Part of the SI Law family of independent guides Unofficial — read the disclaimer
E SI Law School
The flagship portal

One-pager · print me

MPRE ethics quick-reference.

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination: 2 hours, 60 multiple-choice questions, 50 scored (10 are unscored pretest, indistinguishable from the scored ones). Scores run 50–150; your jurisdiction sets the minimum. Administered by the NCBE three times a year. The MPRE tutorial is the full walkthrough.

The ethics buckets

  • Client–lawyer relationship — competence, diligence, communication, scope of representation, withdrawal
  • Confidentiality — the duty, its exceptions, attorney–client privilege vs. work product
  • Conflicts of interest — current clients, former clients, prospective clients; imputation; informed consent confirmed in writing
  • Duties to courts and the system — candor, fairness to opposing party, meritorious claims, trial publicity
  • Regulation of the profession — admission, discipline, advertising and solicitation, unauthorized practice
  • Safekeeping property — trust accounts, IOLTA basics, fees and fee-sharing limits
  • Judicial conduct — impartiality, disqualification, extrajudicial activities

Buckets reflect the NCBE's published MPRE subject-matter outline — verify the current outline at ncbex.org before test day.

Call-of-the-question patterns

  • “Is the attorney subject to discipline?” — the default. Discipline requires a rule violation, not just bad judgment.
  • “Was the conduct proper?” — same test, phrased positively.
  • “May the attorney…?” — permission questions often turn on informed consent or a specific exception.
  • Every answer choice begins yes or no, followed by an explanation. Read the explanation, not just the yes/no — two choices can agree on the outcome and differ on the reasoning.

Traps to memorize

  • Confidentiality has exceptions — future crime/fraud causing substantial financial injury, compliance with court orders, and a few more. “Never reveal” is almost never the right answer.
  • Former-client conflicts turn on the substantially related matter test.
  • Fees: contingent fees are barred in domestic-relations and criminal cases; fee-splitting with nonlawyers is barred.
  • Communications about services: truthful advertising is permitted; in-person solicitation for pecuniary gain is the line.

Our read: the MPRE punishes absolutism. Whenever an answer choice says “always,” “never,” or “must,” slow down — ethics rules are built from exceptions, and the exam tests whether you know them. Two minutes per question is generous if you know the rules cold; it's a trap if you don't.