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 September 30, 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 2025 bar examination was administered on July 29 and 30, 2025. The Board is in the process of grading the examination. The results of the examination are expected to be released by the end of October.
FEBRUARY 2026 BAR EXAMINATION
The application filing period for the February 2026 New York bar is now open. The February 2026 bar examination will be administered on February 24 and 25, 2026 at the test sites posted at https://www.nybarexam.org/ExamSites/ExamSites.htm. There will be no remote option for the February 2026 bar examination. 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. The MEE and MPT questions will also be in paper question booklets.Applicants who select the laptop option for the MPT and MEE will be sent an email from ExamSoft in December with the instructions for purchasing, downloading and registering the Examplify software with ExamSoft. All of the steps required to timely register your laptop, including a link to the Minimum System Requirements, will be included in the email. All other candidates will be required to handwrite their MEE and MPT answers in the answer booklets that will be provided on exam day.
Applicants who are unsuccessful on the July 2025 New York Bar Examination will have seven (7) days from the date of the release of the July bar exam results to re-apply for the February 2025 New York Bar Examination. This extended application filing period does not apply to applicants who (1) withdraw from or were absent for the July 2025 Bar Examination or (2) took the bar exam in another jurisdiction in July and are not successful.
NEW YORK LAW EXAM
The results from the September 18, 2025 NYLE were posted to applicant BOLE Accounts on September 29, 2025. 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, December 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET. The deadline to complete the New York Law Course and register for the December 2025 NYLE is Tuesday, November 18, 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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