The Minnesota bar exam is the Uniform Bar Examination, given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July by the Minnesota Board of Law Examiners. You need a scaled score of 260 to pass, and because Minnesota is a UBE jurisdiction, that score can travel to other UBE states. The next sitting is July 28–29, 2026, with a timely filing deadline of March 16, 2026.1Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. July 2026 Exam
Who Can Sit for the Exam
The clean path is a Juris Doctor from an ABA-approved law school.2Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. From Diploma to License – A Guide to Minnesota Bar Admission for Law Graduates If your school was not ABA-approved, you can still qualify two ways. One is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, a JD or equivalent from the school you attended, and at least five years of active law practice in another U.S. jurisdiction within the previous seven years.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Court Rules – Rule 4 General Requirements for Admission The other is ten or more years of practice in any U.S. state or territory, regardless of where you went to school. Non-ABA graduates applying through Rule 6 must have their eligibility confirmed by the Board before they can sit.
Everyone also needs a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. Minnesota requires a scaled MPRE score of at least 85.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Court Rules – Rule 4 General Requirements for Admission The score never expires in Minnesota, so you can take it on your own schedule.4Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Eligibility and General Requirements You can file your bar application before taking the MPRE, but the Board will not admit you without proof of a passing score, and if you don’t submit it within 12 months of receiving notice from the Board, your application is treated as withdrawn.
2026 Dates and Filing Deadlines
The exam always falls on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Court Rules – Rule 6 Admission by Examination For July 2026, test days are July 28 and 29. The timely filing deadline is Monday, March 16, 2026, and the late filing deadline is Friday, May 1, 2026. Filing after the timely deadline adds $200 in late fees, and no applications are accepted after the late deadline.1Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. July 2026 Exam
For February sittings, the timely deadline is October 15 of the previous year and the late deadline is December 1.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Court Rules – Rule 6 Admission by Examination If either falls on a weekend, it shifts to the next business day.
Fees and Refunds
You apply through the Minnesota Applicant Portal, and payment is handled there when you submit. What you owe depends on your situation. First-time applicants admitted in another jurisdiction for less than six months pay $600, or $700 with the laptop option for the written sections. Applicants admitted elsewhere for more than six months pay $1,050, or $1,150 with the laptop option. Lawyers applying based on ten or more years of practice pay $1,150. Repeat examinees pay $600, plus the $100 laptop fee if they choose to type.6Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. What Amount Do I Pay
If you withdraw at least 15 days before the exam, you’ll get a partial refund: $150 back on a $600 fee, or $300 back on a $1,050 fee. No refunds are granted outside that window.7Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Fees and Payments
If a genuine emergency prevents you from sitting, you can request to carry your fee over to the next exam. The request must reach the Board within 14 days after the exam and include written documentation of the emergency. If approved, you’ll file a new application for the next sitting and pay a $50 processing fee.7Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Fees and Payments
What the Two Days Look Like
The exam follows the standard UBE format and runs across two days.8Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Uniform Bar Exam
Day one is written. The morning is two Multistate Performance Test items of 90 minutes each. You get a file of facts and a small library of authorities and complete a practical task such as a memo, brief, or client letter. The MPT counts for 20% of your total score.9The Bar Examiner. The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) The afternoon is six Multistate Essay Examination questions, 30 minutes each. Essays can draw from contracts, constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, evidence, torts, real property, family law, business associations, trusts and estates, federal civil procedure, conflict of laws, and secured transactions under the UCC, and any question can combine subjects.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Court Rules – Rule 6 Admission by Examination The MEE is 30% of your score.
Day two is the Multistate Bar Examination: 200 multiple-choice questions split into two sessions of 100.8Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Uniform Bar Exam The MBE covers civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts. It’s 50% of your score, more weight than any other component.9The Bar Examiner. The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)
To type the written portions, you register for the laptop option and pay the $100 fee. The Board directs examinees to the software portal for setup.10Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Laptop Information
If you need testing accommodations under the ADA or the Minnesota Human Rights Act, request them in Section 5 of the application. The Board requires a Disability Verification Form and a Certification of Accommodations History, and gathering those takes time, so start early.11Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Testing Accommodations
Character and Fitness
The Board investigates every applicant’s background, and this is often the slowest piece of the admission timeline. The investigation exists to protect the public, and the Board has broad authority to look into anything reasonably related to your fitness to practice.12Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Rules for Admission to the Bar
Issues that trigger closer scrutiny include criminal history (any unlawful conduct, not just convictions), academic or professional misconduct such as cheating or workplace dishonesty, financial irresponsibility including defaulted debts and unpaid child support, dishonesty of any kind including false statements on bar applications in any jurisdiction, substance abuse or mental health concerns where they currently impair your ability to practice, and prior bar discipline or denial of admission elsewhere.
A past problem doesn’t automatically disqualify you. The Board weighs how long ago the conduct occurred, how serious it was, and the evidence of rehabilitation you can show. Trying to hide something will hurt you worse than the thing itself, because candor on the application is one of the criteria the Board evaluates.12Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Rules for Admission to the Bar
Passing Score and Portability
Minnesota’s cutoff is a scaled UBE score of 260.13Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Court Rules – Rule 7 Admission Without Examination Because it’s a UBE score, you can use it to apply for admission in other UBE jurisdictions that accept your number and meet their other requirements. The reverse works too: if you took the UBE in another state and scored 260 or higher within the previous three years, you can apply for admission in Minnesota without sitting again, provided you meet the MPRE and character and fitness requirements.14National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Maximum Score Age
Where NextGen Fits In
The NextGen UBE launched in July 2026 in a limited group of jurisdictions, including Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, and several U.S. territories.15National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Decisions by Jurisdiction Minnesota is not among them. The July 2026 Minnesota exam still uses the current UBE.
Minnesota will, however, accept transferred NextGen scores. On March 4, 2026, the Minnesota Supreme Court directed the Board to accept NextGen scores of 620 or higher on an interim basis, starting with the July 2026 cycle. The Board will analyze data from the first NextGen administration and recommend a permanent score, and whatever Minnesota ultimately adopts will apply retroactively to July 2026 NextGen results.16Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. NextGen
Results, Admission, and Retakes
Results are typically released about eight weeks after the exam, with notification through the applicant portal. Admission ceremonies follow in early May for the February exam and at the end of October for the July exam. Monthly ceremonies are available year-round if you can’t make the main date, and admission in absentia is possible.17Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Admission Ceremonies
There’s no cap on retakes. Repeat examinees pay $600, plus $100 for the laptop option, and get one useful break: they can file by the late deadline without paying the $200 late fee.1Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. July 2026 Exam Your character and fitness file carries over from the first application, so you only need to update it with anything that has changed.