Minnesota bar exam: dates, fees and scores

The February 2027 Minnesota exam

The exam is February 23 and 24, 2027, in the Grand Ballroom of the Saint Paul RiverCentre. Applicants with testing accommodations may sit at the same location if there is space or at another downtown St. Paul site, and are told about a month ahead. The Board posts the exact timing to the applicant portal no later than a week before the exam; its example schedule has two MPT questions on Tuesday morning, six MEE questions on Tuesday afternoon, and 100 MBE questions in each Wednesday session, with doors opening at 7:30 a.m. and registration running 7:30 to 8:30.

Registration is required on both days, and an applicant is not admitted without the admission ticket printed from the portal and a government-issued photo ID with a signature.

Source: February 2027 Exam ↗

Minnesota filing deadlines and fees for February 2027

The timely filing deadline is Thursday, October 15, 2026, and the late deadline is Tuesday, December 1, 2026, with a $200 late filing fee that repeaters do not pay. On July 31, 2026, the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered that the deadlines and fees for the February 2027 exam are unaffected by recent rule amendments and stay under the previous version of the rules.

Applicants pay through U.S. Bank's secure payment site by credit card or ACH; the Board does not accept cash and does not store card data. A repeat examinee filing on time for later exams pays $800, and one who sat in Minnesota last time may file by the late deadline without the late fee. A repeater who skipped the last Minnesota exam pays $1,100 between the timely and late deadlines.

Source: Fees and Payments ↗

Three ways to be admitted on motion in Minnesota

Rule 7A: practice at least 1,000 hours a year for at least 36 of the past 60 months, judged only on the 60 months before the application. Rule 7B: a scaled MBE score of 145 or higher in the past 36 months, with admission in another jurisdiction on that same exam. Rule 7C: a scaled Legacy UBE score of 260 or higher, or a NextGen UBE score of 620 or higher, earned in the past 36 months. All three require an applicant whose education qualifies under Rule 4A.

A score does not have to have been passing where it was earned. A Legacy UBE score of 260 or higher, certified by NCBE, qualifies even if the candidate failed in the state that gave the exam, provided the applicant applies within 36 months. The Board says there is no benefit in choosing the MBE route over the UBE route or the reverse. Applicants request score transfers through NCBE.

Source: Admission on Motion FAQ ↗

Minnesota fee refunds, carry-over and what a repeater pays

A repeat examinee who files by the timely deadline pays $800. A repeater who sat for the most recent Minnesota exam can file up to the late deadline without the late fee, but one who did not sit for the most recent Minnesota administration pays $1,100 if filing between the two deadlines, which is the $800 fee plus a $300 late fee. The Board notes that some recent rule changes do not apply to the February 2027 exam, so its fee chart for that exam controls.

An applicant who asks in writing to withdraw at least 15 days before the exam gets a refund of $150 if the base fee paid (excluding late fees) was $600 or $800, and $300 if it was $1,050 or $1,150. The Board says no other refund requests are granted. Carry-over to the next exam is separate and covers only a medical emergency, a death in the family or a similar exceptional circumstance. The request must be in writing, reach the Board no later than 14 days after the exam and include written documentation. The applicant then files a new application with a reduced fee: $50 if the Board was told on or before the Wednesday before the exam, $200 if told between Thursday and 8:00 a.m. on the first exam day, and the full fee if the exam had already begun.

Fees on the Online Bar Application are paid through U.S. Bank's secure payment site by Visa, Discover, MasterCard, American Express or ACH electronic check, and the Board does not store card or bank details. Credit cards are not accepted for a copy of a previously filed application; that takes a check payable to the Minnesota Board of Law Examiners.

Source: Minnesota Board of Law Examiners: Fees and Payments ↗

Minnesota admission on motion: score routes, timing and Rule 7A versus Rule 10

An applicant who has not yet received a UBE score may file a concurrent application if registered for the next UBE administration or awaiting results in a UBE jurisdiction, in anticipation of a Legacy UBE score of 260 or higher or a NextGen UBE score of 620 or higher. If the pending score does not qualify, the applicant has 12 months from the date of application to submit a qualifying score, or the file is closed as ineligible.

A qualifying score does not have to have produced admission elsewhere on the UBE route: a Legacy UBE score of 260 or higher, certified by NCBE and reported to Minnesota within 36 months of the exam, counts even if the applicant was not admitted in the jurisdiction where it was earned. The Board says it makes no difference whether an eligible applicant applies by MBE score or UBE score. For a motion applicant who supplies every document and has no complicated issues, processing typically averages 3 to 6 months.

The Board encourages lawyers with the required practice to apply under Rule 7A rather than for an in-house counsel license under Rule 10. The application requirements and fees are functionally equivalent, but an in-house license expires when the qualifying employment ends, while Rule 7A licensure is permanent. Motion applicants may attend the Lawyer Registration Office's ceremony in the Supreme Court courtroom, but not the ceremonies held for those who passed the most recent exam.

Source: Minnesota Board of Law Examiners: Admission on Motion FAQ ↗

Minnesota's own results history: first-timers against everyone, July and February

Minnesota's Board of Law Examiners posts a results table that lists how many people were examined and two pass rates: first-time examinees and overall. For July 2025 it shows 594 examined, 89.89% for first-timers and 84.01% overall. Back to 2017 only the pandemic-era July 2020 exam (355 examined, 91.76%) was higher; the lowest first-timer rate in the table is 77.12% for the September 2020 exam, and the lowest July figure is 80.66% in July 2018.

February exams are smaller, 158 to 214 examinees across the table, and harder. February 2026 had 158 examined, 67.50% for first-timers and 44.30% overall, and February 2025 had 170, 68.42% and 52.94%. Across the eight February exams from 2018 through 2025 the overall rate ranged from 44.85% (2023) to 62.64% (2022).

Source: Minnesota Board of Law Examiners: Bar Results ↗

Minnesota's NextGen passing score recommendation is out for public comment

On September 2, 2026 the Board of Law Examiners filed correspondence outlining its recommendations on the passing score for the NextGen UBE and on score portability. On September 4, 2026 the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an order placing the matter out for public comment, with comments due on or before November 3, 2026. The Board's notice was posted September 9, 2026.

Source: Minnesota Board of Law Examiners: Passing Score Recommendation ↗