Tennessee bar exam: dates, fees and scores

Tennessee's two-deadline system for February 2027

Tennessee splits the filing into two hard deadlines. By December 1, 2026 an applicant must submit the Tennessee application in Synergy, the full filing fee, a PDF of the NCBE Character & Fitness application and any testing accommodations request. By December 20, 2026 the applicant must submit the remaining documents: a current résumé, a color photo, a Real ID, the acknowledgment of the General Instruction Manual and, for first-time applicants, undergraduate transcripts and law degree verification sent directly by the schools.

The Board states there is no grace period or extension for either date, and an application that misses one is withdrawn, so the applicant cannot sit for the February 2027 exam. An applicant who withdraws by February 1, 2027 receives a partial refund. The NCBE character and fitness application cannot be completed more than six months before the exam date.

Source: Application Deadline (February 2027 Exam) ↗

Transferring a UBE score to Tennessee

A transfer applicant needs a UBE score of 270 or higher earned in another jurisdiction. Tennessee treats a UBE score as valid for three years from its Tennessee grade-release date, and requires that the score not expire within six months of the day the application is filed and the fee paid. The score must still be valid when the Board approves the application, and the Board says approval, including the NCBE investigation, any interview and review, typically takes six to eight months and may take longer.

An expired score may still be used for up to five years if the applicant has been actively practicing law in three of the five years before the application date or the date the score expired, whichever is later. Tennessee announced on May 22, 2026 that it accepts transferred NextGen UBE scores beginning with the July 2026 administration. The Supreme Court had announced on April 22, 2024 that the NextGen UBE replaces the legacy UBE in Tennessee beginning with the July 2027 administration.

Source: Transfer UBE Score ↗

Admission by comity in Tennessee

Comity requires a JD from an ABA-accredited or Tennessee-approved U.S. law school, admission by bar examination in one or more U.S. jurisdictions, and primary engagement in the active practice of law for five of the seven years immediately before applying. The applicant must be in good standing everywhere admitted, free of pending discipline, and meet the character and fitness standard in Rule 7, Section 6.01. Someone educated abroad without an ABA-accredited or Tennessee-approved JD is not eligible for comity.

Every route ends the same way: the applicant must complete registration and take the oath within two years of the Certificate of Eligibility, or within two years of the date grades were released for a Tennessee exam score. A character and fitness interview stays valid for two years.

Source: Admission Without Exam (Comity) ↗

Tennessee's five-failure limit and the petition that lets you sit again

Tennessee caps attempts. A candidate who has failed the Tennessee bar exam or the UBE five or more times, in any UBE jurisdiction, cannot sit again or transfer a UBE score to Tennessee without a petition under Rule 7, section 13.02. The petition has to show good cause for another attempt.

For re-examination, the petition must include a detailed study plan and proof of enrollment in a bar review course that can track and certify participation. Before the exam the applicant also sends proof of course participation, a law school form if the course ran through an ABA-accredited or Tennessee-approved school, and an explanation if participation fell below 90%. For a UBE score transfer, the applicant shows proof that a review course was used for the successful score or explains what changed in preparation.

Approval for one exam does not carry over. The Board says a new petition is needed each time. Tennessee also takes no partial credit from earlier attempts: it does not accept MBE scores transferred from a previous Tennessee exam or another jurisdiction, and only scores from a single administration count. Scores are final and are not regraded, and an exam score is valid for 3 years from the Tennessee grade-release date.

Source: Tennessee Board of Law Examiners: Resources and FAQs ↗

Tennessee's other admission conditions: 270, MPRE 82, an interview and the 7.5-hour Tennessee Law Course

A passing Tennessee result is a UBE score of 270 or higher, the same figure required to transfer a UBE score. A separate MPRE requirement applies to licensing: a score of 82 or higher earned within 2 years, sent directly by NCBE.

Most applicants have a Character and Fitness interview, held typically in March, August and September, unless the Board at its discretion excuses a lawyer already licensed and in good standing elsewhere. An interview is valid for 2 years, and an older one must be repeated.

Every applicant also completes the Tennessee Law Course, a mandatory 7.5-hour online course on Tennessee-specific law that must be finished before licensing. The registration fee is $15 and login details arrive within 5 business days of payment. Exam applicants get access within 10 days after the bar exam, and applicants for transfer, comity or military-spouse admission within 5 business days of the Board's receipt of the background check.

An applicant whose name is not on the pass list either did not reach the minimum score or has a score held for another reason, and the emailed result explains which. A candidate who last applied more than three years ago has an expired application and must file as a first-time applicant with a new NCBE application.

Which Tennessee documents are due at the Application Deadline and which at the Final Deadline

The Application Deadline is May 1 for the July exam and December 1 for the February exam, closing at 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time, and by then the applicant needs the Tennessee application in the Synergy system, the full fee, a PDF of the NCBE Character and Fitness application, and any accommodations request. Missing it means the application is withdrawn, with no grace period. The Final Deadline of May 20 or December 20 covers the rest: a current résumé, a color photo, Real ID, acknowledgment of the General Instruction Manual, undergraduate transcripts and the Law Degree Verification, each sent directly from the school where needed.

A student whose grades are not final still needs the Law Degree Verification in by the Final Deadline, marked on track to graduate. The school then sends the Late Confirmation of Degree no later than the Friday immediately before the exam, and the Board cannot waive either date. An applicant who attended more than one law school needs a form from each.

The photo must be a 2 by 2 color headshot in .jpg format on a light background, and not a picture of a passport. Every other document must be a PDF, because .doc, .heic and .exe files do not upload. The NCBE and the Tennessee Board are separate, so submitting only one application leaves the other incomplete. A partial refund of $150 requires a written withdrawal by July 1 for the July exam or February 1 for the February exam.

Accommodations cost nothing to request, but the paid exam application comes first and the request goes in by the Application Deadline. Most decisions are sent by January 20 for February or June 20 for July. A condition that arises after filing can be handled with an Emergency Accommodation Request. A certified copy of an application costs $40, and the Board keeps applications for 10 years.