New York Bar Examination (UBE)

Bar Exam Information

NOTE: Bar exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with New York bar examiner’s office.

BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT

2024: February 27-28, July 30-31

The New York Bar Exam is a 2-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).

Day 1:
Two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) questions in the AM, and six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions in the PM.

Day 2:
Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM).

New York Board of Law Examiners

Corporate Plaza Building 3
254 Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, NY 12203-5195

Phone: (518) 453-5990

Fax: (518) 452-5729

Web: http://www.nybarexam.org

Subjects Tested

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

Constitutional Law
Contracts/Sales
Criminal Law/Procedure
Evidence
Federal Civil Procedure
Real Property
Torts

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)

Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies)
Conflicts of Law
Family Law
Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
Secured Transactions (Article 9 of Uniform Commercial Code)
Plus, all MBE Subjects

Multistate Performance Test (MPT)

Multistate Performance Test “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam

A minimum scaled score of 85 is required.

Applicant must pass the MPRE within three years before or after passing the New York bar exam as measured from the date the applicant sat for each examination.

Scoring

The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE, with the MBE weighted 50%, the MEE 30% and the MPT 20%.

A total scaled score of 266 or higher is required to pass the New York Bar Exam.

Foreign law graduates and lawyers

A foreign law graduate or lawyer may already be eligible to sit for a U.S. state bar exam with their current credentials.

New York operates a relatively open policy in permitting foreign law graduates or lawyers to sit the bar examination, and does not impose restrictions to admission on grounds of nationality or residence.

For complete details contact the
New York Board of Law Examiners.

Additional Information

State Specific Content Knowledge
Applicants must complete the New York Law Course (NYLC) and the New York Law Exam (NYLE).

The NYLC is an online, on-demand course consisting of approximately 15 hours of videotaped lectures with embedded questions.

The NYLE is a 50 item, two-hour, open-book, multiple-choice online exam administered at select dates and times throughout the year. The passing score for the NYLE is 30.

Applicants can take the NYLC and NYLE up to one year before or three years after sitting for the UBE. Applicants must complete the NYLC before they can register for the NYLE.

Pro Bono Hours
All applicants, except those on motion, must complete 50 hours of qualifying Pro Bono work prior to filing an application for admission.

Skills Competency and Professional Values
All applicants must establish they have acquired skills and professional values necessary to practice law. See Sec. 520.18 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of MBE Score

New York does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

A member in good standing of a reciprocating state may be admitted on motion in New York if the applicant has engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years preceding application. Additional requirements apply.

Admission by UBE Score Transfer

Applicants who have obtained a scaled score of at least 266 on a Uniform Bar Exam taken in another jurisdiction within the preceding three years may apply for admission based on that score. Additional requirements apply.

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More Helpful Bar Exam Topics

Need extra help passing the Uniform Bar Exam?

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