United States · Licensing examWhen is the Florida bar exam?
Both sittings are at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 South Franklin Street, Tampa. Each day runs in two sessions, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 to 5:15 p.m.
Miss the timely date and you can still file, at a cost: the board adds $325 for a February application postmarked by December 15, and $625 for a July application postmarked by June 1. After the final cut-off, it won't take a first application for that exam. As of October 2026.
| Exam | Dates | Timely filing deadline | Final cut-off (received by) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2027 | February 23-24, 2027 | Postmarked by November 16, 2026 | January 15, 2027 |
| July 2027 | July 27-28, 2027 | Postmarked by May 3, 2027 | June 15, 2027 |
What's on Part A and Part B
The board gives away a Part A study guide with no charge, alongside its test specifications. It's the board's own guide to the essays.
- Part A, Florida law: three hours of essays and three hours of 100 multiple-choice questions. NCBE lists the essays as three questions.
- One Part A segment always covers the Florida Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure and parts of the Rules of Judicial Administration.
- The other segments draw from Florida and federal constitutional law, trusts, business entities, real property, evidence, torts, wills and estates, criminal law and procedure, contracts, UCC Articles 3 and 9, family law, Chapters 4 and 5 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, and professionalism.
- Part B, the MBE: NCBE's multiple-choice exam on seven subjects, the same one most other states use.
Scores: 136 on each part, or 136 on average
Florida scores each part on a scale where 136 passes. If you sit both parts at the same exam, you can pass on the overall method: an average scaled score of 136 or better across the two. Under the individual method you need 136 on each part you take, and a part you've passed stays passed, so a repeater can sit only the part they failed. First-time takers must sit Part B.
Florida doesn't give a UBE score, so you can't transfer a Florida result to a UBE state. How the 400-point UBE scale compares is on our scoring page.
Applying, fees and the background check
Florida has no admission on motion, so lawyers licensed elsewhere also sit the Florida bar exam. As of October 2026.
- File a Student Registration while you're in law school. If you first file in your second year, the full registration fee is $400; earlier filing costs less.
- Convert the registration into a bar application at the start of your final year. The board recommends filing early, because the character and fitness investigation needs to finish before results come out.
- Pay the exam fee. NCBE's guide lists $1,000 for a first-time applicant who isn't a lawyer, plus $125 to use a laptop.
- Pass the MPRE ethics exam, which you register for separately with NCBE.
Florida bar exam results and the pass list
Once the Supreme Court of Florida approves the release, it posts on its @flcourts account and the result appears as correspondence in your applicant portal. The Court's website also lists results: look for your file number, not your badge ID. July 2026 results came out on September 18, 2026, according to NCBE.
On that exam, NCBE reports 64% of 2,750 takers passed, and 75% of first-timers. There's no limit on retakes in Florida.
NextGen from July 2028
The board has announced the NextGen bar exam with a Florida Law Component, starting with the July 2028 exam. Until then, the February and July exams keep Parts A and B. If you're planning for 2028, check which version your date falls on before you buy prep material.
Sources: Florida Board of Bar Examiners · NCBE Comprehensive Guide, Chart 9 · NCBE Comprehensive Guide, Chart 11 and 6 more. Checked October 2026.
- Florida Board of Bar Examiners: home page (deadlines, late fees, NextGen announcement) ↗
- Florida Board of Bar Examiners: exam information, test specifications and study guide ↗
- Florida Board of Bar Examiners: application and conversion checklists ↗
- Florida Board of Bar Examiners: examination results and statistics ↗
- NCBE Comprehensive Guide, Chart 9: Non-UBE jurisdictions, admission by examination ↗
- NCBE Comprehensive Guide, Chart 11: Non-UBE jurisdictions, deadlines and fees ↗
- NCBE Comprehensive Guide, Chart 14: Admission on motion ↗
- NCBE: Bar exam pass rates by jurisdiction, July 2026 ↗
- NCBE: NextGen bar exam ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.