MBE
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Member of the Order of the British Empire |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Writing & Everyday, Law & Legal |
MBE has two meanings. It stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire (title and honorific) or Multistate Bar Examination (legal profession).
Meanings of MBE at a glance
| # | MBE stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Member of the Order of the British Empire | Writing & Everyday › Title and Honorific |
| 2 | Multistate Bar Examination | Law & Legal › Legal Profession |
1. Member of the Order of the British Empire
Writing & Everyday · Title and Honorific Abbreviations · also used in government
The fifth and most commonly awarded rank of the Order of the British Empire, given for outstanding service to a community or field. Recipients add MBE after their names but receive no title.
Example: The crossing guard who served the same school for 40 years was made an MBE in the Birthday Honours.
George V founded the order in 1917 to recognize service during World War I. Its classes, from highest, are GBE, KBE or DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE. Honours lists are published at New Year and on the monarch's official birthday. The Beatles were appointed MBE in 1965, and John Lennon returned his medal in 1969 in protest.
2. Multistate Bar Examination
Law & Legal · Legal Profession Abbreviations
Standardized multiple-choice section of the bar exam, produced by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and given in nearly every US jurisdiction. It has 200 questions, 175 of them scored, on seven subjects: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property and torts.
Example: She scored 152 on the MBE, enough to transfer the score to two neighboring states.
First given in February 1972, it is split into two three-hour sessions on the Wednesday of the February and July exams. Civil procedure became the seventh subject in 2015. Scaled MBE scores count for half of a Uniform Bar Examination score. NCBE plans to retire it as jurisdictions move to the NextGen bar exam, which debuted in July 2026.
Related abbreviations
More title and honorific abbreviations
- Kt. – Knight
- Lt. Gov. – Lieutenant Governor
- M. – Monsieur
- M/s – Messrs. (used before a firm's name)
- Messrs. – Messieurs (plural of Mr.)
- Mlle. – Mademoiselle
- Mme. – Madame
- Mmes. – Mesdames (plural of Mrs. or Madame)
See all 54 title and honorific abbreviations →
More legal profession abbreviations
- KC – King's Counsel
- LLLT – Limited license legal technician
- LPC – Legal Practice Course
- LPO – Legal process outsourcing
- MCLE – Mandatory continuing legal education
- MEE – Multistate Essay Examination
- MPRE – Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
- MPT – Multistate Performance Test
See all 46 legal profession abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.