
Michael Ghaffary and Mehran Ebadolahi founded BarMax in 2010.
BarMax’s bar prep course costs $1,895 and includes 1,700+ NCBE questions.
BarMax offers lifetime access to its online products.
What’s the format of the UBE?
The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is administered twice each year in Connecticut (in February and July). The examination is administered over two days in four, three-hour sessions. The UBE has three parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).
MBE
The MBE is a six-hour test and consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that test your understanding across seven subjects. Your MBE score comprises 50% of your overall UBE score.
Crushendo offers affordable, comprehensive written and audio outlines for MBE subjects (in addition to MEE and MPRE subjects).
Watch Crushendo’s free MBE tips video.
MEE
The MEE consists of six 30-minute legal essays. The MEE makes up 30% of your score.
Essay topics may include the following: Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Property, Secured Transactions, Torts, Trusts, Unincorporated Business Entities, Wills and Estates, etc.
Crushendo offers the most recent MEE questions and includes the point sheets that the graders used. Watch Crushendo’s free MEE tips video.
MPT
The MPT consists of two 90-minute tasks where you analyze and apply laws to specific scenarios. The MPT makes up 20% of your score. Crushendo offers the most recent MPT questions and includes the point sheets that the graders used. Watch Crushendo’s free MPT tips video.
What’s the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination?
The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) tests your understanding of established standards of conduct for lawyers. The MPRE is administered three times each year (in March, August, and November). The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions and is two hours long. Check out this MPRE Tips video!
Upcoming Bar Exam Schedule, Dates, Location
Are you interested in taking the Connecticut State bar exam? Here’s some basic information on applying to take the Connecticut bar exam.
The Connecticut Bar application fee for most takers is $800. The fee is $900 if you file late.
*Visit the Connecticut State Bar Admission Office’s website for more information.
If you desire to take the bar exam in February, the application opens on October 1 and the filing deadline is October 31. There is a late filing deadline on December 2 with a $100 late fee. If you can’t to take the July bar exam, the application opens on March 1 and the filing deadline is March 29. There is a late filing deadline on April 30 with a $100 late fee.
In addition to passing the Connecticut bar exam with a score of at least 266, there are several requirements that must be met in order to be admitted as an attorney in Connecticut, including:
- Score 80 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) within the accepted time frame.
- Character and Fitness Review
- Receive a JD from an approved law school
Connecticut State Bar Admissions Office
Address:
Connecticut Bar Examining Committee
100 Washington Street, 1st Floor
Hartford, Connecticut 06106-4411
Phone: 860-706-5135
Email: BarExam@jud.ct.gov
What to bring
- Your current driver’s license.
- Your Bar Examination Identification & Certification Card that has your photo, NCBE number, and examinee number.
Important notes
- You need to have these items with you for each of the four testing sessions.
- Pens and pencils are provided to examinees.
- Laptop testers should not bring their laptop in a case or bag.
Prohibited items
- Any item that can connect to the internet
- Any item that can record audio or video
- Backpacks
- Books
- Briefcases
- Calculators
- Cameras
- Notes
- Phones
- Food or drink
- Purses
- Radios
- Rulers
- Scratch papers
- Study materials
View lists of those who passed the Connecticut State bar exam, posted on the Connecticut State Bar Association’s website:
Frequently Asked Questions
When are my Connecticut bar exam results released?
Connecticut bar exam results are usually posted eight to nine weeks after the exam date. February bar exam results are usually posted about April 10. July bar exam results are usually posted in September.
Can I see my Connecticut bar exam score?
If you passed the Connecticut bar exam, you won’t be able to see your score.
Can I appeal to have my Connecticut bar exam re-graded?
No.
How many times can I take the bar exam in Connecticut?
You can retake the UBE without any limit.
Applicants seeking admission to the Connecticut State Bar, without taking the bar exam, must comply with Reciprocity Requirements.
If you are a part of a bar in the following states or districts, you are able to have reciprocity with the state of Connecticut: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland–Effective July 1, 2019, Massachusetts, Michigan, 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, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
In order to be eligible for admittance to the Connecticut State bar, without taking the bar examination, you must have:
- A Character and Fitness Evaluation
- Proof of active legal standing in at least five of the last 10 years
Here’s a list of law schools in Connecticut.
Quinnipiac University School of Law
- Founded: 1990
- Located: North Haven, CT
- Enrollment: about 450
- Tuition Cost: $49,520 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 82%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: qu.edu/schools/law
University of Connecticut School of Law
- Founded: 1921
- Located: Hartford, CT
- Enrollment: about 400
- Tuition Cost: $61,396 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 71%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.uconn.edu
Yale Law School
- Founded: 1824
- Located: New Haven, CT
- Enrollment: about 700
- Tuition Cost: $63,878 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 98%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.yale.edu
Here are some Facebook groups you may find helpful before, and after, passing the bar exam:
- Connecticut Bar Association – Young Lawyers Section (78 members)
- CAIL Connecticut Alliance of International Lawyers (55 members)
- Ask a Connecticut Work Injury Attorney (24 members)
- Connecticut Women’s Law Student Group (53 members)
- Connecticut Attorney Networking and Referral Group (11 members)
- CT Law Moms (26 members)
- Connecticut Ask a Lawyer Group (61 members)
- AFSCME Local 381 – Connecticut Public Defenders (Attorneys) (51 members)
Quinnipiac University School of Law
- Quinnipiac University School of Law Student Bar Association (411 members)
- Quinnipiac Law Review (60 members)
- QU Law Softball (48 members)
- Quinnipiac Black Law Students Association (Past and Present) (41 members)
- QUSL Black Law Student Association (BLSA) (17 members)
- International Human Rights Law Society (93 members)
- Quinnipiac University Intellectual Property Law Society Group (12 members)
- The Criminal Law Society at Quinnipiac School of Law (49 members)
- Quinnipiac Law Federalist Society Group (55 members)
- Quinnipiac Law Hockey Society (21 members)
- Quinnipiac Law Society for Dispute Resolution (130 members)
- Quinnipiac University School of Law – Mock Trial Society (46 members)
- Quinnipiac Law School Class of 2020 (161 members)
- Quinnipiac School of Law Class of ’19 (105 members)
- Quinnipiac University School of Law – Fall 2018 Entering Class (132 members)
- Quinnipiac Law, J. D. Class of 2018 (86 members)
- Quinnipiac University School of Law Class of 2017 (55 members)
- Quinnipiac Law Class of 2016 (62 members)
- Quinnipiac Law, J. D. Class of 2015 (87 members)
University of Connecticut School of Law
- UConn Intellectual Property and Technology Law Society (55 members)
- H. E. L. P. at UConn Law (29 members)
- UConn Law Student Textbook Exchange (251 members)
- UConn Law School Democrats (48 members)
- Campus Democrats at UConn Law (36 members)
- Arts Entertainment and Sports Law Society at UConn Law (56 members)
- UConn Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA) (17 members)
- Diversity Week at UConn Law (81 members)
- University of Connecticut School of Law: National Lawyers Guild (7 members)
- The Federalist Society UConn Law Chapter (30 members)
- UConn Law Society (65 members)
- Admitted Students – UConn School of Law Class of 2022/2023 (188 members)
- UConn School of Law Class of 2021/2022 (138 members)
- UConn School of Law Class of 2020 – Evening Division (23 members)
- UConn School of Law Classes of 2019 and 2020 (133 members)
- UConn School of Law Classes of 2018 and 2019 (135 members)
- UConn School of Law Classes of 2016 and 2017 (132 members)
- UConn School of Law Classes of 2015 and 2016 (136 members)
Yale Law School
- Yale Law School Alums (476 members)
- Yale Law Women Alumnae (111 members)
- Yale Journal of Law & Feminism (55 members)
- Yale Journal of International Law (27 members)
- Constitutional Law (Coursera – Yale University) (111 members)
- Class of 2022
- Class of 2020
- Yale Law School LLM Class of 2019 (58 members)
More helpful resources and study materials to help you pass the Connecticut State Bar Exam: