North Dakota Bar Exam: Requirements, Fees, and Admission

To become a licensed attorney in North Dakota, you must earn a JD from an ABA-approved law school, pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination with a scaled score of at least 85, submit a complete application to the Board of Law Examiners by the deadline, pass the North Dakota bar exam with a combined scaled score of at least 260, and clear a character and fitness investigation. North Dakota currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam and will switch to the NextGen bar exam beginning with the July 2027 administration.¹

Who Can Sit for the Exam

You need a Juris Doctor from an ABA-approved law school and you must be at least 18.² Foreign law degrees and non-ABA-accredited programs do not qualify, and there is no workaround.

You also need to pass the MPRE with a scaled score of at least 85, and that score must be earned within five years of filing your bar application.³ Most people take it during their final year of law school. If you fall short of 85, you can retake it, but the Board will not recommend you for admission until a qualifying score is on file.

Exam Format and Passing Score

Through the February 2027 administration, North Dakota gives the Uniform Bar Exam. It runs two days.

Day one is the Multistate Essay Examination (six essays) and the Multistate Performance Test (two tasks simulating real legal work, such as drafting a memo or client letter from a file of source documents). Day two is the Multistate Bar Examination, 200 multiple-choice questions on constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, evidence, real property, torts, and civil procedure.

Scores combine on a 400-point scale, weighted as follows:

MBE: 50 percent
MEE: 30 percent
MPT: 20 percent

You need a 260 to pass. Because the UBE is portable, a qualifying North Dakota score can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions, and scores earned elsewhere can be brought in (each state sets its own minimum and transfer window).

The NextGen Switch

North Dakota has adopted the NextGen bar exam and will begin administering it in July 2027.⁴ It stays a two-day test but uses a different mix of multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks, with scores reported on a 500–750 scale.⁵ North Dakota is not among the early adopters sitting the first NextGen administrations in July 2026, so if you are testing in North Dakota in 2026, you are taking the current UBE.

Application Deadlines and Fees

You apply online through the NCBE website, upload supporting documents, and pay the NCBE character and fitness investigation fee. Certain core documents and the exam fee must also be mailed directly to the Board of Law Examiners, and the application is not considered received until those items arrive at the Board’s office.²

Deadlines are firm:

February exam: on-time by October 1; late filings accepted October 2 through November 1 with a late fee.
July exam: on-time by March 15; late filings accepted March 16 through May 1 with a late fee.

Applications arriving after the late window close are rejected outright.

The bar exam application fee is $200, and it is the same for first-time takers, attorneys, and repeaters. That fee goes to the Board of Law Examiners and is separate from the NCBE’s character and fitness investigation fee.⁶

If you plan to type your answers, you must use ExamSoft’s Examplify software. The license runs $110, paid to ExamSoft and nonrefundable. If your laptop dies during the exam period and you need to install the software on a replacement, that costs another $50.⁷

Character and Fitness

Every applicant goes through a full background investigation, with the NCBE assisting the Board.² You will submit a complete history of every residential address and every job you have held since turning 18, plus references who can speak to your fitness to practice.

Disclose everything: criminal history, traffic violations, civil lawsuits, credit problems, and academic discipline. The Board tends to be more forgiving of past mistakes than of attempts to hide them. Omissions or inconsistencies between your application and official records can delay the investigation for months or result in denial. Cross-check every date, employer name, and address against official documents before you submit.

Testing Accommodations

If you need accommodations for a disability, the request has to be filed at the same time as your bar exam application. Requests that arrive after the application deadline, or that are incomplete, are rejected. The Board will consider a late request only in an emergency or on a showing of good cause.⁸ Some forms require input from physicians, so line up documentation well in advance.

Retake Limit

North Dakota caps you at six attempts at the bar exam. After six, no further attempts are allowed. Each retake takes a new application and the full $200 fee.

Admission Without the Exam

There are two ways licensed attorneys can be admitted in North Dakota without sitting the exam. Both still require clearing character and fitness.

Admission by Motion

Under Rule 7, an attorney licensed in another state or the District of Columbia for at least five years who has actively practiced for at least four of the last five years may apply for admission by motion. Qualifying practice includes private practice, service as a judge, teaching at an ABA-accredited law school, and legal work in a professional legal capacity.⁹ The application fee is $400.¹⁰

UBE Score Transfer

If you passed the UBE elsewhere with a scaled score of 260 or higher, you can transfer that score into North Dakota. The transfer window depends on your practice status:¹¹

Not actively practicing: score and completed application must reach the Board within two years of the exam date.
Actively practicing: score and application must arrive within five years of your licensure date.

The Board weighs whether your practice experience actually demonstrates competency, so holding an active license is not automatically enough if you have not been doing substantive legal work.⁹

Temporary Permit While Your Application Is Pending

Out-of-state attorneys who have applied for North Dakota admission can request a temporary license to practice during the wait. You will need a North Dakota-licensed associate attorney to supervise your work. The fee is $100, and the permit is good for up to six months. It is revoked immediately if you fail the bar exam, withdraw your admission application, or receive a negative character and fitness recommendation.¹²

After You Pass

Scoring and any remaining character and fitness review take several weeks after the exam. Successful candidates are formally admitted at a ceremony at the North Dakota State Capitol, where new attorneys take the oath before the Supreme Court.¹³ Once admitted, you must secure an annual license on or before January 1 each year.¹⁴

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North Dakota Court System. North Dakota Adopts NextGen Bar Examination
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North Dakota Court System. Bar Exam Application
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North Dakota Court System. North Dakota Rule 6 – Admission by Bar Examination
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. West Virginia and North Dakota Adopt NextGen Bar Exam
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. North Dakota – Bar Examination Information
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North Dakota Court System. Laptop Use Information
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North Dakota Court System. Test Accommodations
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North Dakota Court System. North Dakota Rule 7 – Admission by Motion
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North Dakota Court System. Admission by Motion Application – Test Score Eligibility Guide
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North Dakota Court System. Reciprocity Based on Test Scores
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North Dakota Court System. Rule 6.1 Temporary License for Attorneys Applying for Admission
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North Dakota Court System. Events
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North Dakota Court System. N.D. State Board of Law Examiners Submission Manager