The Washington UBE passing score is 610 on the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam, which Washington began using in July 2026, or 260 on the legacy UBE for anyone who sat for the final legacy administration in February 2026. Both thresholds were set by the Washington Supreme Court under Admission and Practice Rule 4. Passing the exam is only part of admission: you also need at least 80% on the Washington Law Component and a scaled score of 85 or higher on the MPRE.
Which Passing Score Applies to You
Washington’s threshold has moved several times, and the number that governs your admission is the one in effect when you took the exam:
- Before July 2020: 270 on the legacy UBE
- July 2020 through July 2025: 266, after the Washington Supreme Court issued Order 25700-B-710
- February 2026 (final legacy UBE): 260, set by Amended Order 25700-B-747 in December 2025
- July 2026 onward (NextGen UBE): 610 on the 500-to-750 scale
The December 2025 order described the NextGen score of 610 as “equivalent to the legacy UBE score of 260,” so the shift from 266 to 260 to 610 was not a lowering of the bar but an alignment across scoring systems.1Washington State Legislature. WSR 26-02-027 That matters when you’re comparing your score against older thresholds or moving a score into Washington from another state.
How the NextGen Score Works
Starting with the July 2026 administration, Washington uses the NextGen UBE developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The exam reports a single overall scaled score between 500 and 750, and that one number determines whether you pass.2National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam Washington offers it in February and July each year.3Washington State Bar Association. Lawyers
The format combines multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks. NCBE has not published a simple percentage breakdown across those pieces the way the legacy exam broke out 50/30/20. Scores are equated across administrations and jurisdictions so that the same number means the same thing across sittings.4National Conference of Bar Examiners. The Testing Column – Score Reporting for the NextGen UBE
NextGen scores are portable between jurisdictions that accept them, on the same general framework that made the legacy UBE useful to lawyers who moved between states.
Transferring a UBE Score to Washington
If you passed the UBE somewhere else, you can transfer that score into Washington rather than sitting the exam here. For legacy UBE scores, the qualifying threshold is 260.5Washington State Bar Association. Admission by Uniform Bar Exam Score Transfer Your score has to have been earned within 40 months of your application date; older scores aren’t eligible and you’d need to retake the exam.6Washington State Courts. Washington Court Rules APR 03 – Applicants for Admission to Practice Law
NextGen UBE scores are also portable. Each jurisdiction decides individually whether to accept transferred NextGen and legacy scores, and NCBE has published a recommended mapping between the two scales to help jurisdictions evaluate one against the other.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. Answering Questions About Score Portability and the NextGen UBE
To transfer, you’ll ask NCBE to send an official transcript directly to the Washington State Bar Association. Self-reported scores aren’t accepted.5Washington State Bar Association. Admission by Uniform Bar Exam Score Transfer Transferring a score does not exempt you from the Washington Law Component or the MPRE requirement.
The Washington Law Component
A passing UBE score alone won’t get you licensed. Every applicant, whether you took the exam in Washington or brought a score in from elsewhere, must also pass the Washington Law Component. It’s a separate open-book online test on state-specific law, and the minimum passing score is 80%.8Washington State Bar Association. Washington Law Component
The WLC draws from 15 outlines covering areas like community property, civil procedure, landlord-tenant law, consumer protection, Indian law, foreclosures, and professional responsibility. You get access to the research materials through the online admissions portal after filing your application and paying the fee. Because it’s open-book, the test is less about memorization than about finding and applying the right state-specific rule under time pressure.8Washington State Bar Association. Washington Law Component
The WLC sits entirely outside the UBE scoring scale. Falling below 80% blocks admission even if you passed the bar exam comfortably.
The MPRE Requirement
Washington requires a minimum scaled score of 85 on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, the 60-question multiple-choice test on professional conduct rules administered by NCBE three times a year. An 85 is at the higher end nationally, where most states fall between 75 and 86.9Washington State Courts. Washington Court Rules APR 04 – Examinations for Admission
Timing matters. Your MPRE score has to be earned no earlier than three years before, and no later than 40 months after, the date of the UBE administration in which you received your passing bar exam score. That window is wide enough that most people take the MPRE in law school, well before sitting for the bar.9Washington State Courts. Washington Court Rules APR 04 – Examinations for Admission