New Jersey UBE: Requirements, Dates, and Admission on Motion

The New Jersey bar exam is the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), a two-day test given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July, with a passing scaled score of 266 out of 400.1New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Uniform Bar Examination Information The current format will be given for the last time in February 2028, after which New Jersey switches to the redesigned NextGen exam.2NJ Courts. Notice – Supreme Court Adopts the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination – First Administration in July 2028

Who Can Sit for the Exam

New Jersey Court Rule 1:24 sets the baseline. You need a Juris Doctor from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. You also need to satisfy the ethics requirement, which you can do in one of two ways: score 75 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), or complete an approved law school course in professional responsibility with a grade of C- or better. Your law school certificate will indicate which route you took.3New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Law School Professor Instructions – Committee on Character and Certification Process

Finally, you have to clear the Board of Bar Examiners’ character and fitness review. The investigation looks at criminal history, financial responsibility, school discipline, and prior employment, so expect to disclose a full residential and employment history. Omissions and inconsistencies cause delays, and the Committee on Character verifies what you report.4New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Information for Admission by Motion Applicants

Exam Dates, Deadlines, and Fees

The July 2026 exam falls on July 28–29.5New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Future Exam Dates Filing fees jump sharply as the deadlines pass, and there is no appeal from missing the final one.6New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Fees and Deadlines

  • Timely filing, $750: October 1–31 for the February exam; March 1–31 for the July exam.
  • First late filing, $950: November 1–15 for February; April 1–15 for July.
  • Final deadline, $1,200: November 16–30 for February; April 16–30 for July. No exceptions after this date.

Applications run through the online portal on the Board of Bar Examiners website. Set up your NJ Bar Admission Registration account before you need it, because the forms live behind that login.7New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Home – Admission to the Practice of Law A complete package includes your law school certificate, an MPRE score report (unless you satisfied the ethics requirement by coursework), and fingerprinting for the criminal background check.

What the Exam Tests

The UBE has three components. The first day is essays and the performance test; the second day is the multiple-choice MBE.8New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Information For Bar Exam Applicants Each component carries a fixed share of your scaled score.9NCBE. UBE Bar Exam Scores

  • Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), 50% of your score. Two hundred multiple-choice questions over morning and afternoon sessions, covering contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, evidence, civil procedure, and real property.
  • Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), 30% of your score. Six essays testing issue-spotting, rule application, and written analysis.
  • Multistate Performance Test (MPT), 20% of your score. Two simulated lawyering tasks. You get a case file and a library of authorities, then draft something like a memo or brief.

Using Your Own Laptop

You can type the essay and performance test portions on your own laptop, but you have to register for the laptop program separately, and that registration has its own escalating fee schedule.10New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Notice – Laptop Registration

  • Timely, free: January 2–15 for February; June 1–15 for July.
  • First late, $75: January 16–23 for February; June 16–23 for July.
  • Final, $150: January 24–31 for February; June 24–30 for July.

If you need specialized software like Dragon as part of an accommodation, request it through the accommodations application, not laptop registration.

Testing Accommodations

If a disability affects your ability to test under standard conditions, you can apply for non-standard testing accommodations. The cutoff is earlier than the regular filing deadline and it is absolute: applications must be postmarked or sent through the ADA Coordinator’s encrypted email no later than November 30 for the February exam or April 30 for the July exam. Late submissions are returned without action.11New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Non-Standard Testing Accommodations Instructions

A complete request includes the paper NTA application, an authorization and release, a certificate from your law school, and a certificate from a medical or psychological professional with supporting reports. Medical evaluations generally need to be from within the past three years and should explain your limitations, how they affect testing, and why the requested accommodation fits.

Passing, Retakes, and Transferring a Score

You pass with a scaled score of 266. If you fall short, New Jersey places no limit on retakes.

Because the UBE is standardized nationally, scores are portable. A 266 or higher earned in another UBE jurisdiction can be transferred into New Jersey, and your New Jersey score can go the other way. The transfer application fee is $675, and the application must be filed within 36 months of the exam that produced the score. There is no filing window; transfers are accepted on a rolling basis.12New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Information for UBE Score Transfer13New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. UBE Score Transfer Instructions and Application

Transferring a score only replaces the exam. You still have to meet the character and fitness, ethics, and fingerprinting requirements that apply to every applicant.

Admission on Motion for Experienced Attorneys

Lawyers already licensed elsewhere may qualify for admission without sitting for the bar at all. The requirements for admission on motion are:4New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Information for Admission by Motion Applicants

  • A JD from an ABA-accredited law school.
  • Practice of law for five of the last seven years in another jurisdiction.
  • Prior passage of a bar exam in another jurisdiction.
  • Admission and good standing in a jurisdiction that extends reciprocal admission to New Jersey lawyers.
  • The MPRE score of 75 or the approved ethics course.
  • Completion of a New Jersey ethics and professionalism course before admission.
  • A passing character and fitness review.

The reciprocity requirement is the common sticking point. If your home state will not extend the same courtesy to New Jersey attorneys, admission on motion is off the table and you’ll need to take the exam or transfer a UBE score.

Getting Sworn In After You Pass

Passing does not make you an attorney on its own. You must be sworn in within 90 days of becoming eligible for the oath. Public swearing-in ceremonies are typically held within a month after results are released, and at the ceremony new attorneys are admitted to both the New Jersey Bar and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Your admission date is the date of the ceremony.8New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. Information For Bar Exam Applicants

If you cannot attend, you may take the oath before anyone authorized to administer oaths, then send your signed signature card to the Clerk of the Supreme Court within 30 days. Your admission date in that case is the date you took the oath and signed. The 90-day window itself is firm.

The NextGen Exam Starting July 2028

The current MBE, MEE, and MPT format will be given for the last time in February 2028. Starting in July 2028, New Jersey adopts the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination, a redesigned test from the National Conference of Bar Examiners that combines multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks, with more emphasis on practical skills including transactional work and alternative dispute resolution.2NJ Courts. Notice – Supreme Court Adopts the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination – First Administration in July 202814NCBE. NextGen Bar Exam The New Jersey Supreme Court’s Ad Hoc Committee is still studying what the passing score on the new exam will be, so applicants planning for July 2028 or later should watch the Board of Bar Examiners site for the final scoring and format details.