To be licensed in Missouri, you need to pass the Missouri bar exam with a score of at least 610 on the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination, clear a character and fitness investigation, score at least 80 on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and complete the Missouri Educational Component Test before the Supreme Court will admit you.1Missouri Board of Law Examiners. About the Bar Exam Missouri moved to the NextGen format starting with the July 2026 administration, so the test, the scoring scale, and the passing score are all different from what earlier applicants faced.
Who Can Sit for the Exam
Missouri Supreme Court Rule 8.07 requires a Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school. The Board of Law Examiners will not certify you for admission until the degree has actually been conferred, and your school must send the official transcript showing the award date directly to the Board. Transcripts marked “issued to student” are rejected.2Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Admission Eligibility Requirements for Exam Applicants
Graduates of non-ABA-accredited or foreign law schools follow a separate path under Rules 8.07(d) and (e). Foreign graduates must submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from World Education Services; reports from other providers are not accepted. Depending on the rule path, candidates may need to complete 24 semester credit hours at an ABA-accredited school or finish a Master of Laws degree before applying.3Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Documenting Satisfaction of Rule 8.07(d) or (e) when Applying for Admission either by Examination or by Transferred UBE Score
Every applicant must also be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or otherwise authorized to work in the United States.4Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Admission by UBE Score Transfer – Rule 8.09
What the Exam Looks Like
The NextGen UBE runs a day and a half: two three-hour sessions on the first day and one three-hour session on the second.5National Conference of Bar Examiners. About the NextGen Bar Exam The first Missouri administration was July 28–29, 2026.6National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam Unlike the legacy format, the test blends multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets built around a shared fact pattern, and extended-writing performance tasks across all three sessions.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Sample Questions All of it rolls up into a single score on a 500–750 scale, and the score is portable to other NextGen jurisdictions.8National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Scores and Score Portability
From July 2026 through February 2028, the exam covers eight substantive areas: business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, criminal law and constitutional protections, evidence, real property, and torts. Family law is added starting with the July 2028 exam. The exam also explicitly tests lawyering skills the legacy format only touched indirectly, including legal research, legal writing, issue spotting, investigation and evaluation, client counseling, negotiation and dispute resolution, and client relationship management.9National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Content Scope Those skills show up most clearly in the integrated question sets and performance tasks.
If you earned a legacy UBE score of 260 or higher within the past five years in another state, Missouri still accepts it for score transfer, but the February 2026 administration was the last legacy exam Missouri will give.1Missouri Board of Law Examiners. About the Bar Exam New Missouri applicants sit for the NextGen version.
Fees and Deadlines
Application fees depend on when you file and whether you registered early as a law student. For a first-time applicant who did not file an early character and fitness application, the standard fees are:10Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee Schedule
- $1,045 if postmarked or received by March 1 (July exam) or October 1 (February exam)
- $1,190 by April 1 or November 1
- $1,400 by May 1 or December 1
Applicants who completed an early character and fitness report as a first- or second-year law student pay $560, $700, or $910 at the same deadlines.10Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee Schedule That is a $485 savings at the timely deadline.
The Board does not accept applications for the July exam before February 1, and anything started before that date is deleted.11Missouri Board of Law Examiners. About the Bar Exam Late submission of any component — the application, the Authorization and Release form, or the fee — results in higher fees or denial of your seat.12Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee and Payment Information
Early Registration as a Law Student
Filing character and fitness early cuts your eventual exam fee and gets the background investigation moving while you still have time to address anything that surfaces. The early fees are:10Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee Schedule
- $240 if filed by the first June 30 after you start law school
- $465 if filed after the first June 30 but by the second June 30
After the second June 30 passes, early determination is no longer available and you apply through the standard exam application process.13Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Information for Law Students and Rule 13 Certification
How You Apply
Everything goes through the Board of Law Examiners’ online portal. The application includes a detailed character and fitness questionnaire covering residential and employment history over an extended period. The Board requires complete candor; every question must be fully answered without reservation.14Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Rules Governing Admission to the Bar In Missouri
You also need professional fingerprints through an approved vendor for state and federal background checks, references who can speak to your integrity, and official law school transcripts sent directly from your school to the Board.2Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Admission Eligibility Requirements for Exam Applicants Check your portal account regularly after you submit. If the Board requests additional information and you miss the request, your application can be dismissed without a refund.
Character and Fitness
The Board conducts a thorough background investigation before deciding whether you have the character necessary for the privilege of practicing law. You carry the burden of proving it.15Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Character and Fitness
If the review is not finished by exam day, you can still sit. But if the Board eventually denies your application and the Supreme Court affirms, your exam score is voided.15Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Character and Fitness You can pass the bar and still be denied admission. Incomplete or dishonest answers do far more damage than whatever issue you might be tempted to leave out.
You can appeal a denial to the Supreme Court of Missouri under Rule 8.12(d). Relevant information from your file may become part of the public record during the appeal, though you can request that the record be sealed.15Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Character and Fitness
The MPRE and the Missouri Educational Component Test
A passing bar exam score alone does not get you licensed. You also need a scaled MPRE score of at least 80.2Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Admission Eligibility Requirements for Exam Applicants The MPRE tests the ethical rules governing attorneys and is given separately from the bar exam. Most people take it during their final year of law school. Missouri does not require it to be taken by a particular date relative to the bar exam, but the certified score must be on file before admission.
Because the NextGen UBE tests uniform national principles, Missouri also requires every exam applicant to complete the Missouri Educational Component Test as a condition of licensure.2Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Admission Eligibility Requirements for Exam Applicants The MECT is an online, open-book test on Missouri-specific laws and procedures. It is not hard by bar-exam standards, but forgetting it will hold up your admission.
Results and Getting Sworn In
February 2026 results were released on April 8, 2026. July exam results typically come out in September; July 2025 results posted on September 24, 2025.16Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Latest News You see your result on your portal account.
The Supreme Court holds enrollment ceremonies twice a year in Jefferson City, usually in late April and late October. To attend the ceremony right after your exam, every admission requirement — character and fitness approval, MPRE score, MECT completion, and document submissions — must be satisfied at least ten business days before results are released.17Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Oath and Enrollment Ceremony Information Miss that window and you wait for the next cycle. You are not licensed to practice until you take the oath.
Retaking the Exam
Missouri sets no limit on how many times you can retake the bar.1Missouri Board of Law Examiners. About the Bar Exam Retake fees depend on when you last sat:10Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee Schedule
- Failed the most recent exam: $560 at the timely deadline, up to $710 at the final deadline
- Failed an earlier exam or failed to appear: $670 at the timely deadline, up to $850 at the final deadline
Repeat applicants do not redo the character and fitness investigation unless the Board asks for an update, which keeps the retake process simpler than the initial application.
Score Transfers and Admission Without Examination
If you already passed the UBE in another state, you may be able to transfer your score instead of retaking the exam. The Board accepts legacy UBE scores of 260 or higher earned within five years of your application4Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Admission by UBE Score Transfer – Rule 8.09 and NextGen UBE scores of 610 or higher.18National Conference of Bar Examiners. Missouri Transfer applicants still need to pass the MPRE with an 80, complete the MECT, clear character and fitness, and hold a JD from an ABA-accredited school (or meet the alternative education requirements). Everything must be satisfied within one year of the Board’s written notice that it accepted your transferred score. The fee is $1,500.10Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee Schedule
Experienced attorneys can skip the exam under Rule 8.10. You need five of the preceding ten years in full-time law practice while holding an active license, a JD from an ABA-accredited school, and current admission in a jurisdiction that extends the same courtesy to Missouri lawyers.19Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Rule 8.10 – Application for Admission without Examination Qualifying practice includes private practice from an out-of-state office, government lawyering, full-time law school teaching, or in-house counsel work. That fee is also $1,500.10Missouri Board of Law Examiners. Fee Schedule