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United States · Licensing exam

The New York bar exam

You sit the Uniform Bar Exam over two days, then finish an online course and an online test on New York law before you can be admitted. As of October 2026 the New York bar exam is still the legacy UBE, and NCBE lists New York among the states moving to NextGen in July 2028. You need a UBE score of 266. The next sittings are February 23-24 and July 27-28, 2027, and you apply in a one-month window for each.

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

New York bar exam dates and how to register

The New York State Board of Law Examiners gives the exam on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of every February and July. Registration is online through your BOLE account at portal.nybarexam.org. Test accommodation applications for the UBE are due by the end of the same filing month, by receipt, not postmark.

NCBE's Comprehensive Guide lists the first-time application fee as $250, or $750 if you qualify through a foreign law school, plus $100 to use a laptop. Check the board's application before you pay.

ExamDatesApplication filing period
February 2027February 23-24, 2027October 1-31, 2026
July 2027July 27-28, 2027March 1-31, 2027

What's on the exam, and the score you need

The two exam days are the UBE: the 200-question MBE, six MEE essays and two MPT tasks. New York adopted the UBE with the July 2016 exam.

On top of that, the Court of Appeals rules make you complete the New York Law Course and pass the New York Law Exam, both online. The course is recorded lectures on 12 subjects. The exam is open book, and the board warns it's still a rigorous one. You also need to pass the MPRE ethics exam, so passing the two exam days alone isn't enough to be admitted.

New York's minimum passing UBE score is 266 out of 400, per NCBE's list of minimum scores. It's a scaled score, not a percentage, so see how scaling works before you set a target.

How the UBE works →How bar exam scores are scaled →

New York bar exam locations

For February 2027 the board lists four test centers: the Albany Capital Center in Albany, the Buffalo Convention Center, the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex at Hofstra University on Long Island, and the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City.

You don't pick a site when you apply. In early January 2027 the board emails a link to choose a center, showing only the ones with seats left. First-time takers with a JD from a New York law school choose first, and nobody is guaranteed a city. If you don't answer that email, you're withdrawn from the exam.

When do New York bar exam results come out?

The board sent July 2026 results to examinees electronically on October 23, 2026, and put a public list of passing examinees on nybarexam.org from 9:00 AM ET on October 26. Past results can be looked up on the same site.

Of the 9,936 people who sat in July 2026, 67% passed. First-time takers passed at 76% and repeat takers at 25%, according to the board's press release. Foreign-educated examinees, 35% of all takers, passed at 44%. NCBE's table compares other states on our pass rates page.

Bar exam pass rates by state →When other states release results →

New York bar exam requirements

The board accepts these routes to the exam:

  • A JD from an ABA-approved law school in the US, with at least 83 credits, including at least 64 in classroom study and 2 in professional responsibility.
  • Law office study: a first year of full-time study at an ABA-approved school, then work under a New York lawyer for a combined four years.
  • A JD from a US law school that isn't ABA-approved, plus at least five years of practice elsewhere in the last seven.
  • A foreign law degree that the board finds equivalent in length and content to a US program, sometimes with extra study at an ABA-approved school.

After you pass, the board certifies you to the Appellate Division, and you appear before a Committee on Character and Fitness before admission. Proof of your law degree is due by January 15 for February or June 15 for July.

Transferring a score, or admission without the exam

If you already have a UBE score from another state, New York accepts it for up to three years, per NCBE's Comprehensive Guide. You still need the New York Law Course and Law Exam. Lawyers admitted elsewhere can apply on motion after five of the last seven years in practice, but New York limits this to lawyers from states that offer New Yorkers the same.

Bar exam reciprocity and score transfer →
Sources: New York State Board of Law Examiners · NCBE · NCBE Comprehensive Guide, Chart 5 and 9 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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