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FREE Florida Bar Exam Guide 2026: Part A + MBE, Scoring, Pass Rates & Study Plan
Key Facts
- Florida does not administer the UBE; its Bar Exam is state-specific and Florida scores do not transfer out (Florida Board of Bar Examiners).
- The Florida Bar Exam is two days: Part A is 3 essays plus 100 Florida multiple-choice questions; Part B is the 200-question MBE (FBBE).
- A passing Florida Bar score is an average scaled score of 136, with Part A and Part B each weighted 50% (FBBE).
- Florida accepts an MBE score transfer of 136 or higher from another jurisdiction, earned within 25 months of Part A and the MPRE (FBBE).
- Florida requires a minimum MPRE scaled score of 80, valid within 25 months of passing the bar exam (FBBE MPRE rules).
- The MPRE is 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, administered three times a year by the NCBE (NCBE MPRE format).
- Florida's July 2025 first-time, full-exam pass rate was 78.4% (1,687 of 2,152), versus a 67% overall rate (FBBE/NCBE).
- The first-time Florida bar application fee is $1,000 for law graduates, or $600 converting from a prior student registration (FBBE Fee Worksheet 02/25).
- Florida will adopt the NextGen Bar Exam with a Florida Law Component beginning July 2028, replacing the MBE (NCBE/FBBE).
- The median annual wage for U.S. lawyers was $151,160 in May 2024 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, SOC 23-1011).
Florida Bar Exam Guide 2026: The Florida-Specific Walkthrough Most Pages Get Wrong
If you only remember one thing from this guide, remember this: Florida does not give the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). Many of the pages ranking for "Florida Bar Exam" describe a portable UBE score, a 270 cut, and seven NCBE-drafted essays. None of that is Florida. The Florida Bar Examination is a state-built test administered by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners (FBBE) with its own essays, its own 100-question Florida multiple-choice set, and a fixed scaled passing score of 136 . Your Florida score does not transfer to another state, and another state's UBE score does not get you into Florida — though Florida does accept a transferred MBE score of 136 or higher (more on that below).
This guide is built around that reality: the exact two-day structure, the Part A subject list straight from the FBBE Test Specifications, how the 50/50 scaling actually works, current first-time and overall pass rates from the February 2026 and July 2025 administrations, the real fee schedule from the FBBE Application Fee Worksheet, the MPRE and character-and-fitness rules, laptop and exam-day logistics, the upcoming NextGen transition, BLS wage context, and a study plan that works whether you are a graduating 3L or a working attorney converting from another jurisdiction.
Florida Bar Exam At-a-Glance (2026)
- Item Detail (2026)
- Administering Body Florida Board of Bar Examiners (FBBE), an arm of the Supreme Court of Florida
- Exam Type State-specific General Bar Examination — NOT a UBE jurisdiction
- Structure 2 days: Part A (Florida) on Tuesday, Part B (MBE) on Wednesday
- Part A 3 essay questions (3-hour morning) + 100 Florida multiple-choice (3-hour afternoon)
- Part B Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): 200 questions (100 morning + 100 afternoon)
- Passing Standard Average scaled score of 136 (out of 200); Part A and Part B each weighted 50%
- 2026 Test Dates February 24–25, 2026 and July 28–29, 2026
- 2027 Test Dates February 23–24, 2027 (July 2027 dates TBA)
- Exam Location Tampa Convention Center, 333 South Franklin St, Tampa, FL
- MPRE Separate; minimum scaled score 80 ; valid window 25 months from passing the bar
- MPRE Format 60 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours, administered 3x/year (March, August, November)
First-Time Bar Application Fee $1,000 (law graduate, first filing); $600 if converting from a prior student registration
- Repeat Taker Fee $450 (reapplication)
- Attorney Fee $1,000 (admitted <1 year) up to $3,000 (admitted 15+ years)
- Laptop Fee $125 (only if using a laptop on the essay portion)
- July Filing Deadline Timely by May 1 ; $325 late by June 1; absolute cutoff June 15 ($625 late fee)
- February Filing Deadline Timely by November 15 ; $325 late by December 15; absolute cutoff January 15
- Education Requirement J.D. from (or current enrollment in) an ABA-accredited law school
- Score Transfer (Out) None — Florida scores do not transfer to other states
- MBE Transfer (In) Florida accepts a transferred MBE score of 136+ earned within 25 months of Part A + MPRE
- Future Change Florida adopts the NextGen Bar Exam with a Florida Law Component in July 2028
Source: Florida Board of Bar Examiners — Exam Information and Test Specifications, Application Fee Worksheet (Form FEEWKSHT Rev 02/25), and Examination Results FAQs ( floridabarexam.org ); NCBE ( ncbex.org ).