Arkansas bar exam: Legacy or current exam until No adoption announced; NextGen afterward. Arkansas does accept transferred UBE scores under Rule XVIII of its Rules Governing Admission to the Bar, despite Arkansas's own Legacy-UBE format looking identical on paper to states with no transfer option at all: a scaled score of 270 or better, earned within 36 months of the Board receiving the application, plus a separate MPRE score of 85 or better and a $1,500 application fee.
| July exam | Apr. 1 |
| February exam | Nov. 15 |
| Fees | First-time $1,000; attorney $1,000; repeater $1,000; laptop $0 |
| MPRE minimum | 85 |
Dates can change. Check the board’s site before you pay.
Before filing in Arkansas, check the current NCBE profile ↗.
Arkansas does accept transferred UBE scores under Rule XVIII of its Rules Governing Admission to the Bar, despite Arkansas's own Legacy-UBE format looking identical on paper to states with no transfer option at all: a scaled score of 270 or better, earned within 36 months of the Board receiving the application, plus a separate MPRE score of 85 or better and a $1,500 application fee.
| Rule | Rule XVII, Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Arkansas: Military Spouse Temporary Admission |
| Accommodation | Admission by motion without exam for attorneys residing in Arkansas with an active-duty spouse on orders |
| Duration | 2 years; successive applications allowed |
| Supervision | Not required |
| Adopted | 2019 |
Confirm current status directly with Arkansas's bar admission authority ↗: this area of law shifted federally in December 2024 and states are still catching up.
Applications for leave to take the exam are due November 15 of the year before the February exam and April 1 before the July exam (Rule X). The Board's admission page says the February 2027 deadline is November 16, 2026, and that online applications and payment for the February 2027 UBE were being finalized, with links expected by the end of September. An applicant who fails the February exam has until the following May 15 to apply for the July exam, and a deadline that falls on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day.
The exam fee is $1,000, paid by money order or cashier's check made out to the Clerk of the Supreme Court and sent with the application (Rule XI). NCBE prepares the exam: six MEE questions, two MPT questions and a 200-question MBE, over two days, with the MPT and MEE on the first day and the MBE on the second (Rule IX.A). The exam is given at the same time in Little Rock and Fayetteville, and applicants state a preference and are told the exact location before each exam.
Source: Arkansas Bar Examination Requirements and Information ↗
No candidate may take the exam without having graduated, or completed the requisites for graduation, from an ABA-approved law school (Rule XII). Each applicant must earn a scaled MPRE score of 85 or more before admission by examination (Rule IX.B), and it is the applicant's job to arrange for the score to be sent to Arkansas. Previous MPT and MEE questions and answers can be read at the Arkansas Supreme Court Library and the law school libraries at Fayetteville and Little Rock.
Rule XVI of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar governs admission on motion, and Rule XVIII governs admission by transfer of a UBE score. The Board posts a list of reciprocal jurisdictions with the motion application, and a 2026 instructions-and-application packet for UBE score transfer. It also has a separate page for temporary admission of military spouses. Because the rule texts are posted as PDFs, read Rules XVI and XVIII before relying on a summary.
Source: Admission on Motion ↗
Arkansas releases its results as a press release from the State Board of Law Examiners. The February 2026 release, for the exam given on February 24 and 25, first lists the applicants who passed the exam and the MPRE, fulfilled all other requirements and will be certified to the Clerk of the Arkansas Supreme Court for admission. It then lists applicants who scored a scaled 270 or higher but are awaiting an MPRE score, still have other requirements to complete, or were Courtesy Seat applicants.
Counting the names, the February 2026 release lists 27 certified applicants and 3 in the second group, so 30 people reached a 270. NCBE's table gives 84 examinees and a 36% pass rate for Arkansas that month, and 36% of 84 is about 30, so the two sources agree. Both this release and the July 2025 one name the highest scorer on the Arkansas exam.
The July 2025 release, for the exam of July 29 and 30, uses the same structure and states the two thresholds together: a UBE score of 270 or better and an MPRE score of 85 or better. A candidate can therefore pass the exam and still be missing from the certified list, and the release says why in one line.
Source: Supreme Court of Arkansas: press release, February 2026 bar exam ↗
November 15 for the February exam and April 1 for the July exam under Rule X. The Board says the February 2027 deadline is November 16, 2026.
$1,000, paid by money order or cashier's check payable to the Clerk of the Supreme Court and sent with the application (Rule XI).
A scaled score of 85 or more under Rule IX.B, and you must arrange for the score to be transferred to Arkansas.
In Little Rock and Fayetteville at the same time. You state a preference on the application and are told the exact location before each exam.
Six MEE questions, two MPT questions and a 200-question MBE, prepared by NCBE. The MPT and MEE are on the first day and the MBE is on the second (Rule IX.A).
You have until the following May 15 to file for the July exam, and a deadline on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day (Rule X).
Rule XVI covers admission on motion and Rule XVIII covers admission by transfer of a UBE score, both in the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar.
You must have graduated, or completed the requisites for graduation, from an ABA-approved law school (Rule XII).
The Board's press release keeps two lists: those certified for admission, and those with a UBE score of 270 or higher who are awaiting an MPRE score, have other requirements outstanding, or were Courtesy Seat applicants.
Compare other state bar exam guides: California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida
Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide: Arkansas ↗ · reviewed August 21, 2026.