Wyoming bar exam: dates, fees and scores

Wyoming's two exam sites and its calendar-based deadlines

Wyoming gives its exam in two different cities. The February 2027 exam is February 23 and 24 in Cheyenne, and the July 2027 exam is July 27 and 28 in Laramie. Applications must be filed no later than the third Friday in November for February and no later than the third Friday in April for July, so the calendar date changes from year to year. An application to retake must be filed by the first of December for the February exam or the first of May for the July exam.

The Court says incomplete applications, or those received after the deadline, are returned to the applicant. The Court also posts a motion admission instruction packet, a UBE score transfer application with instructions and a checklist, and a request form for the NCBE character report.

Source: Wyoming Supreme Court Bar Admission ↗

Wyoming's application fee rises to $750 on October 2, 2026

The Wyoming Supreme Court authorized an increase in bar application fees, and effective October 2, 2026 the bar application fee becomes $750. An applicant who files close to that date should check which fee applies to the filing date.

A certificate of good standing, which shows the attorney's full name, bar number, date of admission and bar status, costs $10 per certificate. It can be requested by mail with a check or money order payable to the Clerk of the Wyoming Supreme Court, or bought online by debit or credit card through VitalChek, which adds a non-refundable convenience fee.

Wyoming adopts NextGen no sooner than July 2027

On the recommendation of the Wyoming Board of Law Examiners, the Wyoming Supreme Court adopted the NextGen Bar Examination effective no sooner than July 2027, and the State Bar's admissions page says NextGen will be administered in July 2027. Wyoming currently gives the UBE, which NCBE is replacing, and NCBE will no longer offer the UBE effective July 2028.

The Court chose prospective adoption because the exam was not completely finalized, since NCBE was still aligning scores with the previous test and developing recommendations for transfer of NextGen scores between jurisdictions. It released the decision early to help law schools, students and the State Bar prepare.

Source: Wyoming Supreme Court Adopts NextGen Bar Exam ↗

What the Wyoming exam instructions require: a 270, a 620 on NextGen, an 85 on the MPRE

The Judicial Branch's August 2026 instructions for admission by examination require a J.D. from an ABA-approved law school, a scaled UBE score of 270 or higher on the February 2027 exam or a total of 620 or greater on the NextGen UBE, and a scaled MPRE score of 85 or higher. The MPRE is given in March, August and November, and the instructions say a candidate who has not passed it must do so before being recommended for admission.

Wyoming gives the exam on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. A complete application is due by the third Friday in April for July and the third Friday in November for February, and a late application is returned whatever its postmark. The non-refundable fee is $600 in a check or money order to the Clerk of the Wyoming Supreme Court, separate from the NCBE background-investigation fee.

The filing packet is a single-sided set: the original petition and application, the original Wyoming authorization and release (notarized), a color photocopy of a driver's license or passport, the fee, a certificate of good standing issued within 90 days from the highest court of the jurisdiction where the applicant practices, and a copy of the NCBE character application. A letter from a state bar association is not accepted unless the Clerk approved it in advance.

Source: Wyoming Judicial Branch: Admission by UBE, Instructions and Information (08/2026) ↗

Common Wyoming filing mistakes, postponing and when results arrive

The instructions name four things that keep an application from being filed: no certificate of good standing from the highest court (a bar's disciplinary-history letter does not substitute), a missing or incomplete NCBE character application, photocopies where originals are required, and not using the checklist. Incomplete applications are returned.

An applicant who registers and then needs to postpone can register for two examinations without an additional application fee. After that the applicant must reapply with the Wyoming fee and a supplemental NCBE application. The Dean's Certificate does not have to go in with the application, but it must come directly from the dean to the Wyoming State Bar's Admissions Director, and a certificate that appears to come from the applicant is refused.

Results are not posted by the examiner. Once the file is complete and the UBE and MPRE scores are in, the Committee and then the Board review it and recommend to the Wyoming Supreme Court, which notifies the applicant. The Board and Committee expect that to take about eight to ten weeks after the exam, and the instructions warn that delaying the MPRE delays the results.

Wyoming's other routes: UBE transfer, admission on motion and military spouses

For a UBE score transfer, Wyoming wants a J.D. from an ABA-approved school, a scaled score of 270 or higher and an MPRE of 85 or higher. There is no application deadline, and once the complete application is filed the instructions expect 4 to 6 months before a recommendation goes to the Court. The score is treated as earned on the date of the UBE administration, and NCBE must send it directly. Non-ABA graduates are not eligible, because Wyoming Statute 33-5-105 also requires an ABA-accredited J.D.

Wyoming says it has no formal reciprocity agreement with any state. An applicant on motion is eligible by meeting Rules 302 and 303, there is no deadline, and the process takes 6 to 12 months before a recommendation. An applicant found ineligible on motion may sit the next UBE without another application fee but must meet Rule 201, and the fee is non-refundable if the applicant chooses not to sit.

Military spouse attorneys apply under Rule 306 with no Wyoming court application fee, only the NCBE background fee, and the same 6 to 12 month expectation. An MPRE score of 75 counted only for exams given between January 1, 1999 and October 1, 2014, and a first admission before 1999 can be covered by the applicant's certification that the MPRE was passed.

Source: Wyoming Judicial Branch: UBE Score Transfer Instructions (02/2025) and Admission on Motion Instructions (08/2026) ↗