The New York State Board of Law Examiners
Operating under the auspices of the New York State Court of Appeals, 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 over a hundred years, having been created by the New York State Legislature in 1894.
Its five members are attorneys appointed by the 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 Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. In 2012, the Board processed 17,692 applications for the bar examination and examined 15,745 applicants.
NOTICES:
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR FEBRUARY 2013 TEST TAKERS
The results for candidates who sat for the February 2013 New York State bar examination have been sent to the last email address on file with the Board. There may be some delays in receiving the email depending on volume and security issues with individual email providers. The results are also available by using the private lookup link below. Please note that, if you were successful on the bar examination, you must send the official Notice of Certification attached to email to the Appellate Division as part of your Application for Admission.
FEBRUARY 2013 NYS BAR EXAM RESULTS PRIVATE LOOKUP
FEBRUARY 2013 NYS BAR EXAM RESULTS PUBLIC LOOKUP
(1) Laptop Registration:
May 3 – Laptop registration Opens at 10:00 AM EST for Candidates who applied or re-applied for the bar exam by April 30, 2013.**
May 30 – Laptop registration Closes for ALL Candidates at 5:00 PM EST.
The New York State Board of Law Examiners has contracted with Examsoft Worldwide, Inc. ("Examsoft") to use its security software product, SofTest, for the July 2013 NYS bar examination. Applicants who elected to participate in the laptop program when completing their online application to sit for the bar examination have been sent an email with the dates and deadlines to purchase the software (non-refundable fee of $100, payable to Examsoft) and register their laptop for the essay portion of the bar exam. No requests for extension of the deadline to register a laptop will be granted. If ALL of the steps to register are not completed by the deadline, the applicant will be required to handwrite the essay portion of the exam.
**Note: Candidates who failed the February 2013 exam have until May 16 to re-apply for the July 2013 bar examination. Re-Applicants who indicate on their online application that they plan to use a laptop for the essay portion of the July 2013 exam will be sent an email on May 17 regarding the steps for purchasing the software and registering their laptop. The deadline to purchase the software and register your laptop is 5:00 PM EST on May 30, 2013.
All Laptop Applicants must be aware that there are certain risks associated with participation in the Laptop Program. http://www.nybarexam.org/TheBar/TheBar.htm#laptop)
All communications regarding the Laptop Program will be by email only and sent directly from ExamSoft (barsupport@examsoft.com). Please add this address to your contact list. If you did NOT receive the registration email, you must immediately contact the Board.
(2) Deadline to submit supporting foreign documentation for review:
- July Bar Exam – To meet the six month deadline for review of your documents, you must submit your Foreign Evaluation Form and supporting foreign documentation no later than October 1st of the year preceding the exam you plan to sit.
- February Exam – To meet the six month deadline for review of your documents, you must submit your Foreign Evaluation Form and supporting documentation no later than May 1st of the year preceding the exam you plan to sit.
LLM applicants who fail to meet these deadlines run the risk that they may not receive a decision from the Board on their eligibility in time to take the exam, causing the application to be denied and the application fee to be forfeited.
For more detailed information about the bar examination, application filing periods and application fees please visit The Bar Exam(3) NEW 50 HOUR PRO BONO REQUIREMENT
-- POSTED SEPT 19, 2012
Beginning in January 2013, a new rule affecting bar admission in New York will be in effect. All candidates seeking admission after January 1, 2015, with the exception of admission on motion candidates, will need to file documentation showing that they have completed 50 hours of qualifying pro bono work, as required by Rule 520.16 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals. For further information regarding the implementation and requirements of the new rule, along with Frequently Asked Questions, please visit http://www.nycourts.gov/attorneys/probono/baradmissionreqs.shtml. The FAQs contain information on the web address and toll free telephone number in the event that you have an inquiry.
(4) NCBE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
-- POSTED APRIL 1, 2012
Prior to completing the online application to sit for the bar examination, all applicants and re-applicants must apply for and receive an NCBE identification number. Please visit www.ncbex.org/ncbe-number and complete the brief application to receive this number.
(5) BAR EXAM ELIGIBILITY RULES AMENDED
-- POSTED APRIL 1, 2012
By order dated January 12, 2012, the New York Court of Appeals amended section 520.3 of the Rules for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law (22 NYCRR 520.3), which sets forth the educational requirements for juris doctor graduates of approved law schools in the United States to sit for the bar examination. The amendment is effective April 1, 2012. The Court also revised sections 520.4, 520.5, and 520.6 to reflect the changes to section 520.3; however, these revisions do not effect a major substantive change to those provisions. For more information, see Press Release and the Order, dated January 10, 2012, Amending Sections 520.3, 520.4, 520.5 and 520.6.
(6) FOREIGN-EDUCATED ELIGIBILITY RULES AMENDED
-- POSTED MAY 18, 2011
By order dated April 27, 2011, the New York Court of Appeals amended section 520.6 of the Rules of for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law (22 NYCRR 520.6), which sets forth the educational eligibility requirements for foreign-educated law graduates to sit for the New York bar examination. The amendment, effective May 18, 2011, substantially modifies the instructional requirements for a “curing” LL.M. program for applicants whose foreign education is substantively or durationally deficient under the rule. Click on the following link for a copy of the Order, dated April 27, 2011, Amending Section 520.6.
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