Past Bar Exam Essays and Performance Tests (PTs)

Where do you find essays and performance tests from past exams to practice on?

Rather than have you go hunting for them or flip through your bar course materials, I’ve compiled past essays and PTs for California. I also link to past MEEs and MPTs from various UBE jurisdictions.

California: Here are downloadable California Bar Exam essays and selected answers going back to 2001, and California performance tests (PTs) and selected answers.

👉 See also the essay answer bank for real graded answers

👉 CA essays – frequency chart and issue chart (use this to find when topics were tested)

CA essays and selected answers

90-minute CA PTs and selected answers

2023 July (Qs only) 2023 Feb 2022 July 2022 Feb 2021 July 2021 Feb 2020 Oct 2020 Feb 2019 July 2019 Feb 2018 July 2018 Feb 2017 July 2017 Feb 2016 July 2016 Feb 2015 July 2015 Feb 2014 July 2014 Feb 2013 July 2013 Feb 2012 July 2012 Feb 2011 July 2011 Feb 2010 July 2010 Feb 2009 July 2009 Feb 2008 July 2008 Feb 2007 July 2007 Feb 2006 July 2006 Feb 2005 July 2005 Feb 2004 July 2004 Feb 2003 July 2003 Feb 2002 July 2002 Feb 2001 July

2023 July (not yet available) 2023 Feb 2022 July 2022 Feb 2021 July 2021 Feb 2020 Oct 2020 Feb 2019 July 2019 Feb 2018 July 2018 Feb 2017 July Sample PT (Haynes v. National Bank of Columbia) (no sample answer) For more PT practice, see below for MPTs similar to these.

UBE: Downloadable MEEs and representative answers

NCBE MEE Questions and Analyses are available from 2013 July to 2018 February.

Representative answers to MEEs are available from various states (some may be missing):

• Arkansas from 2013 February to 2021 February
• Maryland from 2019 July to 2023 February
• Minnesota from 2020 September to 2023 February
• New York from 2016 July to 2023 February
• South Dakota from 2019 February to 2021 February

MPTs are below this section.

UBE: Downloadable MPTs and representative answers

NCBE MPT Questions and Point Sheets are available from 2013 July to 2018 February.

Representative answers to MPTs are available from various states (some may be missing):

• Arkansas from 2013 February to 2021 February
• Georgia from 2011 July to 2023 February
• Maryland from 2019 July to 2023 February
• Minnesota from 2020 September to 2023 February
• New York from 2016 July to 2023 February
• South Dakota from 2019 February to 2021 February

UBE: Links to find past MEE questions and answers, past MPT questions and answers, and MEE and MPT analyses

The files above were sourced from these places:

1. Free MEE questions and analyses from NCBE
2. Free MPT questions and point sheets from NCBE
3. If you want the official analyses for more recent ones, you can find them in the MEE study aids (paid)
4. Some state bar websites post plenty of essays, MPTs, and selected answers
   • Arkansas MEE and MPT questions and best answers (2013 and on)
   • Minnesota’s representative answers (last few years)
   • Maryland’s representative answers (last few years)
   • South Dakota’s representative answers (last few years)
   • New York Past Exam Essay Questions with Sample Candidate Answers (2016 July and on)
   • Georgia Essay (not MEE) and MPT Questions and Selected Answers (2011 July and on include MPT questions and sample answers)

Others: Check your state bar website or law school’s academics resources to see if it offers questions and selected answers

1. Nevada offers sample passing answers for essays and PTs going back to 2007
2. A Virginia law school offers past Virginia bar exams to review