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United States · Licensing exam

Bar exam dates and how to register

The bar exam is given twice a year, on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. The next dates are February 23-24, 2027, and July 27-28, 2027. You don’t book with NCBE. You apply to the bar admission agency in the state where you want your license, and each one has its own deadlines.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Upcoming dates

ExamDates
February 2027 bar examFebruary 23-24, 2027
July 2027 bar examJuly 27-28, 2027
February 2028 bar exam (last legacy UBE)February 22-23, 2028
MPREMarch 23-24, 2027 (register by January 21, 2027)
MPREAugust 18-19, 2027 (register by June 17, 2027)

New York takes applications for February 2027 from October 1 to 31, 2026, and for July 2027 from March 1 to 31, 2027. Other states set their own windows, often months ahead.

How to register

  1. Find your state’s bar admission agency on NCBE’s jurisdiction list.
  2. Check which exam it gives on your date: legacy UBE, NextGen or its own exam.
  3. Apply online by the deadline and pay the fee. Late filing usually costs more.
  4. Start the character and fitness application. Some states run it separately and it can take months.
  5. Register for the MPRE with NCBE and book your seat at a Pearson test center.
  6. Ask for testing accommodations early. They need their own paperwork and deadlines.

Who switches to NextGen, and when

First NextGen examJurisdictions
July 2026Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Virgin Islands
July 2027Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Wyoming
February 2028Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Montana
July 2028Most others, including California, Florida, New York, Texas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania

As of October 2026. Mississippi hasn’t set a date. Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada and Puerto Rico haven’t announced adoption.

Planning your study schedule

Work back from your exam date. Your application deadline, character and fitness paperwork and the MPRE all fall months before the bar itself, so put them in your calendar first, then build your study weeks around them.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewThe US bar examFormat and pass ratesHow many questions are on the bar exam, and what’s the pass rate?ScoringHow the bar exam is scoredCostHow much does the bar exam cost?Online examCan you take the bar exam online?If you failWhat happens if you fail the bar exam?Study guideBar exam study guide: the official materialsPractice testFree bar exam practice questionsWhere to learnWhere to study for the bar exam
Sources: NCBE, New York State Board of Law Examiners, State Bar of California and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.