New York bar exam: Legacy or current exam until July 2028; NextGen afterward.
Choosing a course? See the best bar prep for New York and the BARBRI vs. Themis comparison.
| July exam | Mar. 31 |
| February exam | Oct. 31 |
| Fees | First-time $250 / $750; attorney $250 / $750; repeater $250 / $750; laptop $100 |
| MPRE minimum | 85 |
Dates can change. Check the board’s site before you pay.
Before filing in New York, check the current NCBE profile ↗.
| Rule | 22 NYCRR §520.14 |
| Accommodation | Waiver of the practice-duration requirement of §520.10 for a military spouse attorney seeking admission without exam |
| Duration | Permanent admission under §520.10 once the waiver is granted, not a temporary license |
| Supervision | Not required |
| Adopted | 2014 |
Confirm current status directly with New York's bar admission authority ↗: this area of law shifted federally in December 2024 and states are still catching up.
The bar exam is given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of every February and July. The next dates are February 23-24, 2027, with applications accepted October 1 through 31, 2026. For July the Board lists a March 1 through 31 filing window in both 2025 and 2026.
Source: Dates of Exams and Deadlines ↗
The passing score is 266 on the 400-point UBE scale. Passing the UBE does not finish the job in New York, because the Board also requires the MPRE at a scaled 85 (valid four years from the day it was taken), the New York Law Course, and the New York Law Exam. The course cannot be completed more than one year before the applicant first sat for the UBE, and a New York Law Exam score is valid for three years from the date of its results.
Two more requirements come before the Appellate Division admits anyone. Every applicant must complete 50 hours of pro bono service, and an applicant who began law school after August 1, 2016 must satisfy the Skills Competency Requirement in Rule 520.18. The applicant must also be at least 21 and must clear the character and fitness review under Rule 520.12 and the rules of the Appellate Division department that handles the application.
New York accepts a UBE score of 266 or higher earned in another UBE jurisdiction for three years from the date the applicant sat for the exam. The deadline that actually binds is Rule 520.12(d)(1): a complete application to the Appellate Division must be filed within three years of the second day of the UBE. The Board asks for the transfer application at least 30 days before that date runs out, so the practical window is a little shorter than three years.
The Board's fee is $250 for a JD from an ABA-approved U.S. school, for law office study, and for an unapproved school, and $750 for study of law in a foreign country. NCBE separately charges $25 for each UBE score transcript. A foreign-educated applicant is told not to file until the Board has evaluated eligibility under Rule 520.6 in writing, and the foreign documents are due at least six months before the transfer application.
Rule 520.10 admits a lawyer without examination who holds a JD from a school that was ABA-approved throughout the applicant's attendance, is admitted in at least one reciprocal jurisdiction, and has practiced law in five of the seven years before applying. A foreign-educated applicant without an ABA-approved JD is not eligible. The Board's role is limited to collecting a $400 application fee, payable by credit card only, and certifying the applicant's education.
New York lists 40 reciprocal jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Since December 1, 2024, an applicant with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York bar exam may apply for re-examination only for the February administration (Board Rule 6000.4(c)). The Board says the change was made because rising July applications were straining its ability to get enough seats at test sites. Such an applicant may still sit for the UBE in another UBE jurisdiction in July and transfer a passing score to New York. The Board processed 16,574 applications and examined 14,354 applicants in 2024.
The July 2026 exam was July 28 and 29 with no remote option. Every UBE component was on paper: MBE answers on a scantron sheet, and MEE and MPT questions in paper booklets. On January 8, 2025 the Court of Appeals announced that the UBE will be replaced by the NextGen exam in New York effective with the July 2028 administration, and that New York will not accept NextGen transfer scores from any NextGen exam given before July 2028. New York keeps accepting UBE transfer scores under current policy, and the Board tells candidates to weigh that when choosing which exam to sit from July 2026 through February 2028.
A candidate who failed the immediately preceding New York exam gets a later re-application deadline: the later of the normal filing deadline or the seventh day after the Board releases results. February 2026 results were posted on April 22, 2026, and the re-application deadline for July was 11:59 p.m. ET on April 29, 2026, a date the Board said would not be extended.
Since September 1, 2026, an applicant registering for the New York Law Exam must register electronically through the Board's website at least 45 days before the NYLE administration. Re-applications for non-standard test accommodations that were already approved for an earlier bar exam or NYLE, with no new or different accommodation requested, must reach the Board at least 60 days before the NYLE. Test accommodation deadlines are by receipt, not postmark, and all Board deadlines run on Eastern Time.
For a transferred UBE score, the applicant must be at least 21, and the score must be sent as an official NCBE transcript. The Board says not to file until you know you have the 266. After submission, fee and proof of eligibility, the Board emails a determination and asks applicants to allow up to 30 days after it receives all proofs. A J.D. applicant from an ABA school needs a law school transcript and the Board's curriculum instructions, and within 72 hours of filing receives a Law School Certificate of Attendance form that the law school must mail directly to the Board; certificates sent by the applicant are not accepted. Foreign-educated applicants are urged to get an advance written eligibility determination under Rule 520.6 before filing.
A complete application to the Appellate Division must be filed within three years of the second day of the UBE, wherever taken (Rule 520.12(d)(1)). The Board's own example: someone who passed in July 2017 had to finish the transfer, MPRE, course, NYLE and Appellate Division filing before July 26, 2020. Admission on motion runs differently: the Board collects a $400 fee, payable by credit card only, and certifies only the educational requirement, after which the applicant applies to the Appellate Division. Spouses of active-duty personnel stationed in New York who fall short of Rule 520.10 may ask the Court of Appeals for a waiver under Section 520.14.
The Board of Law Examiners splits its results by who took the exam. In July 2025 it examined 9,931 candidates and 6,976 passed, an overall 70 percent. First-time Juris Doctor graduates of ABA schools passed at 89 percent, the highest July rate for that group since 2009, with New York schools at 87 percent and out-of-state ABA schools at 91 percent. Foreign-educated candidates were 3,587 of the 9,931, or 36 percent, and passed at 46 percent. The 1,716 repeat takers passed at 32 percent.
The February 2026 exam looked different. The Board examined 3,855 candidates and 1,567 passed, 41 percent overall. Foreign-educated candidates were 2,173 of them, 56 percent and the highest share the Board has examined on any administration, and they passed at 32 percent. Repeat takers were 2,530, 66 percent of the group, and passed at 30 percent. First-time ABA graduates were only 627 people and passed at 78 percent. The 131 Pro Bono Scholars Program participants passed at 93 percent, 122 of them. The Board notes that each successful candidate must also finish the New York Law Course, pass the New York Law Exam and the MPRE, and then appear before the Committee on Character and Fitness.
Source: New York Board of Law Examiners: February 2026 press release ↗
New York's passing score is 266 on the 400-point UBE scale. The same 266 is the minimum for transferring a UBE score into New York from another UBE jurisdiction.
File between October 1 and October 31, 2026 for the February 23-24, 2027 exam. New York's window is a single month, and the July window is March 1 through 31.
Three years from the date you sat for the UBE. Your complete application to the Appellate Division must also be filed within three years of the second day of the exam, and the Board wants the transfer application at least 30 days earlier.
You need an 85. The score is valid in New York for four years from the date you sat for that MPRE.
Yes. Every applicant completes the New York Law Course and passes the New York Law Exam. The course can be finished no earlier than one year before you first sat for the UBE, and the exam score stays valid for three years from its results date.
Five of the seven years before you apply, plus an ABA-approved JD and admission in a reciprocal jurisdiction. Rule 520.10 sets these terms, and the Board collects a $400 fee.
Yes, 50 hours of pro bono service before the Appellate Division admits you. Applicants who started law school after August 1, 2016 also have to meet the Skills Competency Requirement.
$250 for most applicants and $750 for someone whose law study was in a foreign country, plus $25 to NCBE for each score transcript. Fees are set under Judiciary Law section 465.
No. Since December 1, 2024, an applicant with four or more unsuccessful New York attempts can re-apply only for the February exam, though a July exam in another UBE state with a score transfer is still open.
With the July 2028 administration. New York will not accept NextGen transfer scores from any NextGen exam given before July 2028 and keeps taking UBE scores meanwhile.
At least 45 days before the administration, electronically through the Board's website, under a rule that took effect September 1, 2026.
Three years from the second day of the UBE to file a complete application with the Appellate Division, after finishing the MPRE, the course and the NYLE.
At least 21.
36 percent of the 9,931 candidates in July 2025 and 56 percent of the 3,855 in February 2026, the highest share the Board has examined on an administration.
It varied. In July 2025 first-time takers from New York ABA schools passed at 87 percent against 91 percent for out-of-state ABA schools; in February 2026 it was 78 percent against 77 percent.
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Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide: New York ↗ · reviewed August 21, 2026.