Ultimate Guide to Oklahoma State Bar Exam
Your complete guide to Oklahoma 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 June 2020
Oklahoma State Bar Exam | Basic Information
The Oklahoma Bar Association was started in 1904.
Oklahoma is not a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) state. Oklahoma has its own bar exam that uses the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the national multiple-choice test. Oklahoma also requires the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).
February 2020 (110 takers)
February 2019 (123 takers)
What’s the format of the Oklahoma Bar?
The Oklahoma bar is administered twice each year in Oklahoma (in February and July). The examination is administered over two days in four, three-hour sessions. The Oklahoma bar has two parts: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and 16 essay questions.
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 score.
Crushendo offers affordable, comprehensive written and audio outlines for MBE subjects.
Essay Questions
There are 16 questions on the Oklahoma bar exam. You will complete eight questions in each three-hour block. The Oklahoma bar essays comprise 50% of your score.
Oklahoma bar exam essay topics may include the following:
- Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct
- Commercial Law (including contracts, Uniform Commercial Code, consumer law, and creditor’s rights including bankruptcy)
- Property
- Procedural Law (including pleadings, practice, remedies (damages, restitution, and equity), and evidence)
- Criminal Law
- Business Associations (including agency, partnerships (such as joint ventures), corporations, and limited liability companies)
- Constitutional and Administrative Law
- Torts
- Intestate Succession (including wills, trusts, estate planning, such as federal estate and gift taxation)
- Conflicts of Law
- Family Law
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 Oklahoma State bar exam? Here’s some basic information on applying to take the Oklahoma bar exam.
The Oklahoma Bar application fee for pre-registered law students is $400. Law students who are not pre-registered must pay a fee of $900. Attorneys who want to pay the Oklahoma bar must pay a fee of $1,100. A repeat bar examination only costs $400.
*Visit the Oklahoma State Bar’s website for more information.
If you desire to take the bar exam in February, you should submit your application by September 1 to avoid late fees. If you file between September 2 and October 1, there is a $50 late fee. If you file between October 2 and November 1, there is a $150 late fee. November 1 is the final deadline, unless you are a repeat taker, then the final deadline is December 15.
If you desire to take the bar exam in July, you should submit your application by February 1 to avoid late fees. If you file between February 2 and March 1, there is a $50 late fee. If you file between March 2 and April 1, there is a $150 late fee. April 1 is the final deadline, unless you are a repeat taker, then the final deadline is May 15.
Dates may vary, since all deadlines fall on weekdays.
In addition to passing the Oklahoma bar exam with a score of at least 2400, there are several requirements that must be met in order to be admitted as an attorney in Oklahoma, including:
- Score 75 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) within the accepted time frame.
- Certificate from Committee of Character and Fitness
Oklahoma State Bar Admissions Office
Physical address:
Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners
1901 N. Lincoln Blvd.
P.O. Box 53036
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
Phone: (405) 416-7075
Email: admin@okbbe.com
Allowed Items
- Admission Certificate
- Government-issued photo I.D.
- Wallet
- Keys
- Earplugs (not the big earphone/headphone type)
- Pens, pencils, and erasers
- Medication and medical items
- Facial tissue
- One clear plastic bottle of water per exam session, the contents must also be clear
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
- Watches
View pass lists, posted on Oklahoma bar examiner’s website:
Frequently Asked Questions
When are my Oklahoma bar exam results released?
Oklahoma bar exam results are usually posted six to nine weeks after the exam date.
Can I see my Oklahoma bar exam score?
If you passed the Oklahoma bar exam, you won’t be able to see your score. If you failed the exam, you will be notified of your score on each section.
Can I appeal to have my Oklahoma bar exam re-graded?
No. Essays are automatically re-graded if you are close to passing.
How many times can I take the bar exam in Oklahoma?
You can take the Oklahoma bar without limit.
Oklahoma has reciprocity with the following states or jurisdictions:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
You must meet the reciprocity requirements to be admitted to Oklahoma:
- Actively practice law for five of the last seven years
- Have not failed the Oklahoma bar in the past
- Graduate from an ABA-approved law school
Here’s a list of law schools in Oklahoma.
University of Oklahoma College of Law
- Founded: 1909
- Located: Norman, OK
- Enrollment: about 500
- Tuition Cost: $33,338 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 92%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.ou.edu
University of Tulsa College of Law
- Founded: 1923
- Located: Tulsa, OK
- Enrollment: about 300
- Tuition Cost: $26,098 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 85%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.utulsa.edu
Oklahoma City University School of Law
- Founded: 1904
- Located: Oklahoma, OK
- Enrollment: about 450
- Tuition Cost: $12,669 View tuition breakdown
- Bar Passage Rate: 66%
- ABA Accredited: Yes
- Website: law.okcu.edu
Here are some Facebook groups you may find helpful before, and after, passing the bar exam:
- Girl Attorney -- OK (2,385 members)
- Oklahoma Lawyer Jobs (168 members)
- Oklahoma Lawyers for Children (52 members)
University of Oklahoma College of Law
University of Tulsa College of Law
Oklahoma City University School of Law
More helpful resources and study materials to help you pass the Oklahoma State bar exam: