Uniform Bar Examination

About the UBE

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is coordinated by NCBE and is composed of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). It is uniformly administered, graded, and scored and results in a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions.

The UBE is administered over two days, with the MBE given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that. Jurisdictions that use the UBE may also require applicants to complete a jurisdiction-specific law component.

Jurisdictions That Have Adopted the UBE

Select a jurisdiction for a summary of bar admission information specific to that jurisdiction and contact information for its bar admission agency. Note that jurisdictions that adopt the UBE may be indicated as such with incomplete information until rule amendments are finalized.

For a downloadable map of jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE, access the PDF map: Adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination with NCBE Tests Administered by Non-UBE Jurisdictions.

For more information, view our informational pdf about the UBE.

Click on the following button for a list of UBE jurisdictions and their first administration dates.

List of UBE Jurisdictions

Click on a jurisdiction in the map below for an overview of its bar admission requirements, including additional information on its UBE policies.

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Legend

UBE Adopted

UBE Not Adopted

Not Shown On Map

Jurisdiction	UBE Adopted
Alabama	Yes
Alaska	Yes
Arizona	Yes
Arkansas	Yes
California	No
Colorado	Yes
Connecticut	Yes
Delaware	No
District of Columbia	Yes
Florida	No
Georgia	No
Hawaii	No
Idaho	Yes
Illinois	Yes
Indiana	Yes
Iowa	Yes
Kansas	Yes
Kentucky	Yes
Louisiana	No
Maine	Yes
Maryland	Yes
Massachusetts	Yes
Michigan	Yes
Minnesota	Yes
Mississippi	No
Missouri	Yes
Montana	Yes
Nebraska	Yes
Nevada	No
New Hampshire	Yes
New Jersey	Yes
New Mexico	Yes
New York	Yes
North Carolina	Yes
North Dakota	Yes
Ohio	Yes
Oklahoma	Yes
Oregon	Yes
Pennsylvania	Yes
Rhode Island	Yes
South Carolina	Yes
South Dakota	No
Tennessee	Yes
Texas	Yes
Utah	Yes
Vermont	Yes
Virginia	No
Washington	Yes
West Virginia	Yes
Wisconsin	No
Wyoming	Yes
Guam	No
Northern Mariana Islands	No
Palau	No
Puerto Rico	No
Virgin Islands	Yes

Purpose

The UBE is designed to test knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law. It results in a portable score that can be used to apply for admission in other UBE jurisdictions.

Policies Set by UBE Jurisdictions

While the UBE is uniformly administered, graded, and scored by user jurisdictions, the user jurisdictions continue to independently

decide who may sit for the bar exam and who will be admitted to practice;
determine underlying educational requirements;
make all character and fitness decisions;
set their own policies regarding the number of times applicants may retake the bar examination;
make ADA decisions;
grade the MEE and MPT;
set their own pre-release regrading policies;
assess candidate knowledge of jurisdiction-specific content through a separate test, course, or some combination of the two if the jurisdiction chooses;
accept MBE scores earned in a previous examination or concurrently in another jurisdiction for purposes of making local admission decisions if they wish. Note: candidates must sit for all portions of the UBE in the same UBE jurisdiction and in the same administration in order to earn a portable UBE score;
set their own passing scores; and
determine how long incoming UBE scores will be accepted.