The MPRE is offered three times a year, in November, March and August.
The schedule NCBE published as of October 2026 runs through November 2027, and the next exam is November 12–13, 2026 — though its September 17 registration deadline has already passed, so the next window open to a new registrant is March 23–24, 2027, closing January 21, 2027.
Scores are typically released within five weeks.
Here is the full calendar, with deadlines and score-release timing.
Upcoming MPRE dates
The MPRE is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam offered three times a year, and the dates come in fixed windows.
NCBE's registration page listed this schedule as of October 2026, with four administrations ahead:
| Administration | Exam dates | Registration deadline |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | November 12–13, 2026 | September 17, 2026 |
| March 2027 | March 23–24, 2027 | January 21, 2027 |
| August 2027 | August 18–19, 2027 | June 17, 2027 |
| November 2027 | November 4–5, 2027 | September 21, 2027 |
The two dates in each window are the days the exam runs — on computers provided by Pearson at Pearson testing centers.
Registering books you an appointment with Pearson for one of those dates, and registration, scheduling and payment all have to be finished by the window's deadline.
Part of this calendar is already behind you: registration for the November 2026 administration closed on September 17, 2026.
The exam dates are still ahead, but a new registrant can no longer enter that window — the first open one is March 23–24, 2027, with a deadline of January 21, 2027.
One date the table leaves out: for each window, NCBE lists a recommended date to apply for test accommodations, ahead of the registration deadline.
If you will request accommodations, that earlier date is the one to plan around.
Whether these dates belong on your calendar at all is a jurisdiction question.
The MPRE is required for bar admission in every U.S. jurisdiction except Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, and Connecticut and New Jersey also accept a law-school professional responsibility course in place of a passing score.
Our guide to the MPRE covers what the exam tests and how jurisdictions use the score.
MPRE registration deadlines
A registration deadline is not a soft target.
It is the last moment the entire registration can be complete — NCBE registration, scheduling with Pearson and payment, all finished by 11:59 p.m. (CT) on the deadline.
Past that moment you cannot test in that window, and there is no separate late fee to buy a way back in: the next chance is the following administration.
The deadline is also the number to plan from, because each one sits well ahead of the exam dates it governs — September 17, 2026 against a November 12–13 exam, January 21, 2027 against March 23–24.
A registration that starts from the exam date discovers the deadline has already gone.
The test fee is $185 for all 2026 and 2027 administrations, paid to Pearson by debit or credit card.
After booking, moving an appointment to a different slot within the same window costs a $25 rescheduling fee that NCBE describes as non-refundable and non-transferable.
The step-by-step mechanics behind the deadline — the NCBE Account, booking with Pearson, how the accommodations request fits — are on MPRE registration.
Deadlines are hard cuts, and NCBE's to change
MPRE score release dates
MPRE scores are typically released within five weeks of the exam, into the examinee's NCBE Account.
That five-week figure is the only release timing on the NCBE pages we read: the schedule we read does not name a fixed release date for each window, so a specific date you see elsewhere is not one we can confirm against NCBE's pages.
What arrives is a scaled score from 50 to 150, and each jurisdiction sets its own passing score.
The release date is only half the calculation, then — what satisfies the jurisdiction you are applying to is the other half, and MPRE passing scores by state lists every jurisdiction's minimum.
If the score has to reach a second jurisdiction, an MPRE Score Report costs $30 each — a small line item that is easy to forget until a second application is waiting on it.
Which MPRE window should you choose?
The windows are not ranked; the right one is the one whose calendar fits yours.
Start from the date your jurisdiction needs the score, add the five-week release window on top of the exam dates, and leave a margin.
NCBE runs the exam and reports the score, but it does not admit anyone — each jurisdiction sets its own passing score, and when your score has to be in is a question for the bar admission authority where you intend to practice.
Confirm both with that authority before you commit to a window.
Second, commit early in the window's calendar.
There is no late registration, so the real choice is between windows, not between dates inside one — and for anyone requesting accommodations, the recommended application date arrives before the registration deadline does.
Third, price the miss before it happens.
Three administrations a year keeps the next chance close, but the wait to the following window plus five weeks of score release is time an application timeline does not always have.
That arithmetic, not the exam itself, is what makes each deadline worth taking seriously.
And it is not a decision about difficulty.
The MPRE is not a test of personal ethical values — it measures knowledge of established standards of lawyer conduct — so the variable you control is preparation time.
The window that leaves enough of it is the one to book.
Career information, not legal advice. MPRE dates, deadlines and fees are set by NCBE and Pearson; whether you need the exam, and what score satisfies it, is set by the bar admission authority where you intend to practice. Confirm the current schedule with NCBE and the current requirements with that authority before you register.