Delaware bar exam information

What is the Delaware bar exam?

The Delaware bar exam assesses whether an examinee is competent to practice law in the State of Delaware. Passing the bar exam is an essential step in becoming a lawyer in Delaware. Examinees are tested on a variety of legal subjects. Bar exam scores are scaled, meaning that scores are adjusted to reflect the relative difficulty of a particular exam. These adjustments ensure that no examinee is unfairly penalized or rewarded for taking a more or less difficult exam.

Studying for the Delaware bar exam is a full-time job that requires discipline, determination, and—for most people—a formal course structure. The Quimbee Bar Review course is expertly designed to help you prepare for the Delaware bar examination in the most efficient and effective way possible. Our bar review course includes 1,400+ real practice questions from past bar exams, detailed answer explanations, and comprehensive outlines of MBE subjects.

Read on to learn more about the Delaware bar exam.

What is the Delaware bar exam format?

The Delaware bar exam consists of three sections: the MBE, the Delaware essay section, and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The Delaware bar exam is offered twice a year on the last consecutive Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in July. Monday is a full day consisting of eight Delaware essays. Tuesday is a half day consisting of the MPT, and Wednesday is a full day consisting of the MBE. The MBE counts for 40 percent of the examinee’s total Delaware bar exam score. The MPT and the essay section count for a combined 60 percent of the examinee’s total score. The Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware provides details on bar exam format and scoring on its website.

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

The MBE is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and administered by participating jurisdictions, including Delaware, on the last Wednesday in July of each year.

According to the NCBE, the purpose of the MBE is to assess the extent to which an examinee can apply fundamental legal principles and legal reasoning to analyze given fact patterns.

The MBE is divided into morning and afternoon testing sessions of three hours each, with 100 questions in each session. There are no scheduled breaks during either the morning or afternoon session, though test taskers typically may be excused from the exam room during the test. Be sure to check with your jurisdiction, however, as the rules regarding leaving the exam room may vary.

Of the 200 questions on the MBE, 175 questions are scored. The remaining unscored 25 questions are used by the NCBE to test potential future questions. The scored questions are distributed evenly, with 25 questions from each tested subject area. Delaware bar exam subjects include civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts. The MBE counts for 40 percent of the total Delaware bar exam score.

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

The MPT is the third component of the Delaware bar exam. The MPT is not a test of substantive knowledge. The MPT consists of two 90-minute problems designed to mimic real-world tasks that a new attorney might be assigned.

The materials for each MPT include a file and a library. The file consists of the facts of a fictitious case and includes legal documents related to the case. The library contains statutes, cases, and other forms of rules. The file and library will include both relevant and irrelevant information; it’s up to you to figure out what you’ll need to complete your task. The examinee’s task will be outlined in a memorandum contained in the file. The MPT counts for 20 percent of the total Delaware bar exam score.

Jurisdiction-Specific Component

The essay section of the Delaware bar exam consists of eight essay questions. The subjects that may be tested on this section include:

• Agency

• Constitutional law

• Contracts

• Corporations

• Criminal law (including the Delaware Criminal Code)

• Equity

• Evidence

• Partnerships

• Delaware court procedure

• Property

• Torts

• Trusts

• Uniform Commercial Code

• Wills

The Delaware essay section counts for 40 percent of the total Delaware bar exam score. The Delaware Board of Bar Examiners makes previous essays available on its website.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

A passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is also required to become a licensed Delaware attorney. The MPRE tests an examinee’s knowledge of the ethics rules related to the practice of law. According to the NCBE, the purpose of the MPRE is to “measure examinees' knowledge and understanding of established standards related to the professional conduct of lawyers.”

The MPRE’s questions are largely based on the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, but the MPRE also covers relevant court decisions as well as procedural and evidentiary rules.

The MPRE consists of 60 multiple-choice questions—50 scored questions and 10 unscored questions. As with the MBE, each question on the MPRE is followed by four possible answer options. You’ll have two hours to complete the exam.

The MPRE is offered three times per year, typically in March, August, and November. Be sure to register early—the regular registration fee is $135, but the late registration fee is $220.

The MPRE is scored on a scale that ranges from 50 to 100. Delaware requires a minimum-passing MPRE score of 85.

Delaware bar exam information

Below is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that provides helpful information to Delaware bar examinees.

What are the Delaware bar exam dates?

The Delaware bar exam is offered once a year on the last consecutive Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in July. The Delaware bar exam is typically administered in Wilmington.

When do I need to register for the Delaware bar exam?

The regular deadline for the February 2025 exam is December 3, 2024. The regular deadline for the July 2025 exam is TBD. For the latest deadline updates, please see the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware's website.

What are the fees for the Delaware bar exam?

The regular application fee for the Delaware bar exam is $700. For more details on fees, visit the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware's website.

When will I receive my Delaware bar exam results?

Delaware bar examination results are released approximately 11 weeks after administration of the exam. Delaware bar exam results are posted publicly on the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware's website.

What is the statewide pass rate for all exam takers in Delaware?

64% (July 2023)

Please note that this is not the pass rate for Quimbee Bar Review, but rather the average for all people who took the bar exam in Delaware. To see Quimbee Bar Review's pass rates, please go here.

What is the Delaware bar exam contact information?

The Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware is the organization responsible for overseeing admission to the bar in Delaware. It is through this board that you will register for the bar exam, receive exam information, and obtain your score.

Address:
Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware
The Renaissance Centre
405 North King Street, Suite 420
Wilmington, DE 19801

Phone: (302) 651-3940

Website: https://courts.delaware.gov/bbe/

How do I get Delaware bar exam news?

News and information about the Delaware bar exam can be found on the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware's website.

What is the best Delaware bar exam prep course?

Quimbee does not provide state-specific coverage for the Delware bar exam, but you may use Quimbee Bar Review to supplement your bar prep. All of the course material for Quimbee Bar Review is available from your computer.

Delaware Bar Practice Tests

Quimbee’s course offers several full-length practice MBEs and thousands of MBE practice questions—many licensed directly from the NCBE. 

Delaware Bar Study Guide

With Quimbee, you’ll watch Quimbee's beautifully designed video lessons, practice multiple-choice questions to test what you've learned, and read through Quimbee's expert-written outlines. And true understanding isn’t just answering a question correctly. You need to know why you got a question right or why you got a question wrong. That’s why Quimbee provides you with detailed explanations for every practice question so that you can understand the difference between the correct and incorrect answers.

Quimbee’s outlines provide comprehensive coverage of all MBE subjects. Quimbee Outlines are written by experts and are perfectly tailored to the NCBE’s subject matter outlines, so you can be confident you’re studying only the material that’s tested on the bar exam.

So, if you’re wondering how to pass the Delaware bar exam, check out Quimbee Bar Review, and you’ll see why Quimbee is the best MBE review tool available.