To be admitted to practice law in New York, you must pass the Uniform Bar Examination with a score of at least 266, and then satisfy a stack of New York-specific requirements: an online New York Law Course, the New York Law Exam, the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, 50 hours of qualifying pro bono work, and a skills competency showing. After all of that, the Appellate Division still runs a character and fitness review before you are sworn in. The New York bar exam requirements described here apply to anyone sitting through February 2028; the exam format changes in July 2028.
Who Can Sit for the Exam
The standard path is a J.D. from a law school that held ABA approval for your entire time enrolled, in a program requiring at least 83 credit hours and including coursework in professional responsibility.1New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 22 CRR-NY 520.3 – Study of Law in Law School
Foreign-Educated Applicants
If you earned your law degree outside the United States, the Board of Law Examiners evaluates whether the degree is substantially equivalent to an ABA-approved J.D. in both duration and substance. Where the foreign degree falls short on one measure but not both, you can cure the gap with a Master of Laws from an ABA-approved U.S. school. The LL.M. must include at least 24 credit hours, with a minimum of two credits in American legal studies and at least six credits in subjects tested on the bar exam.2Legal Information Institute. 22 NYCRR 520.6 – Study of Law in Foreign Country; Required Legal Education You must also be admitted to practice in your home country to use the cure provision.
Law Office Study
New York still permits an alternative to a full law degree. You complete the first year of an ABA-approved program (earning at least 28 credit hours), then study law for three additional years in a New York law office under a licensed attorney, for four years combined.3Legal Information Institute. N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 22 520.4 – Study of Law in Law Office Few applicants take this route, but it remains open.
The Exam and the Score You Need
New York administers the Uniform Bar Examination over two days, in February and July. The exam has three components. The Multistate Bar Examination is 200 multiple-choice questions across seven subjects and counts for 50% of the score. The Multistate Essay Examination is six 30-minute essays counting for 30%. The Multistate Performance Test is two 90-minute practical tasks worth the remaining 20%; on the MPT everything you need is in the materials you’re given.4National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Exam5National Conference of Bar Examiners. MBE Bar Exam6National Conference of Bar Examiners. MEE Bar Exam7National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPT Bar Exam
You need a total of 266 on a 400-point scale to pass in New York.8National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Bar Exam Score Range The July 2024 overall pass rate was 69%.9New York State Board of Law Examiners. New York Bar Exam 2024 Statistics
Transferring a UBE Score
If you already took the UBE in another jurisdiction, you can transfer that score to New York for three years from the exam date, provided it meets or exceeds 266. This works regardless of the minimum score set by the state where you tested. The application is filed through the Board’s online portal, and the fee is $250 for domestic-educated applicants or $750 for foreign-educated applicants. Transferring the score does not skip any of New York’s added requirements.10New York State Board of Law Examiners. Application by Transferred UBE Score
New York’s Additional Requirements
Passing the UBE is only part of the package. Four separate requirements must be completed before the Board will certify you to the Appellate Division.
The New York Law Course and New York Law Exam
The New York Law Course is an on-demand online series of video lectures on 12 subjects where New York law diverges from general principles, including civil practice, matrimonial law, real property, and criminal procedure. You must watch every lecture before you can register for the exam.11New York Law Course. Welcome to the New York Law Course
The New York Law Exam is a 50-question, two-hour, open-book, multiple-choice test taken online, drawn entirely from the NYLC materials. Open book does not mean easy: the clock is tight enough that you can’t look up every answer. You can take the NYLC and NYLE as early as a year before your UBE or any time after, and a passing NYLE score is good for three years.12New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 22 CRR-NY 520.9 – New York Law Course and New York Law Examination
Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination
The MPRE is a separate national exam on the ethical rules governing lawyers. New York requires at least an 85.13New York State Board of Law Examiners. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination Most people take it in law school because it’s offered three times a year and runs on its own schedule. A passing score is valid for four years from the exam date, so avoid taking it so early that it expires before you finish the rest of the admission process.
Pro Bono Requirement
You must complete at least 50 hours of qualifying pro bono service before filing the admission application. The work has to provide legal assistance to people of limited means or to organizations serving them.14Legal Information Institute. New York Compilation of Codes, Rules, and Regulations Title 22 Section 520.16 – Pro Bono Requirement for Bar Admission Each project requires a notarized affidavit from the supervising attorney; if you split the hours across several projects, you need a separate affidavit for each. Only original hard copies are accepted.
Skills Competency Requirement
Under Rule 520.18, you have to demonstrate the practical skills and professional values for competent practice.15New York State Board of Law Examiners. Skills Competency Requirement for Bar Admission There are five pathways to satisfy it:16New York State Courts. Frequently Asked Questions for New York’s Skills Competency and Professional Values Bar Admission Requirement (Rule 520.18)
- Pathway 1: your law school certifies that it has a professional competency plan and that you completed sufficient coursework under it.
- Pathway 2: at least 15 credits of practice-based experiential courses such as clinics, externships, or simulations, with up to 6 credits allowed from law-school-certified summer employment.
- Pathway 3: completion of the Pro Bono Scholars Program under Rule 520.17.
- Pathway 4: a six-month post-graduation apprenticeship in a law office under a supervising attorney.
- Pathway 5: full-time practice for one year (or part-time for two) in another jurisdiction where you were authorized to practice.
Most J.D. graduates from ABA-approved schools clear this through Pathway 1. Foreign-educated applicants who earn an LL.M. can count experiential courses taken during the LL.M. toward Pathway 2.
Applying to Sit for the Exam
You apply online through the Board of Law Examiners’ portal. The filing windows are strict: March 1 through March 31 for the July exam, and October 1 through October 31 for the February exam.17New York State Board of Law Examiners. New York State Board of Law Examiners – Changes in Application Filing Periods for New York Bar Exam The 2026 exam dates are February 24–25 and July 28–29.18New York State Board of Law Examiners. NYS Bar Exam Dates
The registration fee is $250 for domestic-educated applicants and $750 for foreign-educated applicants. If you want to type your essays and MPT answers, you must elect the Laptop Program during the application window and pay a separate $100 non-refundable technology fee to ExamSoft. You also have to download and qualify Examplify on your own laptop before the firm deadline; miss it and you handwrite. The laptop option cannot be added after the filing window closes.19New York State Board of Law Examiners. Frequently Asked Questions and General Information Guide for Taking the Uniform Bar Examination in New York State
Before you start the application, get an NCBE Number from the National Conference of Bar Examiners; it’s the identifier that links your MBE, MPRE, and UBE scores to your state file.20National Conference of Bar Examiners. What is an NCBE Number Used For? Your law school will complete a Law School Certificate verifying your degree. The application itself asks for every permanent and temporary address since you started high school, every school you’ve attended, and a full employment history including internships and volunteer roles, along with detailed questions about any academic discipline, criminal history, or other character-related issues. Have your transcripts, addresses, and employment dates lined up before you start.
If you need testing accommodations for a disability, that application is due by the same deadline as the exam application, and it must be received (not postmarked) by October 31 for the February exam or March 31 for the July exam. The Board’s Test Accommodations Handbook sets out documentation guidelines by disability type.21New York State Board of Law Examiners. Test Accommodations Handbook Accommodations are provided at no additional cost, and denials can be appealed.
After You Pass
Results for the July exam typically post to your BOLE account in late October; the July 2025 results went up on October 23, 2025.22New York State Board of Law Examiners. New York State Board of Law Examiners February results follow a similar three-month timeline.
A passing score isn’t admission. The Appellate Division conducts a character and fitness investigation of every applicant, and the department that handles your case depends on where you live.23New York Courts. Appellate Courts After results post, your department sends you a link to the admission package, which includes a questionnaire, two character reference affidavits (one from an attorney), affidavits for every legal employment, and your pro bono compliance affidavit. The review looks at education, employment, finances, criminal record, and any history of substance abuse or discipline. Complete, truthful disclosure counts far more than a spotless history; omissions discovered during the investigation create bigger problems than the underlying facts usually would. There’s no fixed timeline, and complex files take longer. Once the Appellate Division is satisfied, you receive your certificate of admission and are sworn in as a member of the New York bar.
What Changes in 2028
New York has announced it will begin administering the NextGen bar exam in July 2028, replacing the current UBE format.24National Conference of Bar Examiners. New York to Administer NextGen Bar Exam Beginning in July 2028 Anyone sitting through February 2028 takes the current exam described above.