Ultimate Guide to Kansas State Bar Exam
Your complete guide to Kansas 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
Kansas State Bar Exam | Basic Information
The Kansas Bar Association was formed in 1882. There are about 7,000 attorneys that are part of the voluntary association.
Kansas is one of 40+ jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). Kansas first administered the UBE in February 2016.
July 2023 (154 takers)
February 2023 (45 takers)
February 2022 (unknown takers)
July 2021 (unknown 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 Kansas (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 Kansas State bar exam? Here’s some basic information on applying to take the Kansas bar exam.
The Kansas Bar application fee for most takers is $700. There is a $200 late fee.
*Visit the Kansas Board of Bar Examiner’s website for more information.
If you desire to take the bar exam in February, the application deadline is October 1. Late applications will be accepted until November 1. If you want to take the July bar exam, the application deadline is March 1. Late applications will be accepted until April 1.
In addition to passing the Kansas 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 Kansas, including:
- Score 80 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) within the accepted time frame.
- Character and Fitness Review
Kansas State Bar Admissions Office
Physical address:
Kansas Judicial Center
301 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka Kansas 66612-1507
Phone number:
Telephone: (785) 296-2256
info@kscourts.org
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 Kansas State bar exam, posted on the Kansas State Bar Association’s website:
Frequently Asked Questions
When are my Kansas bar exam results released?
February bar exam results are usually posted in April. July bar exam results are usually posted in September.
Can I see my Kansas bar exam score?
If you passed the Kansas bar exam, you won’t be able to see your score.
Can I appeal to have my Kansas bar exam re-graded?
No.
How many times can I take the bar exam in Kansas?
You can retake the UBE in Kansas four times.
Applicants seeking admission to the Kansas State Bar, without taking the bar exam, must comply with Reciprocity Requirements.
You are able to have reciprocity with Kansas if you live in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
In order to be eligible for admittance to the Kansas State Bar, without taking the bar examination, you must:
- Show proof of being admitted to the bar in a reciprocal state
- Hold a JD or LLB from an ABA-approved law school
- Have proof of good standing in the bar in another state
- Have proof of active legal standing in at least five of the last seven years
Here’s a list of law schools in Kansas.
University of Kansas School of Law
- Founded: 1878
- Located: Lawrence, KS
- Enrollment: about 325
- Tuition Cost: $28,804 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 88%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.ku.edu
Washburn University School of Law
- Founded: 1903
- Located: Topeka, KS
- Enrollment: about 300
- Tuition Cost: $35,264 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 68%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: washburnlaw.edu
Here are some Facebook groups you may find helpful before, and after, passing the bar exam:
- Kansas Women Attorneys Association (301 members)
- National Lawyers Guild – Kansas City (178 members)
- Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts (402 members)
- KC LEGAL (Kansas City Lesbian, Gay, and Allied Lawyers) (40 members)
Kansas University School of Law
- KU Women in Law (274 members)
- Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy (108 members)
- Asian Law Student Association (University of Kansas) (20 members)
- University of Kansas School of Law Friends (18 members)
- Mindfulness in Law Society of the University of Kansas (45 members)
Washburn University School of Law
- Washburn School of Law (1,127 members)
- Washburn School of Law Hispanic American Law School Association (HALSA) (56 members)
- Washburn Law Commuters (14 members)
- Washburn Oil, Gas, and Energy Law Society (34 members)
- Washburn Law Asian American Law Student Association (21 members)
- Washburn Intellectual Property Law Society (WIPLS) (13 members)
- Washburn Law Softball (14 members)
- Washburn Law Republicans (29 members)
- Washburn Law Democrats (88 members)
- Washburn Law Genders & Sexualities Alliance (49 members)
- Women’s Legal Forum, Washburn University School of Law (89 members)
- Washburn Agricultural Law Society (70 members)
- Women of the Washburn Law Journal (36 members)
- Washburn Law – Students With Kids (6 members)
- Washburn Law Student Association Executives (20 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2023 (22 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2022 (130 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2021 (141 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2020 (136 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2019 (126 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2018 (108 members)
- Washburn Law Class of 2017 (85 members)
More helpful resources and study materials to help you pass the Kansas State Bar Exam: