New York Bar Exam Information

Dates, Cost & Location

As the state with the most law firms in the U.S., New York State is an international center of the legal profession, and you can be a part of it if you pass the bar exam. The exam is offered in February and July of each year. The February 2026 exam takes place over two days, February 24–25, 2026, while the July 2026 exam takes place from July 28–29, 2026. The deadline to apply for the February exam is October 31, 2025, while the deadline to apply for the July exam is March 31, 2026. The application fee for either administration of the exam is $250.

Any requests for testing accommodations must be received by the New York Board of Law Examiners by either October 31, 2025, or March 31, 2026, depending on which administration of the exam the person is applying for.

Like 40 other jurisdictions in the United States, New York State uses the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The UBE has three sections: the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). The MPT and MEE are administered on the first day of the exam, while the MBE is administered on the second day. On day one, you’ll start with the MPT in the morning session. After a break for lunch, you’ll continue with the MEE in the afternoon. The MPT has two ninety-minute essay questions, while the MEE comprises six half-hour essay questions. The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is administered on day two of the exam, and it’s split into two sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. For the MBE, test takers will spend six hours answering 200 multiple-choice questions.

New York State also requires applicants to take the New York Law Course (NYLC) and a separate exam called the New York Law Exam (NYLE). The NYLC teaches students New York State law. It consists of seventeen hours of recorded lectures and multiple-choice questions that review the material covered in the lectures. The course is administered online and can be conducted at a student’s own pace. You may sign up for the course by clicking on the following link: https://www.newyorklawcourse.org/.

The NYLE asks the applicant questions about New York State law. It is administered three times a year: in April, September, and December. The NYLE is open-book and administered online over the course of two hours, during which you’ll answer fifty multiple-choice questions. The deadline to apply for the April 2026 NYLE is March 17, 2026, and the application fee is $27. You must pass the NYLE within one year before or three years after passing the bar exam.

New York will transition to the NextGen version of the bar exam in July 2028. NextGen will contain the three components that are used in the current version of the bar exam, but it will introduce new questions that touch upon practical skills like legal writing and navigating client relationships. NextGen exam won’t test the following subjects: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Secured Transactions, and Trusts & Estates.

What subjects will you be tested on?

All of the following subjects are fair game on the MEE: Business Associations (including Agency, Partnerships, and Corporations), Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Secured Transactions (including Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code), Torts, and Wills & Estates. Not all of these subjects will necessarily be tested on exam day, but we strongly recommend studying all of the above subjects so you’re fully prepared to pass the bar.

The MPT will test your ability to write a memorandum or legal brief in response to a fact pattern. The relevant laws that apply to the question will be included in the prompt.

The MBE will test you on Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, and Torts.

What’s the minimum score for the MPRE?

To pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in New York, you must receive a scaled score of at least 85.

How is the exam scored?

To pass, you must achieve a combined scaled score of at least 266 out of 400. The MPT, MEE, and MBE are combined into a single scaled score. The MBE is worth 50% of the total score, while the MPT is worth 20% and the MEE is worth 30%.

When are the results released?

No exact date has been given for when the February 2026 scores will be released, but the February 2025 scores were released on April 22, 2025. The July 2025 scores were released on October 23, 2025.

Can I transfer my MBE scores from another jurisdiction?

No, you must take the UBE to transfer your bar exam score to New York.

What about reciprocity across states?

Out-of-state attorneys may apply to practice law in New York through admission on motion if they’ve practiced law for at least five of the past seven years, are admitted in a jurisdiction that has a reciprocity agreement with New York, and have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school. The following jurisdictions have reciprocity with New York: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

References

New York Law Course (NYLC), New York State Board of Law Examiners, 2021, https://www.newyorklawcourse.org/.