ILLINOIS BAR EXAM OUTLINES & SUBJECT GUIDE
This is the master outline hub for the Illinois bar exam. The Illinois exam tests the same core body of American law covered in our universal, treatise-depth outlines below. Rather than duplicate that material, this page links you straight to the single authoritative outline for each subject, plus Illinois-specific resources where the state's law departs from the national rules.
Most U.S. jurisdictions test the seven MBE subjects (multiple choice) and, in Uniform Bar Exam and many essay states, the additional MEE essay subjects. For Illinois's exact current format — whether it administers the UBE, its own essays, the MBE, and any state-specific components — and for the transition to the NextGen bar exam (which all jurisdictions adopt by July 2028), see the Illinois Bar Exam Guide.
I. MBE SUBJECTS (UNIVERSAL OUTLINES)
The seven Multistate Bar Examination subjects — tested in every U.S. jurisdiction except Louisiana. Each links to a full treatise-depth long outline (with a one-page cheat sheet inside):
- Contracts & Sales
- Torts
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Law & Procedure
- Civil Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
II. MEE / ESSAY SUBJECTS (UNIVERSAL OUTLINES)
Additional subjects tested on the Multistate Essay Examination and many state essay exams:
III. HOW TO USE THESE OUTLINES
Start with the universal long outline for each subject to master the black-letter law, drill the one-page cheat sheet for rapid review, then — for Illinois — confirm any state-specific rules and the current exam format in the Illinois Bar Exam Guide. Bookmark this page as your Illinois study home base.
★ Illinois Distinctions
For the rules where Illinois law departs from the national MBE/MEE doctrine, study the Illinois Bar Exam Distinctions outline (and its one-page cheat sheet) alongside the universal outlines above.