The New York State Board of Law Examiners
The New York State Board of Law Examiners is responsible for administering the bar examination to candidates seeking admission to practice law in the State of New York. The Board has been in existence for more than one hundred twenty five years, having been created by the New York State Legislature in 1894. The operations of the State Board of Law Examiners are overseen by a five member Board of attorneys appointed by the New York Court of Appeals. The Board maintains a business office in Albany, New York with a full-time staff that oversees the bar examination. The bar examination is administered twice per year, on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday each February and July. In 2024, the Board processed 16,574 applications for the bar examination and examined 14,354 applicants.RECENT NEWS AND NOTICES - UPDATED JANUARY 9, 2025
The New York Court of Appeals announced on January 8, 2025 that New Yok has adopted the NextGen Bar Examination, effective with the July 2028 exam administration. The notice issued by the New York Court of Appeals is available at https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/.
NEW LIMIT ON APPLICATIONS FROM REPEATER APPLICANTS WITH FOUR OR MORE UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS ON BAR EXAMINATION
Pursuant to Section 6000.4(c) of the Rules of the State Board of Law Examiners, effective December 1, 2024, applicants with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York bar examination may file an application for re-examination ONLY for the February administration of the bar examination.
This new policy was necessary to address the increasing number of applicants for the July administration of the bar examination, which is impacting the Board’s ability to procure a sufficient number of seats at its test sites. The new policy will permit the Board to better manage its existing resources (i.e., test sites, equipment, proctors, etc.). The Board also hopes that this policy will encourage repeater applicants to utilize the additional time between examination attempts to better prepare for future attempts at the bar examination.
Applicants with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York Bar Examination are not precluded from taking the bar examination in another UBE jurisdiction in July, and if they achieve a passing score, transferring that score to New York.
RECENT AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
By Order dated April 19, 2024, the New York Court of Appeals amended Part 520 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law to more closely align the eligibility requirements with the American Bar Association’s Standards for the Approval of Law Schools. The amendments are to Sections 520.3, 520.5, 520.6 and 520.17 of the Court Rules. The amendments are effective May 8, 2024. A copy of the Court’s Notice to the Bar and Order amending the Rules is available at https://nycourts.gov/ctapps/news/nottobar/nottobar-AttyAdmin-042324.pdf. The amended Court Rules is available at https://nycourts.gov/ctapps/520rules10.htm.CHANGES IN APPLICATION FILING PERIODS FOR NEW YORK BAR EXAM
The Board has new Application Filing Periods for each administration of the New York State Bar Examination (UBE). For a July bar exam (UBE), the Application Filing Period is March 1 - 31st. For a February bar exam (UBE), the Application Filing Period is October 1 - 31st.
The Board has new Application/Re-Application Filing Deadlines for Application/Re-Application for non-standard test accommodations (NTA) on the bar exam (UBE). For a July exam, the Application/Re-Application Filing Deadline is March 31st. For a February exam, the Application/Re-Application Filing Deadline is October 31st.
For an applicant who failed the immediately preceding administration of the New York Bar Exam, the Application Filing Deadline will be the later of (a) the filing deadline outlined above or (b) the 7th day following the date of the Board’s release of the bar examination results.
JULY 2025 BAR EXAMINATION
The July 29-30, 2025 administration of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) in New York will be administered in-person at test sites to be posted on this site in March. There will be no remote option. All components of the UBE will be in paper question booklets, and applicants will be required to answer the MBE questions on a paper scantron answer sheet that will be provided. For the MPT and MEE, applicants may elect to either handwrite or type their essay answers. Applicants will be required to select laptop or handwriting at the time of filing their bar exam application. Laptop applicants will be subsequently required to timely purchase the software and register their computers with the software vendor, ExamSoft. No applicant may bring a laptop computer to the test site for the MBE portion of the exam.
The application filing period for the July 29-30, 2025 bar examination is March 1-31, 2025. Applicants must apply for the bar exam through their “BOLE Account” in the Applicant Services Portal. Any applicant who does not already have a BOLE account, should click on BOLE Account in the menu and follow the instructions to create an account. Individuals with disabilities who wish to request non-standard test accommodations for the July 2025 bar examination must submit an Application/Re-Application for Test Accommodations with all supporting documentation by no later than Monday, March 31, 2025. Please pay careful attention to the March 31, 2025 deadline as it will not be extended.
Applicants who are unsuccessful on the February 2025 New York Bar Examination will have seven (7) days from the date of the release of the results from the February 2025 New York Bar Examination to re-apply for the July 2025 New York Bar Examination. This extended application filing period does not apply to applicants who (1) withdrew from or were absent for the February 2025 Bar Examination or (2) took the bar exam in another jurisdiction in February and were not successful.
Any applicant who failed to appear for and/or withdrew from more than two prior examinations will be required to petition the Board for permission to re-apply for a future bar examination. Also, pursuant to Board Rule 6000.4(c) applicants with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York bar examination may only re-apply for a February administration.
FEBRUARY 2025 BAR EXAMINATION
The application filing period for the February 25-26, 2025 bar examination is now closed. The application filing period for Non-Standard Test Accommodations for the February 2025 Bar Examination is also closed. No late applications will be considered.The February 25-26, 2025 administration of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) in New York will be administered in-person at the test sites posted at https://www.nybarexam.org/ExamSites/ExamSites.htm. There will be no remote option. All components of the UBE will be in paper question booklets, and applicants will be required to answer the MBE questions on a paper scantron answer sheet that will be provided.
Admission tickets will be posted to applicant’s BOLE Accounts on or about February 11, 2025. All applicants are expected to be familiar with and comply with (1) the Bar Exam Security Policy at https://www.nybarexam.org/Docs/secpolicy.pdf and (2) Civility Policy at https://www.nybarexam.org/Docs/CivilityPolicy.pdf.
If you have decided to postpone taking the examination, login to your BOLE Account in the Applicant Services Portal at https://portal.nybarexam.org/, scroll down to the New York Bar Examination Application and click on the Withdraw button. You will be directed to insert your initials and click on “Withdraw from Examination.” Once you submit the Withdrawal the decision is irreversible so please carefully read all notices before submitting. The application fee is non-refundable except in limited circumstances. If there are extenuating circumstances causing you to withdraw, you should withdraw through your BOLE account and you may then write to the Board to request a credit of the fee towards a future exam. Requests must be in writing and must be supported by appropriate supporting documentation. A credit of the fee will be considered ONLY for applicants who were not previously granted a credit. Any applicant who fails to appear for and/or has withdrawn from more than two prior examinations will be required to petition the Board for permission to re-apply for a future bar examination. Also, pursuant to Board Rule 6000.4(c) applicants with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York bar examination may only re-apply for a February administration. The application filing period for the July 2025 bar examination is March 1 – 31, 2025.
NEW YORK LAW EXAM
The results from the December 19, 2024 NYLE have been posted to applicant BOLE Accounts. To access the exam results, log in to your account in the Applicant Services Portal using your email address and password and navigate to the NYLE section within the portal.
The next administration of the NYLE is on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET. The deadline to complete the New York Law Course and register for the April 2025 NYLE is Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. Applicants who timely register with the Board to take the NYLE must also timely purchase, download and register the software with Examsoft. Examsoft will email applicants a few weeks before the date of the NYLE with all pertinent details and deadlines.
NOTICE TO CANDIDATES WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY WITHDRAWN OR FAILED TO APPEAR FOR THE BAR EXAM
Pursuant to Board Rule 6000.9(b)(3), an applicant who fails to appear for or has withdrawn from multiple prior examinations, or having appeared for the examination but in the opinion of the Board upon review of the applicant’s examination papers and record of attendance does not make a bona fide effort to pass the examination, may in the discretion of the Board, be required to petition the Board for permission to re-apply for a subsequent bar examination. In the event the Board determines such a petition is required, the applicant will be so notified by the Board.
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