Mpre Scores By State

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), a 120-minute, 60-question, multiple-choice exam, is pivotal for law students across the United States wishing to practice their legal craft. Required for admission in nearly all U.S. jurisdictions, the MPRE tests an examinee's grasp of established standards regarding a lawyer’s professional conduct. While the exam is uniform, an interesting aspect is the variation in minimum passing scores from state to state, which underlines the importance of these scores on the path to becoming a subject-certified attorney.

• At the lower end of the MPRE score scale, the minimum passing scores of 75 are seen in five states - Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
• Interestingly, the largest group of states - including, but not limited to, New York, Texas, and Massachusetts - have settled on an MPRE passing score of 85. This group encompasses 23 states in total.
• The states with the highest hurdle to overcome are California and Utah, both requiring a minimum passing score of 86 on the MPRE.
• There is a relatively small spread of minimum pass marks between states – with just 11 points separating the lowest and highest (75 in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, up to 86 in California and Utah).

Among the states requiring the highest scores are California and Utah, where the minimum passing score is set at 86. This requirement not only sets higher standards for the aspiring lawyers but also indicates the importance placed on ethical standards in the legal profession within these states.

In addition to California and Utah, several other states require a minimum passing score of 85. These include states from various regions, like the east coast's New York and Virginia, Texas from the south, and western states Oregon and Hawaii. The midwestern states, including Nebraska, round out this group.

States with the highest required MPRE scores:

1. California - 86
2. Utah - 86
3. Virginia - 85
4. New York - 85
5. Oregon - 85
6. Texas - 85
7. Nebraska - 85
8. Idaho - 85
9. Hawaii - 85
10. Colorado - 85 

The states with the lowest MPRE scores are New Jersey, Mississippi, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama, all of which have a minimum passing score of 75. These states arguably present the least challenging hurdle compared to other US States. 

Moving slightly up the scale, South Carolina comes in next with a minimum passing score requirement of 77. Similarly, New Hampshire is not far off with a baseline of 79 for a passing score. 

States that have determined an MPRE passing score of 80 include Montana, North Carolina, and Louisiana. While these states have moderately higher requirements, they are still considerably lower than the likes of California and Utah, which demand the highest passing score of 86.

States with the lowest MPRE scores:

1. New Jersey - 75
2. Mississippi - 75
3. Georgia - 75
4. Pennsylvania - 75
5. Alabama - 75
6. South Carolina - 77
7. New Hampshire - 79
8. Montana - 80
9. North Carolina - 80
10. Louisiana - 80