The New York bar exam is the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), a two-day test administered by the New York State Board of Law Examiners, and you need a scaled score of at least 266 out of 400 to pass.1The Bar Examiner. The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)2New York State Board of Law Examiners. BOLE – Official Page New York State Bar Examination The exam is given in late February and late July each year. If you are planning past 2028, note that New York will replace the UBE with the NextGen Bar Exam starting with the July 2028 administration; the February 2028 sitting will be the last UBE in the state.3New York State Courts. Notice to the Bar
Passing the test is one piece. Admission in New York also requires several state-specific steps that candidates often underestimate.
Who Can Sit for the Exam
Eligibility is set by Part 520 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals. The standard route is a JD from an ABA-approved law school in the United States or its territories. A less common clerkship route combines at least one year of law school with supervised work in a law office.4New York State Courts. Part 520 – Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law
Foreign-educated applicants qualify only if their program is comparable to an American JD in length (the equivalent of at least 83 credit hours) and substance (generally a common-law foundation). A shortfall in one — but not both — can be cured with an LL.M. from an ABA-approved school that meets specific coursework rules.5Legal Information Institute. New York Code 22 NYCRR 520.6 – Study of Law in Foreign Country; Required Legal Education
What the Two Days Look Like
Day one of the UBE opens with the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), where you draft something like a memo or client letter from a packet of provided materials. The afternoon is the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), with essays on subjects such as contracts, torts, constitutional law, evidence, and business associations. Day two is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), 200 multiple-choice questions on core legal doctrine split between a morning and afternoon session.
The MBE counts for 50% of your scaled score, the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%. Everything is combined onto a 400-point scale, and 266 is the New York cut.1The Bar Examiner. The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) Results arrive several months after the exam.
Recent Pass Rates
New York’s pass rate swings sharply between the two sittings. In 2025, 70% of all takers passed in July, while only 39% passed in February, for a combined overall rate of 61%.6New York State Board of Law Examiners. New York Bar Exam 2025 Statistics First-time takers cluster in July; February draws more repeaters, which pulls that administration’s number down. If you have the choice, July is where the overall odds are better.
Dates, Deadlines, and Fees
Filing windows are narrow and the Board does not accept late applications. March is the filing month for the July exam, and October is the filing month for the February exam. The July 2026 exam, for example, is scheduled for July 28–29, with applications accepted March 1–31, 2026.7New York State Board of Law Examiners. NYS Bar Exam Dates
The application fee is $250 for domestic law graduates and $750 for foreign-educated applicants.8National Conference of Bar Examiners. New York If you plan to type your answers, you also pay a separate ExamSoft laptop software license fee, with a possible $50 charge if you need to re-download the software after initial setup.9ExamSoft. July 28-29, 2026 NY Bar Examination
You apply through the Board’s online portal and link an NCBE identification number so your standardized scores can be matched to your file. The application asks for every address and job since you turned 18 and full disclosure of any criminal history or disciplinary action. ADA testing accommodation requests go in during this same window. Your law school sends official transcripts directly to the Board.
New York’s Other Requirements
Passing the UBE does not, by itself, qualify you for a New York license. Several additional requirements sit alongside the exam, and most can be done before or after you sit for it.
New York Law Course and New York Law Exam
The New York Law Course (NYLC) is roughly 17 hours of online video lectures on topics unique to New York, such as state civil procedure and domestic relations, with embedded questions you must answer correctly to advance.10New York Law Course. New York Law Course After finishing it, you take the New York Law Exam (NYLE), a separate open-book online test on New York-specific topics, offered several times a year.11Legal Information Institute. New York Code 22 NYCRR 520.9 – Additional Requirements for Applicants for Admission Upon Examination
Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
You must pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a minimum score of 85.12New York State Board of Law Examiners. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) A passing MPRE score is valid for four years from the date you took it.13New York State Board of Law Examiners. Rules of the New York State Board of Law Examiners Most candidates take it during law school, since it is offered three times a year and does not require graduation.
50 Hours of Pro Bono Work
Before you can file your admission application, you must complete at least 50 hours of qualifying pro bono legal work under attorney supervision, with a signed affidavit from your supervisor.14Legal Information Institute. New York Code 22 NYCRR 520.16 – Pro Bono Requirement for Bar Admission Building these hours into clinics or externships during law school is the easiest approach; qualifying placements get harder to find once you have graduated.
Skills Competency
You also have to show practical lawyering skills through one of several approved methods, such as law school clinics, simulation courses, or a practice-readiness program.15Legal Information Institute. New York Code 22 NYCRR 520.18 – Skills Competency Requirement for Admission Most ABA-accredited schools build this into normal coursework. If you’re unsure, ask your registrar whether your transcript already covers it.
Character and Fitness Review
Even after you pass and finish every requirement, you still have to clear a character and fitness investigation. It is run by the Appellate Division department covering the county where you live. The First Department handles Manhattan and the Bronx; the Second covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley; the Third covers the Capital Region and most of upstate; and the Fourth handles western New York.16New York State Board of Law Examiners. List of Counties Located in Appellate Division Departments
Once you pass, the Board sends a Notice of Certification assigning you to the right department based on your address.17Appellate Division – First Judicial Department. Committee on Character and Fitness You then file a questionnaire with affidavits of moral character, your pro bono affidavit, a skills competency form, and a law school certificate sent directly from your school. Staff review the file, and the Committee may ask for more documentation or a personal interview if anything in your application warrants a closer look.
The First Department also requires a two-hour Orientation to the Profession Program on professional ethics, completed online within one year before your admission date; other departments may have their own orientation requirements.17Appellate Division – First Judicial Department. Committee on Character and Fitness Undisclosed arrests, academic dishonesty, and financial irresponsibility are the kinds of things that cause problems at this stage. Full transparency on your application is the best way to avoid them.
If You Fail
Failing is not the end, but the rules get tighter the more often it happens. After a failed sitting, you can file a re-examination application and pay the fee by the later of the normal filing deadline or seven days after results are released, which gives some breathing room when results arrive late.13New York State Board of Law Examiners. Rules of the New York State Board of Law Examiners
After four unsuccessful attempts, you may only apply for the February administration going forward.13New York State Board of Law Examiners. Rules of the New York State Board of Law Examiners The Board can also require candidates who have withdrawn from or missed multiple exams to petition for permission before registering again. There is no lifetime cap on attempts.
Transferring a UBE Score Into New York
If you already took the UBE in another UBE state and scored at least 266, you can transfer that score to New York within three years of the date you sat for the exam. A transfer does not shortcut anything else; you still have to complete the NYLC, NYLE, MPRE, pro bono hours, skills competency showing, and character and fitness review. You also must file your full admission application with the Appellate Division within that same three-year window.18New York State Board of Law Examiners. New York UBE FAQs
The NextGen Exam Starting July 2028
The Court of Appeals has announced that the UBE will be replaced by the NextGen Bar Exam beginning with the July 2028 administration, with February 2028 as New York’s last UBE.3New York State Courts. Notice to the Bar
The NextGen format is a different test. It runs one and a half days instead of two (six hours on day one, three on day two) and is taken entirely on laptops through a secure online platform. The current MBE, MEE, and MPT split goes away; questions instead come in integrated sets that combine legal analysis with practical skills like client counseling, negotiation, and legal research. Scores will be reported on a 500–750 scale rather than the 400-point UBE scale.19National Conference of Bar Examiners. About the NextGen Bar Exam
The core subjects stay largely familiar: contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, civil procedure, evidence, real property, and business associations. Family law and trusts and estates are being phased in. Through February 2028, those two subjects appear only in performance tasks with provided legal resources; starting July 2028, family law joins the regular tested subjects.19National Conference of Bar Examiners. About the NextGen Bar Exam If you sit in 2026 or 2027, you take the current UBE. If you fail and come back in or after July 2028, you will be studying for a substantially different exam.