How Much Does the MBLEx Cost? The $265 Fee and Every Extra

The MBLEx costs $265 per attempt

Budget $265 for each MBLEx attempt. That is the application fee in FSMTB's FAQ and its Candidate Handbook (effective September 17, 2026), as checked on October 25, 2026, and it is the only fee every candidate pays. You pay it to FSMTB when you submit the application. It cannot be refunded, moved to another person, or moved to a different application or exam, in any circumstance.

Some older pages still quote a lower MBLEx fee. Use the amount on FSMTB's own pages on the day you apply, because the handbook says each new application pays the fee in effect at that time.

MBLEx fees at a glance

Most of the table is one lesson: the $265 buys one attempt inside one ATT window. Anything that ends that window without a completed exam costs a new application.

None of these fees goes to Passy. The MBLEx exam overview and free tools page shows which parts of Passy prep are free today and which are planned for launch.

Every MBLEx retake costs the full $265

There is no discounted retake. After a fail, or after missing your appointment for any reason, you submit a new application and pay the fee in effect then. FSMTB's FAQ says you may reapply immediately, and the education verification already on file usually carries over, so the main cost of a retake is the second $265 plus your study time. FSMTB does not cap attempts, but your state board may, so check its rules before you plan on several tries.

The $50 Pearson fee for changing an MBLEx appointment

You book, change and cancel the MBLEx with Pearson VUE, not FSMTB. The handbook says Pearson charges $50 if you cancel or reschedule "within 60 days of your existing appointment" and lets you make changes up to 24 hours before the appointment time. Read literally, a change made inside the 60 days before your exam date costs $50. If you are unsure whether your change falls in that window, ask Pearson before you confirm it.

Other appointment rules in the handbook that protect your $265:

• Late counts as absent. Arriving after your report time, which is at least 30 minutes before the appointment, makes you a no-show, and your ATT expires.
• Weather closures are free. If Pearson closes the center and cancels your exam, it emails rescheduling instructions and you pay no additional exam fee. If the center stays open, the exam is not rescheduled for weather.

Full MBLEx prep from Passy is still being built. You can already look at the planned access periods for full MBLEx prep, which are one-time payments for 30, 90 or 180 days with no auto-renewal, but checkout is not open, so no payment can be taken yet.

Official MBLEx study tools and their prices

FSMTB sells three optional study tools on its MBLEx Study Tools page, listed as follows on October 25, 2026:

The handbook says all FSMTB product sales are final and nonrefundable. None of these is required to apply. Passy's 20 free MBLEx practice questions and the MBLEx study plan are free and need no account.

State costs on top of the MBLEx fee

FSMTB's fee buys the exam, not a license. Your state board issues the license and sets its own fees and requirements. FSMTB's Regulated States table lists initial licensing fees from $40 to $565, with a disclaimer to verify current details with each state board, as checked on October 25, 2026.

Two more state-side items to check before you pay FSMTB:

• Does your state use the MBLEx? FSMTB's table marks a few jurisdictions as using a state exam or requiring no exam. Confirm with your own board.
• Is there a second exam? FSMTB's Jurisprudence Examinations page says some states require a state jurisprudence exam in addition to the MBLEx.

Two sample MBLEx budgets

These fictional budgets use the fees above. Your state's license fee goes on top of both.

Budget B costs $350 more, and $315 of that comes from a reschedule and a retake, not from study materials. Booking a date you can keep, and preparing well enough to need one attempt, saves far more than skipping study materials.

How to pay the MBLEx fee

FSMTB takes Visa or Mastercard online. The handbook also lists credit card, certified check or money order in U.S. funds payable to FSMTB, and no personal checks. An application is not complete until the payment arrives. Disputing a valid card charge can be treated as nonpayment, with at least a $25 return fee and possible loss of the service. The handbook also points to a Veterans Affairs Reimbursement Program, with details at fsmtb.org.

The MBLEx 2027 application timeline shows how to time the application so the fee is not wasted on an expired window. When you are weighing paid prep against FSMTB's tools, see what full MBLEx prep will add at launch, including a timed 100-question mock exam.