Washington bar exam: NextGen UBE now.
| July exam | Mar. 5, late filing Apr. 5 |
| February exam | Oct. 5 |
| Fees | First-time $595; attorney $645 + C&F; repeater $595 / $645; laptop $119 |
| MPRE minimum | 85 |
Dates can change. Check the board’s site before you pay.
Before filing in Washington, check the current NCBE profile ↗.
| Rule | Washington APR 3(c)(2), Military Spouse Admission by Motion |
| Accommodation | Admission by motion without exam; spouse must be stationed in Washington or arriving within 6 months; pre-admission requirements due within 1 year of filing |
| Duration | Permanent admission by motion once granted, not a temporary license |
| Supervision | Not required |
| Adopted | 2019 |
Confirm current status directly with Washington's bar admission authority ↗: this area of law shifted federally in December 2024 and states are still catching up.
Under Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 3, an applicant qualifies with a JD from an ABA-accredited school or by completing the APR 6 Law Clerk Program. Two LLM routes also qualify: a U.S. JD graduate, or a foreign-trained lawyer, who earned an APR 3-compliant LLM from an ABA-approved school. A lawyer admitted in a common-law jurisdiction qualifies with legal experience in at least three of the five years before filing.
In every case the applicant must show good moral character and fitness. Admissions staff and Regulatory Counsel decide whether to refer an application to the Character and Fitness Board, using the factors listed in APR 20 through 24.3.
A general exam applicant pays $740: a $595 WSBA application fee plus a $145 NCBE exam fee (plus tax). An attorney applicant pays $790, made up of a $645 WSBA fee and the same NCBE fee, and an NCBE investigation fee applies to attorney applicants and to general applicants filing under APR 3(b)(4)(B). A $300 late fee is added to any application or fee received after the first deadline. Bank card payments carry a separate 2.5% nonrefundable transaction fee.
For the summer exam, applications open February 1, the first deadline is March 5, the late deadline is April 5, and an extended deadline of May 5 is open to those who failed the immediately preceding exam. For the winter exam, applications open September 1, with deadlines of October 5, November 5, and an extended December 5. A deadline that lands on a weekend or holiday moves to the end of the next business day.
Washington accepts a UBE score from any state for up to 40 months after the exam date. The qualifying score for the legacy UBE is 260. The bar takes only complete official UBE transcripts, never component scores. It also requires the MPRE score to have been earned no more than three years before, or no later than 40 months after, the UBE administration in which the applicant passed (APR 4(d)(2)).
An applicant applies for transfer in Washington and for the exam in the other state at the same time, and may not apply in Washington both to take the exam and to transfer. The transfer application expires 12 months after filing, so a new application and fee are needed after that. Approval takes about four to six months for a lawyer licensed elsewhere and about two to three months for someone never admitted. The fee is $595 for a general applicant and $645 for an attorney, and withdrawal costs a $400 nonrefundable administrative fee.
APR 3(c)(1) exempts a lawyer admitted in another state, territory or the District of Columbia from the exam if the lawyer shows admission, current good standing, and active legal experience in at least one of the three years before filing. The fee is $970 plus an NCBE investigation fee.
The application can be filed at any time and the pre-admission steps must be finished within one year of filing. Forms must be dated within six months of the application: a notarized Authorization and Release, two signed Good Moral Character Certificates, and a certificate of admission and standing from every jurisdiction where the applicant is or has been admitted.
Source: Admission by Motion ↗
For applications that do not involve sitting for the exam, Washington lists $970 for admission by motion (plus the NCBE investigation fee), $645 for an attorney UBE score transfer (plus NCBE), $595 for a general UBE score transfer and $970 for house counsel or foreign law consultant admission. Military spouse admission by motion is $970, indigent representation under APR 8(c) has no fee, and a Rule 9 licensed legal intern pays $50 or nothing through a law school clinic. Bank card payments carry a separate non-refundable 2.5% transaction fee; electronic funds transfer and check do not. NCBE fees are paid to NCBE and are non-refundable.
A non-exam application has no filing deadline, but the applicant has one year from submission to complete the admission process. It may be withdrawn at any time, and if withdrawn within a year of filing the applicant may receive a refund minus a $400 non-refundable administrative fee.
The $740 general-applicant exam fee is a $595 WSBA application fee plus a $145 NCBE exam fee (plus tax), and an attorney applicant pays $790 ($645 plus $145). A general applicant under APR 3(b)(4)(B) and every attorney applicant are also referred to NCBE for an investigation, which carries a non-refundable NCBE fee. The late filing fee adds $300. Card payments carry the same 2.5% fee, and checks must be received or postmarked by the deadline.
Each exam has four dates: applications open, a first deadline, a late deadline and an extended deadline for applicants who failed the immediately preceding exam. For the summer exam these are February 1, March 5, April 5 and May 5; for the winter exam September 1, October 5, November 5 and December 5. A deadline falling on a weekend or holiday moves to the end of the next business day, and nothing is accepted after the late deadline except under the extended one.
An applicant who withdraws at least 18 days before the exam can get back the NCBE exam fee and part of the WSBA fee, minus a $400 non-refundable administrative fee ($100 for the LPO exam). The NCBE exam fee alone is refundable if withdrawn by 4:00 p.m. Pacific on the Friday before the exam. The Limited Practice Officer exam costs $200, or $300 with the late fee, with deadlines July 15 and August 15 for October and January 15 and February 15 for April.
Washington's route to the lawyer exam also includes the APR 6 Law Clerk Program, a J.D. plus a qualifying LLM from an ABA-approved school, a foreign law degree plus such an LLM, or admission in a common-law jurisdiction with legal experience in at least three of the five years before filing. Character and fitness review applies to everyone under APR 20 through 24.3, and staff may refer an applicant to the Character and Fitness Board.
The WSBA announced on September 12, 2025 that 558 candidates passed the July 2025 Uniform Bar Exam out of 780, an overall pass rate of 71.54%. The average UBE score was 285.21 against the required 266. First-time takers passed at 82.22% (527 of 641) and repeaters at 22.30% (31 of 139). Graduates of ABA-approved J.D. programs were 647 of the 780 and passed at 79.44%, and 85.44% of the 577 who were first-timers.
Applicants from outside those groups did much worse. Of 15 APR 6 Law Clerk Program applicants, 4 passed (26.67%); of 88 applicants with a non-ABA J.D. or a foreign law degree plus an ABA LL.M., 21 passed (23.86%). U.S. attorneys taking the exam passed at 77.78% (14 of 18). The WSBA also notes that a passing applicant then has 40 months from the exam date to finish the New Admittee Process and be licensed, and that motion and UBE-transfer applicants have one year from their application.
Source: WSBA: 558 Candidates Pass July 2025 Washington State Bar Exam ↗
Washington's qualifying score for the legacy UBE is 260, and the score can be up to 40 months old. The bar takes only official complete UBE transcripts and will not accept component scores.
A general applicant pays $740, which is a $595 WSBA fee and a $145 NCBE exam fee plus tax. An attorney applicant pays $790, and any application received after the first deadline carries a $300 late fee.
The first deadline is March 5, and applications open February 1. The late deadline is April 5, and applicants who failed the immediately preceding exam may file as late as May 5.
Applications open September 1 and the first deadline is October 5. Late filing closes November 5, and the extended deadline for those who just failed is December 5.
One of the three years before you file. APR 3(c)(1) asks for active legal experience in at least one of those three years, admission elsewhere, and current good standing.
Twelve months from filing. If you are not admitted by then you file a new application and pay the fee again, so some applicants wait until they know their score.
No more than three years before, and no later than 40 months after, the UBE administration in which you passed (APR 4(d)(2)).
No. The bar requires you to choose one. A transfer applicant must also apply in the other state where the UBE will be taken and tell Washington which state that is.
No. There is no deadline to file, but you have one year from submitting the application to finish the admission process.
Yes, if you withdraw at least 18 days before the exam: the NCBE exam fee and part of the WSBA fee come back, minus a $400 administrative fee.
May 5 for the summer exam and December 5 for the winter exam, open only to applicants who failed the immediately preceding exam.
A separate non-refundable 2.5% transaction fee. Electronic funds transfer and check payments carry none.
Yes, through the APR 6 Law Clerk Program, an LLM path, or admission in a common-law jurisdiction with three of the last five years of legal experience.
71.54% overall (558 of 780), and 82.22% for first-time takers, with an average UBE score of 285.21, according to the WSBA.
40 months from the date of the exam to complete the New Admittee Process and be licensed as a lawyer, according to the WSBA.
Compare other state bar exam guides: West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau
Source: NCBE Comprehensive Guide: Washington ↗ · reviewed August 21, 2026.