Idaho bar exam: NextGen UBE now.
| July exam | Mar. 1, late filing Apr. 15 |
| February exam | Oct. 1, late filing Nov. 15 |
| Fees | First-time $600; attorney $800; repeater $200 / $300; laptop $125 |
| MPRE minimum | 85 |
Dates can change. Check the board’s site before you pay.
Before filing in Idaho, check the current NCBE profile ↗.
| Rule | Idaho Bar Commission Rule 229 |
| Accommodation | Provisional Attorney Applicant admission without exam or experience requirement while spouse is on orders to Idaho |
| Duration | 1-year terms, renewable |
| Supervision | Required (Idaho local counsel) |
| Adopted | 2012 |
Confirm current status directly with Idaho's bar admission authority ↗: this area of law shifted federally in December 2024 and states are still catching up.
The Idaho exam is given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. The February 2027 exam is February 23 and 24 at the Boise Centre, 850 W. Front St., Boise. The February timely deadline is October 1, 2026 and the late deadline is November 15, 2026, and accommodation forms are due November 15. For July 2027 the timely deadline is March 1, 2027 and the late deadline is April 15, 2027, with accommodation forms due April 15. Reexamination forms are due November 15, 2026 for those who failed July 2026 and May 15, 2027 for those who failed February 2026.
The application fee is $600 for a student and $800 for an attorney, with a $200 late fee on any application received after the timely deadline. A laptop costs $149, paid to NCBE. The form for unsuccessful applicants costs $200 to $300 under Idaho Bar Commission Rule 218, and a deferral costs $100. The Bar suggests drafting answers in another program and submitting within seven days, and not keeping a saved draft longer than that.
Source: Idaho Bar Exam ↗
The Idaho State Bar adopted the NextGen Bar Exam with the July 2026 exam and administers the NextGen UBE. One online application serves four purposes: taking the Idaho exam, transferring a NextGen UBE or Legacy UBE score, applying as an Experienced Attorney Applicant for admission without examination based on practice experience, and applying for an Idaho House Counsel license.
Idaho does not release individual essay scores to successful applicants. Applicants who took the UBE in Idaho before July 2026 may get MBE scores by written request to the Admissions Administrator, and the Bar will transfer an MBE score to another admitting authority on a written request.
Idaho published a written policy on menstruation. Applicants can store belongings outside the testing room or keep menstruation products in a clear bag at the exam table, can reach belongings during breaks and during the exam in the presence of a proctor, and may use the restroom as often as needed. No additional time is granted for restroom breaks during a session, and an applicant whose needs are not covered can contact the Admissions Department.
The Idaho State Bar's admissions report, archived on April 29, 2024, gives the most recent full-year figures it published. In 2023 213 people took the Idaho bar exam, down from 275 in 2022, a 22.5% drop the report attributes to the 2020 closure of Concordia University School of Law and the transfer of its students to the University of Idaho. The overall pass rate for the 2023 exams was 54.9%, against 59.6% in 2022.
The Idaho Supreme Court raised the passing score to 270 for the July 2023 exam, after the membership approved Resolution 23-01 and the Court amended I.B.C.R. 217 on June 1, 2023. The Court has since lowered it again; see the next section. Idaho adopted the UBE in 2011 and describes itself as the third state to do so.
The report also shows how many lawyers reach Idaho without taking the exam. In 2023, 96 people applied for reciprocal admission under the former I.B.C.R. 206, up 18.5% from 81 in 2022, and 58 attorneys applied by UBE score transfer. A rule change effective March 1, 2024 opened admission on practice experience to attorneys from any jurisdiction and counts judicial law clerk work as active practice. By March 28, 2024, 47 people had applied under that rule and 24 of them had applied after the change. These are 2023 and early-2024 figures, not current ones.
Source: Idaho State Bar: Department Report: Admissions (archived April 29, 2024) ↗
By an order dated January 29, 2026, the Idaho Supreme Court set the passing score for the February 2026 Idaho bar exam at a scaled 266 or higher, down from 270, effective February 2, 2026. The Court said that lowering it was fair to February applicants because the Board had already approved 266 for July 2026.
The Board's November 4, 2025 decision, on the recommendation of its NextGen task force, sets the legacy UBE passing score at 266 and the NextGen passing score at 616, described as equivalent to a 266 on the current UBE. The stated aim was to keep the two consistent and align Idaho with its neighbors' passing scores. A separate rule change, from Resolution 25-04 and effective May 1, 2026, makes the UBE passing score something the Board and Court set in the grading standards instead of a figure written into the rule.
October 1, 2026 is the timely deadline and November 15, 2026 is the late deadline. Late applications add a $200 fee.
$600 for a student and $800 for an attorney, plus a $200 late fee after the timely deadline. A laptop is $149 paid to NCBE.
At the Boise Centre, 850 W. Front St., Boise, on February 23-24, 2027.
Yes. The Idaho State Bar adopted the NextGen Bar Exam with the July 2026 exam and administers the NextGen UBE.
No. Idaho does not release individual essay scores to successful applicants, though applicants who took the UBE in Idaho before July 2026 may request MBE scores in writing.
$100. The form for unsuccessful applicants costs $200 to $300 under Idaho Bar Commission Rule 218.
Yes, as often as needed, but no additional time is granted for restroom breaks during a session.
Yes, as an Experienced Attorney Applicant, meaning admission without examination based on practice experience, using the same online application that serves the exam and score transfer routes.
A scaled 266 on the UBE, lowered from 270 by a Supreme Court order dated January 29, 2026 that applied from the February 2026 exam. The NextGen passing score is 616.
54.9% overall for the 2023 exams, down from 59.6% in 2022, according to the Idaho State Bar's admissions report. 213 people took the exam in 2023.
Compare other state bar exam guides: Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana
Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide: Idaho ↗ · reviewed August 21, 2026.