The licensing exam administered by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, required for admission to practice law in Florida. Unlike many states, Florida does not use the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) — it administers its own exam combining the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) with Florida-specific essay and multiple-choice components covering Florida statutory and case law, meaning a UBE score from another state generally cannot transfer into Florida admission.
Who it's for
Law school graduates seeking to practice law in Florida, including candidates who attended law school in Florida and out-of-state graduates seeking Florida admission specifically (who, because Florida isn't a UBE state, generally need Florida-specific bar preparation regardless of where they attended law school).
What's covered
- Constitutional Law & Criminal Law/Procedure (25%) — federal constitutional law principles, the elements of major crimes, and criminal procedure including search and seizure and the rights of the accused
- Evidence & Civil Procedure (25%) — the Federal Rules of Evidence (and Florida-specific evidence rules where they diverge), and civil procedure covering jurisdiction, pleading, and pretrial process
- Real Property & Trusts/Estates (25%) — estates in land, real property conveyancing, and the fundamentals of wills, trusts, and estate administration, including Florida-specific rules
- Business Associations, Family Law & Professional Responsibility (25%) — the fundamentals of corporate and partnership law, Florida family law, and the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar governing attorney professional conduct
What to expect
The Florida Bar Exam combines multiple-choice testing (including MBE-style questions on the seven core national subjects) with Florida-specific essay and multiple-choice components testing Florida statutory and case law that can differ meaningfully from general common law rules tested on the national MBE. Candidates should expect the exam to test both the general, nationally-tested legal doctrine and Florida's own specific rules where they diverge from that general doctrine.
How to prepare
Because Florida isn't a UBE state, even candidates with strong general bar exam knowledge from a national bar prep course need dedicated study of Florida-specific rules — Florida's specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, Florida family law statutes, and the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct in particular diverge from generic MBE/MPRE content in ways the exam tests directly.
Certification details
- Administering body: The Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
- Eligibility: A Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-approved law school (with limited exceptions), successful character and fitness review, and application to the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
- Exam format: A combination of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) and Florida-specific multiple-choice and essay components, administered over two days.
- Additional requirement: Candidates must also separately pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) as part of Florida's admission requirements.