North Dakota bar exam: dates, fees and scores

North Dakota's February exam runs only with 17 applicants

The North Dakota exam is given in Bismarck on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July, but the Board states that the February exam depends on 17 or more applicants. A February applicant should therefore confirm with the Board that the exam will run. North Dakota administers the UBE.

Applications for the February exam must reach the Board office by October 1 before the exam, and applications received October 2 through November 1 are permitted with a late filing fee. Applications for the July exam must reach the Board by March 15, and applications received March 16 through May 1 are permitted with a late fee. An application is not considered received until the exam fee, any late fee and the core documents are all in the Board's office. The applicant must be 18 and hold a JD or equivalent from an ABA-approved or provisionally approved school.

Source: Bar Exam Application ↗

Law student registration in North Dakota

Law student registration begins the character and fitness investigation and is due at the Board by October 1 of the student's second year, or within 14 months of the first day of law school. Later registrations are allowed with a late fee. Registering is not the same as applying: a law student must still separately apply to sit for the bar exam in the third year. The application form is completed online through NCBE, and additional documents and any late fees go to the Board.

Source: Law Student Registration ↗

Admission by motion based on practice

Rule 7(A) admits an applicant who is 18, holds an ABA-approved JD or equivalent, has been a licensed member of the bar of another jurisdiction for five years, and has engaged in an activity demonstrating competency in the practice of law for four of the last five years. The character investigation runs through NCBE, and the application fee and core documents must reach the Board for the application to count as received.

Source: Reciprocity Based On Practice ↗

Admission by motion based on test scores

Rule 7(B) admits an applicant with an MPRE score of 85 or above earned within seven years of filing, and a scaled score of 260 or above on the UBE or 610 or above on the NextGen UBE, or 150 or above on an MBE taken with another state's non-UBE written exam by an applicant admitted in that state. Proof of the score and a complete application must reach the Board within two years of the exam, or within five years of licensure if the applicant has been actively practicing to an extent that shows competency.

The application must include verification of 12 approved hours of CLE, one of them in ethics or professional responsibility, within the 36 months before the application. An applicant who has failed to reach a passing score after six UBE, NextGen UBE or MBE exams may not be admitted on test-score eligibility.

Source: Reciprocity Based On Test Scores ↗

North Dakota exam day: the schedule, what you may bring and what happens if a laptop fails

North Dakota gives the UBE on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. Tuesday morning, 9:00 a.m. to noon, is the two MPT tasks, and Tuesday afternoon, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., is the six MEE questions. Wednesday has 100 MBE questions in each of two three-hour sessions. Instructions start around 8:40 and 1:15, and an examinee must be in the seat by then. The July exam is at the Bismarck Event Center, 315 S. 5th Street; the February site varies and is sent with the acknowledgment of the application.

The Board's list is strict. No watch of any kind, analog included, and no phone, smartwatch, bag, food, hat, coat or outside pen. The Board hands each examinee a clear bag with pens or pencils, tissues and soft earplugs at check-in, and keys, ID and cash go in that bag under the chair. Scratch paper is not allowed and examinees write in the question booklets. Only one person leaves for the restroom at a time and the clock keeps running. Nobody may leave the room during instructions or the last 15 minutes of a session.

Questions on the MPT and MEE come in printed booklets, not on screen, and the laptop software is used only to type answers, with no spell check. If a laptop fails and the on-site technician cannot fix it, the examinee finishes by hand, and if the laptop later works the typed and handwritten answers are combined for the graders. The Board says it does not take responsibility for laptop or software failure.

The paperwork deadlines are separate from the application: the law school transcript showing the J.D. must reach the Board by February 1 for the February exam or July 1 for the July exam, and nobody sits without proof of graduation. Eligibility letters go out by email at least two weeks before the exam. A medical device or medication needed in the room must be reported at least 10 days before the first day, and medication needs a letter from the provider.

Source: North Dakota Board of Law Examiners: Bar Examination FAQs (06/2024; item list for February 2026) ↗