BOLE- OFFICIAL PAGE NEW YORK STATE BAR EXAMINATION

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 DECEMBER 19, 2024

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 2024 BAR EXAMINATION

The results from the July 30-31, 2024 New York State Bar Examination were posted on October 23, 2024 to candidate BOLE accounts in the Applicant Services Portal. Click Here to read the Board’s press release regarding the passing rates for this administration of the exam. A list of passing candidates will be made available to the public on this website on October 24, 2024 after 10:00 AM ET.

The deadline for all candidates who were unsuccessful on the July 2024 New York Bar Examination to re-apply for the February 25-26, 2025 New York State Bar Examination is 11:59 PM ET on Thursday, October 31, 2024. This deadline will not be extended.

July 2024 Bar Examination Results Public Lookup

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 test sites to be announced in the fall. 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.

Applicants who selected the laptop option for the MPT and MEE will be sent an email from ExamSoft on December 20, 2024 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. The deadline to complete the laptop registration with ExamSoft is January 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET. Applicants who do not complete the registration with ExamSoft will be removed from the laptop program and switched to handwriting the exam. The January 3, 2025 laptop registration deadline will NOT be extended by the Board. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you do not wait until the last minute to take the mandatory registration steps with ExamSoft. If you do not receive emails from ExamSoft you must immediately contact the Board’s office. If the registration deadline has already passed by the time you contact the Board, you will be required to handwrite your answers to all essay questions.

Please see https://www.nybarexam.org/ExamSites/ExamSites.htm for the list of test sites for the February 2025 New York Bar Examination. Test center assignments will be based on availability and on a first come, first serve basis. No applicant is guaranteed a seat in any particular city or test center, even if the applicant lives or attended law school in that city. All applicants will be sent an email from administration@nybarexam.org on or about January 6, 2025 containing a link instructing the applicant to select and confirm their preferred location (Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Long Island). First-time applicants who graduate with a Juris Doctor degree from a New York State law school will be given first priority to select their location. Only locations with available seats will be listed in the email. Once a location is filled, it will no longer appear in the list of locations in the email. If your preferred location does not appear in the email you must select from the locations that appear at the time that you access the link. The Board will not maintain a wait list for any location. All applicants (except those who have already been awarded test accommodations) must make a test site selection by no later than Friday, January 10, 2025. Applicants who do not make a selection will be withdrawn from the bar exam. Please do not call the Board office to request the specific time when the seat selection email will be sent. The date and time when the email will be sent depends on several factors and we are unable to commit to an exact time.

If you have decided not to take the February 2025 bar exam please login to your BOLE Account in the Applicant Services Portal, scroll down to the Uniform Bar Exam Application section, and click on the Withdrawal from Examination button. Once you submit the withdrawal the decision is irreversible so please carefully read all instructions before withdrawing. The application fee is non-refundable but if you have extenuating circumstances necessitating your withdrawal you may submit a written request for a one-time credit of the fee. The request must be in writing and include your BOLE Number, the reason for your withdrawal and appropriate supporting documentation. Applicants who have withdrawn from, or failed to appear for, three or more examinations may be required pursuant to Board Rule 6000.9(b)(3) to petition the Board before they are permitted to re-apply for a future examination.

NEW YORK LAW EXAM

The results from the September 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, December 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET. The deadline to complete the New York Law Course and register for the December NYLE is Tuesday, November 19, 2024 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.