Multistate Bar Examination mean score inches up for February exam
The national mean score for the February 2026 Multistate Bar Examination inched up to 131.2—up 0.4 points compared to the February 2025 mean of 130.8—helped by the return of Californians’ scores to the national pool, according to new data from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
In February 2025, California administered its ill-fated multiple-choice exam in place of the MBE, meaning that results from the state that tests the second-largest number of applicants were not included in last year’s overall mean, according to a March 25 press release from the NCBE.
That, coupled with an overall downward shift in performance, the NCBE reported, shows that the national February 2025 results had skewed lower, falling a full point to 130.8 from 131.8 in February 2024, before California stepped away.
Last month, 18,063 candidates nationwide took the MBE, consisting of 200 multiple-choice questions, one of three sections of the NCBE-created bar exam, according to the NCBE. That’s a 2,713 candidate increase from a year earlier, explained by a mandate from the California Supreme Court to return to the MBE.
This year, 71% of examinees were likely repeat test-takers, according to NCBE, and historically, February bar exam administrations attract more repeat test-takers who are more likely to score lower.
Each jurisdiction grades the written components of the NCBE-created exam, according to the press release. Last year, some jurisdictions reported pass rates as early as the first week of April.
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